Her cinematic endeavours apart, Disha Patani began to initially hold the attention of cinephiles following her frequent appearance in Tiger Shroff's dance videos that punctuated his Instagram feed. And while her nimble-footedness and lithe frame could be deceptive, Patani proved that she was anything but fragile as she graduated from matching Shroff's moves to matching his stunts. Easily among a current lot of actors best adept to headline a female-led action film, Patani, with her front and back saltos, single-hand cartwheels and mixed martial arts moves, has been testing the limits of her body.

"I took to gymnastics three years ago. It's always good to learn it when you are young, because the body changes after the age of 20," she says, reiterating how bones and muscle may become less malleable with age. "When I am not shooting, I alternate between practising gymnastics and MMA in the week. MMA is relatively easier. But for gymnastics, you have to be both, consistent and brave. It has taken me a while to reach where I am. You have to do it every day. [Only when] you break your bones and knees do you reach somewhere." Patani is no stranger to injury. Having once trained on concrete terrace floors, she recalls falling on her head and losing her memory. "I lost six months of my life because I couldn't remember anything." Only recently, when attempting to pull off a front salto for Salman Khan-starrer Bharat, she also busted her knees. But, a week later, she was at it again. A salto is essentially a forward or backward body flip performed in a tucked position.