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MUKKABAAZ TO BE VINEET’S KNOCKOUT BLOW TO STRUGGLE!
Gangs of Wasseypur actor plays solo lead in Anurag Kashyap’s next shot in Uttar Pradesh
Despite a stellar performance in Gangs of Wasseypur, it took 17 years for this doctorturned-actor to grab his first solo lead.
“It’s better late than never,” says Varanasi-lad Vineet Kumar Singh who plays a boxer in Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz, slated for release in November.
The sports drama shot in Bareilly, Varanasi and Lucknow was screened at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) a week back.
“It’s a story of a UP-based boxer and is set in these three cities. Over 17 years since I joined the industry and four years after I wrote the film’s first draft, things are finally moving in the right direction,” says Vineet, who played Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s elder brother Danish in Gangs of Wasseypur.
A basketball player, Vineet has represented in nationals games for seven times. “There are lots of harsh realities that a sportsperson faces in life. Being into sports (basketball) I have seen it all and in fact those dark realities still haunts me,” says Vineet whose struggle continued even after he switched over to acting.
“I was not getting the kind of roles that I wanted to play so I started writing a story for myself,” he tells.
He showed the script to many filmmakers but most of them only wanted the script.
“I was very sure that I will play the boxer in the film while most of them just wanted the script. I was offered money and many times I changed it according to people but it did not worked out as none agreed to cast me as lead. Then I again rewrote the script and requested Anurag sir to read it,” he says.
Kashyap liked the script. “He said two things to me. One, he will do the film according to his perspective, research and rewrite it. Secondly, I have to become a boxer myself to do the role.” He hints that film’s real story is inspired by a boxer which they will reveal later. The story credit goes to Kashyap, Vineet and some other writers.
MAKING OF BOXER
During the process of script he was training himself in Mumbai. “After Anurag sir’s go ahead I left for Patiala. I initially wanted to go for National Institute of Sports (NIS) but then my script required ground reality so I went to a coach who started training me at his farm house. So, my day started at 5 am and ended at 9 pm. Day schedule, gym and evening training to late nights it was a grueling training schedule,” he says.
In the process, Vineet sustained rib fracture, a deep cut and several minor injuries. “I soon learnt if I don’t take blows then I won’t get the results I wanted. Since I am a doctor myself I know my body and prepared myself and asked the boxers to hit me. Soon, I started developing defense reflexes and got in the grind. My training process went on for over a year.”
The actor informs that all fights in the film are real with national and international boxers.
FUTURE BRIGHT
The film got a grand reception at TIFF and it will open the MAMI festival to be held in Mumbai. “The international audience has given a thumbs-up to the three screening held in Toronto. The film is set to release on November 10 and hope that Indian audience too likes it,” he says.
Vineet has recently shot Reema Kagti’s Gold which stars Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy which will release on August 15, 2017. Sudhir Mishra’s Dasdev is also ready and is also expected to hit screen soon.