Neeta Pillai on packing a punch in ‘The Kung Fu Master’ with her martial art moves

The actor plays a Kung fu practitioner in this Abrid Shine-movie

She is still nursing a dislocated right shoulder and has had a spate of other injuries before as well. But Neeta Pillai wouldn’t mind any of that. The lithesome actor is enjoying the adulation coming her way for her high-voltage action in Abrid Shine’s martial arts movie, The Kung Fu Master.

“This is a new genre for Malayalam cinema and I am elated that the hard work we put in is getting appreciated,” says Neeta, who made her début with Abrid’s campus flick, Poomaram, as the dynamic college union chairman, Irene. In The Kung Fu Master, she is Rithu Ram, who, along with her brother, Rishi, avenges the death of her father, pregnant sister-in-law and her nephew. Both of them are Kung Fu practitioners and are up against a gang of dangerous criminals, all of them trained in martial arts.

Neeta says she had no idea about the character and the storyline when Abrid offered her the role while shooting for Poomaram. “I said yes because he said it is an action film. I am a big fan of such movies — I love watching such films back-to-back. Having seen his work, I knew that it would have something new for the audience. But I had no clue that it was an out-and-out martial arts movie!” she says.

So, Neeta started her training before Poomaram released — first in kick-boxing, followed by taekwondo, judo, karate and Krav Maga. The style she showcases in the film is Wushu, a form of Kung Fu. “I love sports and I work out as often as possible. So I was mentally prepared to learn the styles and wanted to learn it at any cost. However, when it came to practising it, it was not easy. Had I been younger I would have been more flexible. Wushu is powerful as well as graceful and watching master practitioners in action was inspiring,” she says.

All the kicks and punches involved full-body contact and it was not easy for Neeta since she was pitted against many real-life martial artistes who were part of the cast.

Fact file


   •  A native of Thodupuzha, Neeta has a masters in Petroleum Engineering. A trained classical musician and dancer, she has had no experience in acting before Poomaram happened. “I didn’t have the courage to act even in a skit. But while pursuing my post graduation in the US, I watched a lot of movies. I was so moved by certain films and characters that I wanted to give a try,” she says. When she was home for her vacation, she came across a casting call for Poomaram and auditioned for the same. “Although both characters are bold, in The Kung Fu Master I had to be emotionally expressive as well. Whereas in Poomaram, my character was expected to shut her feelings off so as to keep the morale of my team high,” she explains.

“Jiji [debutant Jiji Scaria who plays Rishi] has international accreditation in Wing Chun, a form of Kung Fu; Sanoop D, the villain Louis Antony, is a theatre artiste and has a black belt in karate. Those who are part of his gang are masters of different martial art forms. Some of my trainers have also acted in the film. Rajan sir, who trained me in judo, has acted as our family friend, with his family, all of them martial artistes,” Neeta says.

The toughest part was shooting in the snow-covered regions in Uttarakhand, especially the climax scene that involved all the fights. “We usually train on a hard surface with grip. But that is not possible on snow. The surface hardens to form ice and each time we executed a move, we slipped and fell. It was not possible to shoot in another location. So we had to change the moves we had learnt,” she recollects.

She eventually ended up having frostbite due to the shoe she was wearing. “Initially, I didn’t tell the team because that would have affected the schedule. But it became so painful that I couldn’t sleep and finally one night I had to wake up my trainer. Although I was advised to take rest, I somehow managed to finish the work,” she recollects.

Challenging terrain

The inclement weather was a challenge for the crew as well because they had to walk through the snow carrying their equipment. “Our cinematographer, Arjun Ravi, and others had a tough time shooting the fight sequences with hand-held devices. They also slipped and fell several times,” Neeta adds.

The actor says that the director had taken “a huge risk” by choosing her for the role. “He was there everyday at the training session. In the initial days, I was completely at a loss. My body language wasn’t right, punches were not powerful, kicks were not proper... Still he trusted me and said, ‘Take your time, but ensure that you get it right’. That kept me motivated,” she says.

However, Neeta feels that the experience has changed her as a person, mentally and physically. “I plan to practice Wushu regularly as soon as my shoulder is healed. The training has conditioned my body; it was like meditation. It became a part of my life since I trained for at least five hours daily. I didn’t learn the moves for the sake of the movie. One can never train in martial arts that way. I wanted to meet the expectations of the director and match the standard of real fighters in the cast,” Neeta avers.

Equally exciting were the dubbing sessions. “I was thrilled to do that because I always wanted to go through that experience. I am glad that I could dub for both my movies,” she says with a chuckle.

A huge fan of “good old comedy movies in Malayalam”, Neeta plans to stick in the industry for a while. “Although there were no plans to do a second movie, I said yes to The Kung Fu Master because I enjoyed the process of acting. I don’t have any dream roles as such. It should be something that connects with the audience,” she says.