(P)rehabilitation

Physiotherapist Vaibhav Patil, keeper of good health on films like Jersey, 83, Gold and Shahid Kapoor’s upcoming actioner on how therapy is employed not to heal actors, but to prevent injuries in the first place

The task that Vaibhav Patil was dealing with at the moment was simple — to train Shahid Kapoor to run between the crease, as fast as he could. Patil knew that Kapoor’s acting prowess would enable him to perfectly resemble a cricketer in the first few takes. But unless his athletic levels matched that of a sportsperson, his body would give way over successive takes. “Functional training, like the word suggests, trains you to get better at a desired function. In this case, it was about getting the batsman to run between the wickets, faster,” he says of Kapoor’s character in the forthcoming film, Jersey. “He needed to run with a bat, and in full gear. At the time, Shahid was tending an ankle injury. In a rehabilitative method, we trained him to first run without gear, then with dumbbells, then a [heavier] medicine ball, and eventually, with a bat, and in full gear. Such a progression could take a month, but when it translates on the big screen, it looks efficient,” says the physiotherapist, who also catered to the Indian team at the 2012 London Olympics.

The cast of 83 referred to Patil’s work station, where they underwent rehabilitation, as ‘torture chamber’

A physiotherapist, one would assume, would be appointed on a sports-film set long into the shooting process, if and when injuries among actors become evident. “We are appointed very early on, often when [casting is underway],” Patil corrects us. “Especially in films like 83, where [we] need actors to look like cricketing legends, the casting process is crucial. As a physio, I analyse if a person will be able to replicate a desired body language, and pay attention to how many injuries and imbalances could become a hindrance. If the director likes an actor for a role, we tell him that we would need more time with that actor to address imbalances. For instance, Dhairya Karwa, who played Ravi Shastri, and Chirag Patel who played [his father Sandeep Patil], were definitely less athletic, and had to start training much earlier. But Saqib Saleem and Hardy Sandhu, who were cricketers, could come in and pick up things faster.” 

Same, but different

Apart from a three-step process comprising assessment, performance and recovery, Patil equips actors to excel at unfamiliar movements. “In 83, the actors had to wear the stud shoes of the olden times. None of them were accustomed to wearing them, so we had to foresee the kind of ankle issues they could face, and start strengthening the ankle accordingly, on day one.” 

When dealing with the aspiring actors undergoing prep work for the hockey film Gold, Patil found himself addressing back issues on the first day of his appointment. “In the era that we were replicating in Gold, the hockey sticks were longer, and the mechanics of the game was different. None of today’s hockey players or the coaches knew how to deal with that length, and they took a few days to analyse the patterns. In hockey, you are constantly bending and running long distances. That puts a lot of load on your back. When I met the 50 actors who were shortlisted and undergoing prep, they all had lower back pain. I told the makers that we needed to change the pattern. I need to evaluate them, build their endurance, and develop a certain baseline strength before [they could even begin to train].”
Given that the actors were also unfamiliar with the sport, “hit injuries” he says, were also common. “Either they’d hit someone with the hockey stick, or they’d incorrectly fling the ball, which would hit another player.” 

Serving different needs

For Patil, work on most films follows a standard protocol. A “head to toe” screening process familiarises him with each actor’s strengths and weaknesses, past injuries, and the kind of training that will suit him. He also notes the movements an actor must avoid while training and filming to keep injuries at bay, and the shooting schedule on track. With an understanding of all the actors’ strengths, a training programme suited for each is subsequently drafted. “For the part of the wicket-keeper [Syed Kirmani], we needed to increase the amount of squats and lateral movements needed for the actor. For Ranveer’s [Singh] natraj shot, a lot of thoracic and rotational mobility was needed. There was also a different training for his lateral run during the iconic catch at the boundary.” 

Directors, he says, are happy to pay heed to his request when he opines that an actor needs to be pulled out from a shoot to recover. “When we feel fatigue is setting in, we pull the actor out. Actors don’t realise when they’ve hit that phase, and ignoring it can cause injuries. Also, when you are portraying enthusiasm in a sports film, a weary-looking player is not what you want to portray. So we decide how much time an actor should spend in training, and in recovery.” 
While in 83, he was tasked with getting actors ready to replicate cricketers, working with Kapoor in Jersey was simpler because they didn’t have a cricketer to mimic. “So, we could shoot movements that Shahid was good at. The perfectionist that Shahid is, he wanted to be the best in each shot. Since he is a dancer, and knows how to pick up steps quickly, he could learn movements faster and then spend time perfecting them.” 

From sport to sport

Kapoor was suffering from cervical spondylosis when he was cast. “That was a disadvantage, but he also had an advantage — his great footwork. We could hence balance the two during [choreography]. I spent a month in Beas at his second home. We would practice daily, and take to ice baths for recovery in the evenings.” Working on Kapoor’s next action film poses a different set of challenges. While he trained him for power-movements in Jersey, given that as a cricketer, he had to “generate the impact”, for his training in the actioner, Patil had to teach him to “handle an impact”. “That implied focusing on core stability and strength so that he could learn how to fall without suffering a hit.” 

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