R. Madhavan who will be playing the role of a boxing coach in Rajkumar Hirani’s Saala Khadoos recently remarked that the toughest part for the film makers was to find a female boxer for the lead role. Scouting through 100 athletes auditioning for the role, teen boxer Ritika Singh was shortlisted and chosen only after the casting team had a ringside view of some 700 odd duels. A national-level kickboxer, Ritika holds a black belt in karate and is also trained in mixed martial arts.
At a recent media interaction, the prolific director and producer, Rajkumar Hirani admitted that he was apprehensive about casting a boxer as the lead heroine, but after watching Ritika’s audition tape the team was confident about her.
Spokesperson of the film says, “Hirani chose a national level boxer over an actress to play the lead role. He felt the fights required stamina and intensity, and only a real boxer could make them look real. So, the entire team set out on a hunt for one. They auditioned over 100 boxers and attended over 700 boxing matches all over the country, before they finalised the female lead.”
Saala Khadoos is a film by Rajkumar Hirani Films & Tricolour Films in association with UTV Motion Pictures and is directed by Sudha Kongara.
The film is all set to release on 29th January 2016.
