
"Working towards that, I focussed on the characters, who were not superheroes, but ordinary people, so the fight didn't look artificial. That was why we incorporated hand-to-hand combats, fist fights, hand-blocks and thundering punches," says Arasu.
No body double was used and no special effects were incorporated. Instead, the actors, Akshay Kumar and Ronit Roy spent months working on their physique and preparing for the big fight . "As a result, we didn't over-shoot even one per cent," says the action director. "None of the scenes required more than four retakes."
Did they take any precautions? "Other than umbrellas to prevent us from the killing heat, none," he laughs. So did either of the actors get injured? Arasu admits that Ronit did.
He says they would begin their day at 5 am and shoot for over seven hours. "Akshay and Ronit had to take several breaks in between as the drill was physically exhausting," Arasu informs. However, the clash was free of blood and gore. Explains Annal, "When you are punched in the stomach or hit on the back, you don't bleed. If you do it is internal. It was a conscious effort to keep it that way; otherwise the scene wouldn't have any distinct personality."