R MADHAVAN, who will be seen next in Rajkumar Hirani's Saala Khadoos, recently remarked that the toughest part for the makers was finding a female boxer who could act too.
The casting was very tough and Ritika Singh was shortlisted only after the casting team had a ringside view of 700- odd duels and had auditioned nearly 100 athletes.
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.`
The auditions spanned for a couple of months and the makers found Ritika perfect for the role. The national- level kickboxer holds a black belt in karate and is also trained in mixed martial arts. Madhavan will be seen as her coach - a taskmaster.
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.
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.
