Saiyami Kher talks about perfecting her kicks and punches for the role of an undercover agent in Special Ops.
Saiyami Kher in Special Ops
While her training as a runner certainly came handy, Saiyami Kher admits that in order to kick and punch for her role of an undercover agent in Special Ops, she had to undergo intense training in Mixed Martial Arts. Neeraj Pandey's upcoming espionage thriller has heavy action sequences, making it the kind of project that Kher "always wanted to do". "I had to get the action, including the punches and fist fights, on point. There was a special action team employed for it, so, working with them was quite an experience," she says of the show, which was shot in Turkey, among other locales.
Pandey, with films like A Wednesday (2008), Special 26 (2013) and Baby (2015), was on Kher's bucket list of directors to work with. "This was my chance to work with someone known for his action films." The desire to associate with someone versed with the genre is only fitting, given that Kher has taken a while to find her bearings in Bollywood, after the debacle of her debut film, Mirzya (2016).
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"It was a big launch-pad, and despite the hype, didn't make money at the box office. The going gets tough when your film does not work. The roles that come your way are either less exciting, or leave you with little to do in the film. It takes time to get back." Special Ops, she hopes, opens more doors for her.
On her plate are two other web offerings, Breathe 2, starring Abhishek Bachchan, and Anurag Kashyap's Choked. "I remember reading an interview of Akshay Kumar, in which he was quoted saying, 'Kaam se kaam milta hai'. That stayed with me," says Kher, who is also shooting for the Telugu film, Wild Dog, starring Nagarjuna. "That is also an action flick, so there will be more chances to showcase stunts."
Kher counts actor Tanvi Azmi as her aunt, but doesn't consider herself a star-kid who has been afforded privileges. "I don't bag offers because of [my association with film folk]. I like to do stuff by myself. They will know [of my films] only when the announcement is made. I want to experience success and failure on my own accord. At the same time, they are always there when I need them."
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