Her profession as a boxer was what got Ritika Singh the lead role opposite R Madhavan in Saala Khadoos. She explains to Shrabasti Mallik how difficult it was for her to emote and express because in the ring, boxers are expected to keep a poker face
All her life she has spent in the rings — either delivering karate kicks or punching some faces, and she clearly had very little clue of what to do, or rather how to do it, when life threw a punch as big and strong as Bollywood on her way. Ritika Singh might be new to the silver screen but she is no stranger to the first role that she has played in a full length Bollywood feature film. In fact, her profession as a boxer fit her perfectly into R Madhavan’s script for Saala Khadoos.
The film has already hit the screens but this debutante still cannot get a grip on things. “It is happening so fast, everything is happening so fast,” was all she kept on saying when we met her. Singh is your next-door-girl and gives two hoots about what you think of her.
Seated in a comfortable sweatshirt, Singh recounted her experience of coming to shoot as fresh as possible one morning and finding out that she had to look tired and weary instead. She shares many such incidents like this in a chat. Excerpts from the interaction:
What was the experience like to debut in a Bollywood movieIJ
Good. It feels unreal but good. I have never been in front of the camera before. It’s quite different from what I do in life so it was fun. It was definitely a new experience for me.
I did not realise when I started acting. It just came naturally to me. I don’t know when it happened. The director, Sudha Kongara kept telling me to do this and that, and to act like this and things just fell into place.
I don’t know how to answer this question because it is not sinking in — I am doing this interview with you, I have acted in a film. To I can’t really tell ki journey rahi kaisi kyunki sab kuch itna jaldi ho gaya. Time...it just went by so fast and is still rushing. It’s like we are doing so much in just one day — being in different cities everyday is not something I am accustomed to so, yeah, its very unfamiliar. My mind has just stopped registering things.
Maybe that’s because its just the beginning...
Yeah (rolling her eyes and laughing).
What is your character likeIJ
She is a girl from Chennai. She is a strong, fierce and feisty and this battameez kind of girl. She speaks whatever comes to her mind and does not give two hoots about what people think about her. She is just herself.
Are you like that in real life as wellIJ
Yes, you can say that. I don’t care what other people thing about me. I'm just normal. I mean, look at me...I look like a boy, maybe (pointing out to her sweatshirt and somewhat boyish attitude). I’m just me. I don’t think so much. I just want to be myself.
The movie is about boxing and since you are a professional boxer, you might have related with the character. But was acting difficultIJ
let me think about that (laughs). More than acting you know, boxing in the film was difficult for me. I will tell you (gets all excited). As a person, I am very strong — headstrong. I will take a punch and won’t cry in public. I will take it in my stride. In a fight, if I get hit here (indicating her ribs) and it pains and even if I cannot breathe, I will not let it show. I will be very strong. We sportsperson have a poker face which will not let you see what’s inside our minds or how we are feeling.
I am so used to that, that it was difficult to emote (trying to stress the difficulty with a wave of hands). There I was, in a head guard, through which the face is not visible that well. Upar se ek ankh pe make up laga hua hai jiss dikhe ki chot lagi hui hai. Practically ek aankh bandh hai. Aur duniya ke saare emotions doosri aankh se dikhana hota hai. Bohot mushkil tha.
Would you be able to share one instanceIJ
There was a day when we had an early morning shoot. I reached on time all fresh and full of energy and was told that we were shooting a continuation scene where I had to look tired and beat up. That was particularly difficult for me. How could I possibly look tired in the morning (laughs).
How did you overcome all of thisIJ
I just went with the flow. Of course, there were times when I wanted to tell the director that, that is not how a boxer is supposed to be. like a boxer, when he or she is in the ring or even practicing, we have a poker face. You know, like a normal one. We don’t look like all strained and look like its a tough game. But its movies, it is bound to be different. You have to wear your emotions on your face, even when you don’t, in real life. Because if I don’t then you and the audience will not feel for my character. I had to learn to emote.
How long have you been boxingIJ
Well, I am not a boxer. Google has been giving out absolute wrong information (smirks). No, I do karate and also kick boxing. I started fairly young when I was about three-years-old. First I trained in karate then kick boxing and then in mixed martial arts. Then the movie happened. Can you believe itIJ
So, how is a normal day in the life of Ritika, the sportspersonIJ
Well, I train about two times a day. One and a half hours in the morning and about three hours in the evening. And when I am fighting, it goes up to six to seven hours. Also, my dad is my trainer so there are odd hours involved too. He works and martial arts is his profession. So he comes home at night and the training goes late till the night, often past midnight. That ruins our entire food and biological clock, too, because we end up having a very late dinner.
Now that you have a a movie to your name, is acting on the chartsIJ
(Nods her head very slowly with a smile).