Disha Patani on her Bharat co-star Salman Khan, being a 'huge fan' of item numbers and upcoming projects

After two super-hit films (MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Baaghi 2), Disha Patani will be seen next in Salman Khan’s Eid release Bharat. The film required Disha to train as a trapeze artist. “To play the part, my coach trained me in flips, front flip, back flip, somersault, hand spring and gymnastics,” says Disha, adding, “Ali sir had seen few videos of mine on Instagram doing back flips and they needed a girl who could do that. He clearly told me that it was a special appearance and showed me few references that he wanted to shoot. He told me about my character and I loved it. I had two months to train before the shoot started.”

She adds, “A week before the film rolled, I broke my knee when I was doing a front flip. I was doing gymnastics and dance rehearsals for three to four hours every day, my body was going through a lot of pain and that was the time my knee broke. So I was on bed rest for one week before I could start the shoot. It was very tough and painful.”

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Disha says that the ‘Slow Motion’ song may have shown the sizzling chemistry between her and Salman but the fact is that while grooving in that sultry yellow sari she was in terrible pain and deeply stressed. “I was under pressure wondering if I will look good in a sari because I had not gone to the gym for a week due to my broken leg and I am not blessed with a great body. I can’t eat everything. All that was causing a lot of stress,” she says, and immediately adds, “But this was my first massy commercial song and that too with Salman sir. I am a huge fan of item numbers.”

[caption id=“attachment_4787811” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Disha Patani. Image from Twitter.[/caption]

It may not have been intimidating working opposite superstar Khan, but Disha says she was quite amused with the spontaneous change in dance steps she had to make while dancing with Salman. “It happened all the time (laughs). You have to dance according to him and that is how it is. You have to see what steps he is doing and change steps on the spot. But he has this peculiar charm, he makes everything his own and that is the reason why we say it is the Salman Khan style,” she says. “But it was actually a great opportunity to work with Salman sir and I don’t know if I will ever get it again. When I was told that I will be paired opposite him, it set me thinking because of the age gap but when I came to know I will be opposite a much younger Salman, I was happy. It was quite an experience, he is very kind and grounded.”

Disha’s career is in a great phase with some big banner films and huge brand endorsements in her kitty. She’s currently shooting for Mohit Suri-directed Malang, a romantic action thriller, opposite Aditya Roy Kapur. Next, she will be seen in a “true-blue” entertainer with Kartik Aryan: a romantic comedy to be directed by Anees Bazmee. “Bharat is my first Eid release which is exciting but I have been so occupied shooting for Malang, I haven’t had even one day off.  If and when I get a day off I go out to eat good food. We have been shooting through the night, six to six. I pack up in the morning, take two hours to travel back home and I can’t even sleep because my dogs keep barking. My life has been very hectic and chaotic. I am not getting the chance to think about the release,” she reveals.

[caption id=“attachment_6515341” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  A still from Bharat song Slow Motion. YouTube screengrab[/caption]

A huge fan of action movies, Disha was part of Jackie Chan’s highest grossing film in China, Kung Fu Yoga (2017) and her day is largely spent on doing gymnastics, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) training and dancing. She says she would love to do action films in Bollywood, “provided audience is willing to accept actresses doing action.”

“It is not about the makers but whether the audience will accept and understand that a girl can do weight-lifting, wrestling, gymnastics; that’s what matters. But things are looking bright as we have had Indian women wrestlers winning in Olympics,” says Disha.

When asked if having a godfather helps to survive in the industry, Disha said that she believed in hard work and connecting with people as an actor. “I am not from this industry, so I didn’t know how to go about, what I should do and what I shouldn’t do, what’s a good launch. It is all about having a connect with people, your audience and relatibility. Dhoni was a small role but it connected with the audience,” she says.