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MELANGE

NOIDA/DELHI

THE HINDU

Saturday, July 9, 2016

P4

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puppy love

The video of a
man tossing a
dog from a
building was
the last straw
for animal
lovers. Its
time to end
such cruelty,
writes
ANUJA IYER

MIND OVER MATTER Jagdish Kali Raman and Kripa Shankar Patel PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

Get set to grapple

With Sultan in theatres and Dangal to follow, traditional wrestling has finally found a
role in mainstream cinema
MADHUR TANKHA

nce limited to a
couple of scenes
in Dara Singh
films, Hindi film
connoisseurs are finally
getting to see traditional
wrestling on a big scale in
Sultan and Dangal. With top
actors Salman Khan and
Aamir Khan as the lead,
these films have not only
glamourised wrestling but
have opened avenues for
wrestlers as trainers and
supporting actors.
Films on boxing and
hockey have been made. A
wrestling film has been
missed by all. Now the

audience, especially new

generation, gets to see a
film on wrestling. It is
about Salman Sirs journey
from gaon to Olympics,
says wrestler Jagdish Kali
Raman, who coached
Salman Khan in Sultan.
And to make the
environment around the
Haryanvi pehlwan look
realistic, all requirements
of preparing akhada were
made. Villagers in
Haryana, Punjab, where the
film was shot, and in other
States, who watch kushti on
dangal, would instantly
recognise akhada. And I am
confident many would now
try to make a career in
wrestling, says Jagdish,
whose father Chandgi Ram,
whose akhada in the Walled
City of Delhi is among the
top ten in the country.
To give wrestling an
authentic rustic flavour,
national and international
wrestlers fought with the
actor. Wrestlers used
traditional moves while
grappling with Salman. And
he too used techniques like

Salmans strength
can be gauged from
the fact that he
lifted me and
Palwinder Cheema,
who together weight
250 kg, on his
shoulders at a wrap
party. Jagdish

,,

dhobi pachhad. In certain

scenes, Salman gets thrown
by burly wrestlers and
sometimes he demonstrates
his recently mastered
moves to throw them. This
way audience gets a feel of
traditional wrestling, says
Jagdish.
However, the tricky part
was not teaching the eager
to know stars as they had
good absorbing power.
Convincing our pehlwans
that they had to do kushti
with Salman, their onscreen hero, was the
difficult part. They had
pangs of nervousness even
standing next to him.
Director Ali Abbas Zafar
wanted them to give right
expressions. These
wrestlers never faced the
camera in their lives. So
psychological preparation
was done to make them
act.
For the film, Salman
borrowed a leaf from his
idol Sylvester Stallone, who
worked out a new fitness
schedule before Rocky or
Rambo to suit the
character. In Sultan, the
actor has gone the extra
mile to show his fans that
he is cut out to be a
wrestler. Salman went
through the grind like an
average wrestler right from
akhada kodna and dand
baithak. But re-takes were
there and they took a toll
on Salman. But he made the
moves look realistic as he is
physically very strong.
Both Sultan and Dangal

highlight that wrestling is

as much about physical
prowess as brain power.
These films dispel
misconceptions that
wrestling has to do only
with physical prowess.
Kushti dimaag se khelni
parti hai. Buddhi haran
karni parti hai. One has to
go inside the brain of the
opponent to anticipate his
next move. When TT asks
me for a rail ticket and I
flash off my card of Arjuna
Award winner in wrestling
he can scarcely believe that
I am a wrestler, says the
diminutive Kripa Shankar
Patel, who gave wrestling
tips to Aamir Khan in
Dangal.
While Aamirs film
releases in December, the
spotlight is on Sultan. As
coach you must have an
idea of Salmans strength?
Salmans strength can be
gauged from the fact that
he lifted me and Palwinder
Cheema, who together
weight 250 kg, on his
shoulders at a wrap party.
He was so excited and his
power had increased as he
had been wrestling and
pumping iron regularly. On
top of it, he had been
religiously following a
special diet prepared by a
professional dietician, says
Jagdish. Cautions Kripa,
wrestling and injury have
choli daman ka saath.
While stars are invincible
on screen in real life they
have to obey instructions of
the fight master. Kripa says:

While coaching I was the

master and Aamir the
student. I would scold him
if he did not perform the
technique the correct way.
But these actors have
amazing capacity to listen,
absorb and implement
them during shooting,
sums up Kripa. he adds.
Both Jagdish, who is
playing a cameo in Sultan,
and Kripa have come into
limelight thanks to their
association with these two
films. Consequently, they
would also be playing
alongside yesteryears
actors like Asrani in the
upcoming Luv Kush
Ramlila.

We need more compassionate people to stand up to animal atrocities happening in our

midst PHOTO: REUTERS

Of late, accessing my
Facebook account requires
a lot of courage. News of all
kinds, from that of a puppy
tortured and hanged by
laughing soldiers in Taiwan,
to the more local incident
of an Indian puppy, Bhadra,
being mercilessly thrown
off the terrace by two
medical college students is
appalling, to say the least.
I sat at my breakfast table
one morning, shocked after
reading a post about a
pit-bull that was sedated
and skinned alive by its
barbaric owner. The dog
was forced to pose for the
camera once awake, so that
the photo could be posted
on social media.
What is happening to us?
When will be we start
showing some
consideration for species
that are less-privileged, that
have nothing to give except
love and loyalty?
Animal lovers adopt and
foster; activists file cases
against perpetrators, fight
legal battles; and animal

Research reveals
that people who
commit acts of
cruelty to animals
tend to do the
same to fellow
humans

,,

NGOs rescue or shelter

the wounded. A lot of
kind souls are doing their
bit, but we need more
compassionate people to
stand up against animal
atrocities happening in
our midst.
Research in psychology
and criminology reveals
that people who commit
acts of cruelty to animals
dont just stop there;
many of them do the
same to fellow humans.
Should we let such people
get away with bailable
offences, petty
punishments or meagre
fines, because the life of
an animal is valued much
less than that of a human
being?
While we wait with
hope for stringent laws
and enhanced
Government support, let
us start by bringing
change in our
neigbourhood.
Having shifted to a
different locality after my
wedding, my husband was
worried when I locked
horns with a man, who
was beating a barely twomonth-old street puppy,
because it happened to
play with the kids in the
building, apparently
posing a threat to them.
The man was taken
aback when he was
questioned and my
husband eventually

understood that if we
dont stop such people,
they will only repeat the
offence.
All of us contribute to
animal cruelty, in some
way or the other in the
stylish leather bags we
flaunt, the cosmetics we
use that are tested on
rabbits, and the palm oil
we buy that comes from
clearing rainforests,
rendering animals like
orang-utans homeless.
The days of being
ignorant are long gone
and information is aplenty
to help us make ethical
choices now.
Lets raise our children
to be compassionate to
animals, and maybe even
learn from them if they
teach us a thing or two
about humanity.
There is a reason why
we are born humans; let
us make it meaningful by
standing up for the
weaker species. We dont
have the right to inflict
pain or suffering on any
living being, but we do
have the right and means
to stop it from happening.
As they say, it may not
make a big difference to
the world but it will
make a world of a
difference to that one
grateful animal.
(The writer is a media
professional and animal
enthusiast.)

Cityzen

Guess Who

Fear of losing life

Last week's
answer:
Anil Kumble
Radhika Bansal of
Ashok Vihar, Delhi
wins a prize.

One lucky reader

receives a special prize
every week.

Who is this well-known face?

Write in to delhimetroplus@gmail.com with your name,
address and telephone number.

CM
YK

Shivam Kailash, 19

Sameer Saxena, 18

Anuj Kapoor, 28

Anchal Gargh, 25

Senior NCC cadet

Student

Software developer

Dietician

What is your most prized

possession?
My most prized possession are my
boxing gloves.
If you were granted a wish, what
would it be?
I will be becoming an officer in
2018 and I would like to cut that
waiting period.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is dying in a road
accident.
What does happiness mean to you?
Happiness to me means making my
parents proud of what I am.
If you could, what would you undo
from your life?
If given a chance I will like to undo
the disputes I had with people.

What is your most prized

possession?
My most prized possession is my
camera.
If you were granted a wish, what
would it be?
If granted a wish I will ask for the
camera Nikon D5
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear in life is that of
death.
What does happiness mean to you?
Happines to me means travelling
and exploring new places.
If you could, what would you undo
from your life?
I will not undo anything. Life is a
journey and I want to capture all
the memories.

What is your most prized

possession?
My most prized possession is my
phone.
If you were granted a wish, what
would it be?
If granted a wish I will like to lead a
royal married life.
What is your biggest fear?
In my life I fear most dying in a road
accident.
What does happiness mean to you?
Happiness to me means success at
work and getting married to my
loved one.
If you could, what would you undo
from your life?
If given a chance I would like to
undo the way I spent my childhood.

What is your most prized

possession?
The most prized possession is my
family.
If you were granted a wish, what
would it be?
If granted a wish I would like to
have a good life for myself.
What is your biggest fear?
My biggest fear is my past which
haunts me.
What does happiness mean to you?
Happiness to me means enjoying life
with all its luxuries.
If you could, what would you undo
from your life?
If I could I will undo nothing. I do
not have any regrets and what is
done is done.
ND-ND