Good actors know all too well that there's more to film acting than, well, just acting. Looking the part — especially when you're playing a rough and rugged rural character is just as important as memorizing lines and delivering them with gusto. For the third season of Mirzapur (2018) actor Ali Fazal took to learning wrestling to apply the methods of hand-to-hand combat to his character Guddu Bhaiyya in the series. Helping the Fukrey (2013) actor in his transformation journey is Rohit Nair a MMA fighter, kickboxer and Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt.
Nair met Fazal through a common friend. “I have a lot of respect for him for the brilliant work he is doing, which is why I was super excited when he reached out to me on Instagram. That's where our journey began and it's been five years since!” recalls Nair who trains the actor five-six days a week.
Revealing details of the training Nair says, “Ali’s training is very dynamic in nature. We try to cover all the aspects of fitness as well as athleticism. But we are largely focussed on strength and conditioning to maintain a good physique and health.” Two days of the week are dedicated to compound movements. “A compound exercise is any movement where you're using multiple muscles at a time. For example, deadlift, bench press, etc. Just the simple squats engage your core, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles and hip flexors.” A day in the week is dedicated to mobility drills, which include animal flow and yoga movements that help open up the body. Fazal is also extremely passionate about combat sports and his training includes a lot of jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and MMA. “MMA or any combat sports is a high impact sport which helps in overall fitness and self defence skills. It also improves discipline and adds focus. At least, two times a week we work on developing a combat skill set and challenging our cardio,” says Nair who accompanies the actor on shoots. For action scene days Nair ensures that Fazal is properly warmed up to avoid injuries and retakes. “On days when we have close-up shots of the body, we do basic weights to keep the body nice and pumped up,” says Nair. Fazal’s latest is Kandahar, a Hollywood action drama, headlined by Scottish star Gerard Butler.
How is Fazal as a student? “He’s extremely passionate about his fitness, disciplined and very, very curious. He wants to understand every technique we do in depth. As a coach, it’s so fulfilling to watch your student take so much interest in the craft and be so disciplined for his health.”
Along with a diligent workout routine Fazal also maintains a balanced diet. The Kandahar actor has two meals a day, lots of veggies and some meat. A large bowl of salad accompanies most meals which keeps him satiated for long. Interestingly, Ali avoids fruits as they come with a high sugar content. Cheat meals are rare and restricted to travels. Bread is his weakness and also his favourite dish on the planet. So, sometimes a treat is a slice of toast slathered with butter and piping hot chai. “We try to do a fasted workout as it helps him perform better. Only normal water during workout,” says Nair.
Fazal makes his workout his priority even when he is travelling or on vacation. At places where there are no gyms, the actor engages in squats and push-ups. Running is another activity he has always enjoyed. As an athlete in school, Fazal excelled in triple jump, shot put and basketball. “Ali’s biggest plus point is that he knows his body very well. And though his work demands that he keeps changing his physique often, that doesn’t deter him,” says Nair referring to Fazal’s ability to transform his body according to the character — from the lanky Zafar in Fukrey (2013), lean Abdul in Victoria & Abdul (2017) to the muscled up Kahil in Kandahar (2023).
Currently, the duo is working on shedding some of the bulk he put on for the role of Guddu Bhaiya in the OTT series Mirzapur. “During that time we mainly did weight training. We reduced our cardio and combat to ensure that we preserved all our muscle mass. Now we are preparing to get a leaner body, so the training is back to a mixture of strength, cardio and combat for his role in Metro… In Dino (2023, yet to release),” says Nair. The film directed by Anurag Basu is an anthology that consists of four intertwined loving and heartwarming stories.
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