The punch line
Sai Deodhar and Shakti Anand train in the martial arts
Ranjib Mazumder
Actress Sai Deodhar and her husband Shakti Anand have found a new passion – the martial arts. "I have been learning kung fu (both free hand and with weapons) for almost three months now. When I started learning, Shakti was quite amused, but he was also supportive. I eventually persuaded Shakti to learn it too and he relented and started attending classes a few weeks back," she says.
"I have asked the trainer to teach me at my home as it is convenient for both of us. Moreover, I find it very difficult to learn in public places where we get recognised. Our trainer teaches us four times a week, for two hours each day," Sai adds.
Sai had earlier done some action sequences in her first television show. Sai says, "When I performed those action sequences in the show, it was only because the scene required it. If I had known these techniques earlier, my kicks and punches would have been more polished." Commenting on the sudden interest in martial arts, Sai says, "I have always wanted to learn some defence technique from a professional trainer. It's a conscious effort on my part to learn this as it is an interesting hobby and also helps me stay fit." Explaining the importance of learning a defence technique, Sai says, "Everybody should learn some defence technique as it is important for those living in Mumbai. In fact, I think learning defence techniques should be mandatory in every school. If the students learn this from a very young age, the body becomes very flexible and at least they can protect themselves in case of danger." Is there any prescribed diet they are following? "Not really, we just eat healthy food and drink a lot of juices. Learning these techniques is like learning music, it's a never ending process," she says.
Their trainer, Mani Shankar Yadav, has been teaching martial arts for 13 years now and has also taught BMC staff and the Mumbai Police Operation Squad. Talking about his star students, Mani says, "Both of them are good but Sai is a better learner. Shakti however is catching up fast," says Mani.
| Fight club: Shakti Anand and Sai Deodhar |
| Action-packed: Trainer Mani Shankar Yadav |
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