How Arvind Krishna epitomises a fighter's saga

He houses versatility — juggling roles as an actor and athlete. Arvind Krishna, as a respite from the intense shooting schedule of his upcoming superhero film, A Masterpiece, also participated in the International 3BL Basketball League by Japan.

While we speak to him about his movie, we also learn that Arvind, the captain of the Hyderabad 3BL team, stood shoulder to shoulder with international players like Balla Kouyate, Takaharu Tsugawa, and Mayori, not just sharing the court but also the spirit of camaraderie and global unity.

The basketball player and actor particularly famed for his role in Shukra (2021), suffered a knee injury during a practice session in Hyderabad. Arvind opted for Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy and physiotherapy as his recovery path, focusing on regaining strength and restoring the full range of motion in his injured knee.

“But mentally, coming from a place where I’m an actor and a basketball player, it is still very hard,” Arvind says, adding, “It feels like I have to restart. I am limping half the time and have to rebuild this leg from scratch. But every day, I do my best.”

Arvind’s two-and-a-half-yearold son innocently helped by icing his knee as if, painting a silver lining around the clouds of his recovery. While most of the shooting of A Masterpiece is complete, the crew is waiting for Arvind to fully recover. “There’s one major climax fight scene that I have to be a part of. I hope I heal soon,” he adds. Excerpts:

Could you give us a glimpse of the genres of science fiction and mythology around your upcoming film A Masterpiece?

We wanted to give a superhero story but one that is culturally rooted in India. We don’t show science at odds with the supernatural. We have taken aspects of modern technological advancements that are instrumental in the making of a few key characters and blended them with ideas like reincarnation and karmic debt.

Could you talk about your character?

With this movie, I’ve had an opportunity that only comes once or twice in the careers of most actors. Director Suku Poorvaj wrote the script with me in mind. So much so that he named the character Arvind Krishna. So that made this challenge even more interesting for me. The second aspect was the physical transformation. I had to lose 12 kilograms while building muscle and had to maintain that look for more than 18 months. Even now as we speak, we have a major sequence to film very soon and I’m on the same routine.

How did your experience as a professional athlete facilitate a seamless fit into the role?

There are two big advantages. The first is having a very strong core, which helps in action sequences. These are made possible by ropes and harnesses, and because of my core muscles, I get into some of the heavy lifting which then makes these scenes look very natural on screen. It’s always hard to process how an actor who isn’t moving fast and looking powerful in a fight scene can beat up a whole hoard of villains. I’ve been an athlete my whole life, so I naturally have the stature that makes those scenes look convincing.

A Masterpiece is slated to release in theatres this monsoon. chokita@newindianexpress. com @PaulChokita