It was a hat-trick of sorts when this young Rajput won three titles in a row last year — a silver for Fit Factor - Mr India 2015, a bronze at the 49th Asian Championship and gold at the World Building Championship in Thailand.
A trained pilot from the USA, Thakur Anoop Singh was compelled by the recession to seek an alternate career. After going through 129 rejections, he found his calling in television. Life changed for the better with his role in Mahabharat.
Until a few years ago Singh was recognised as the blind king Dhritarashtra from the popular television serial. Today he is a fitness icon.
Transforming his physical body not only reaped awards but put Singh’s life on a new plane altogether. Singh talks to Gulf News tabloid! about his role in Singam 3, the first among his three films to release.
How did Singam 3 happen?
I was referred to director Hari by Suriya sir, who spotted my videos and pictures online. I joined the team a month after the shooting for Singam 3 had begun.
Tell us about your character.
I play Vithal Prasad, a shrewd billionaire of a steel manufacturing company — a flamboyant business tycoon who’s a fitness freak. He strives to be number one in terms of his riches. Vithal is super straight forward and doesn’t care about emotions — someone who commands attention and leaves no room for anyone who is his competition. I was drawn to the character’s larger-than-life image, besides being excited to be working with Suriya. Playing Vittal was a lot like being myself when it comes to grooming and fitness.
What about the language barrier?
Director Hari narrated the story to me and subsequently, his assistant Venkatesh Babu explained the Tamil and Telugu lines. That helped me bring out the emotions of Vittal better. I also looked up the character of Al Pacino from Godfather for reference. I wanted to understand everything little thing about Vittal, from the first thing he did when he woke up to the way he treated people until he went to bed. A lot of attention went into Vittal’s looks. He has five looks in the story. Being Vithal was an unforgettable experience. Vithal’s introduction in the story shows me working out bare-bodied in his private jet. For this, a Boeing aircraft was rented in Malaysia. As Vittal, I was driven around in a Rolls-Royce.
How was it sharing the screen with Suriya?
He was a huge motivation for me. I was clear from the beginning that I am going to put in my 100 per cent and not put him through unnecessary retakes. One scene required me to deliver a two-page monologue. The challenge lay in delivering the Tamil lines while doing a walk. I had to bring out the expressions too. I was nervous at the start but at the end of it was greeted with claps by the team. For the climax action sequence between Suriya and me, we shot over seven days in a jungle near Vishakapatnam.
What’s next?
My first Telugu film Winner is releasing on February 24. In this family drama I play a jockey. Next is my Bollywood film Commando with Vidyut Jamwal. I am working on my second Telugu film Rogue, where I play a psycho. I have also signed my first Marathi film.
