My father is a trainer. From childhood, I would watch him train and kick and punch.
Ritika Singh
I have been fighting from a very young age. There is no fear there. It helped me cultivate the mindset of a fighter.
Even in school, I was that kid others tried to pull down because I was naughty and did well in sports and academics. Life has trained me well.
Cheating during bouts has always existed.
I will do a film if there is a good scope for acting. I am looking for good scripts.
I am inspired by Ronda Rousey. She is a fighter and a superstar who is doing films. She is focused and dedicated. I want to be like her as a person.
I never thought of acting Bollywood. I have not seen many films.
I am not an insecure person. Thanks to my training in martial arts, I have it in me to appreciate good work, say 'Wow,' and say 'You deserve it.'
The Tamil audience has accepted me and given me a place to establish myself. I'm not taking things for granted... I've learnt the language.
Whenever I go to any particular event, people are shocked that I'm a fighter. To be a fighter, I have to look a certain way, and to be an actress, I have to look a certain way. I have to change that; I've joined acting to do meaningful cinema and to show that there is much more than glamour that actresses can offer.
I really want to act and act in great roles, which have scope of performance.
I am open to do all kind of films.
I have this ambition that when I become powerful and famous, I will host an event of boxing or kick-boxing, which the entire nation watches. That way, this sport will gain attention. People will realise that there is a lot of talent in India.
I have done 'Shivalinga' because I liked the story. My character, especially, is very impressive.
It feels otherworldly to wear heels and makeup. Why fit in when you can stand out?
I do my own make-up, even when I have to attend all these film events.
I never wanted to be an actress. I am a martial arts fighter.
Compared to boxing, acting is more difficult. I have learnt martial arts and boxing since childhood. So, they were easier.
I am very happy to have debuted in Telugu with a film like 'Guru.'
My main goal for taking up acting as a profession was to show that sport or MMA teaches you life skills that can be applied to any profession in the world.
I began fighting to stay fit and experience everything equally; hence, I took up kickboxing.
Sport has taught me never to be jealous of someone or insecure if somebody is doing well. It's taught me teamwork and the value of patience. Even If I lose, I know that I've actually not lost.
I was crazy about martial arts. At the age of three, I started training in karate.
I don't want to do sing-and-dance routine. I believe script is the king, so I would go for powerful stories.
'Shivalinga' was a tough project - I did my own stunts in the film. I actually enjoyed it, as I play a character with many layers. It was challenging to switch between the many phases of the character.
I switched between professions that are like chalk and cheese.
I've been in the boxing ring, taking punches to my face. I've always got back up.
It was a dream come true, as in my first film, I have Rajkumar Hirani as the producer and Madhavan as my co-star. Who can get a better role than this?
I found it tough to follow an athlete's lifestyle. But soon, it became a part of my life, and I embraced it.
