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Thread: The Kung Fu Master

  1. #1
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    The Kung Fu Master

    Just gonna post this here and wonder if there will be any follow up...

    Abrid Shine's next is The Kung Fu Master
    By - Anjana George Created: Nov 20, 2019, 17:13 IST



    After Poomaram, director Abrid Shine is all set to release his next film. Titled The Kung Fu Master, the film is touted to be an action film with a lot of martial arts sequences.
    As per reports, the main characters of the play are Poomaram-fame Neeta Pillai and newbie Jiji Scaria.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #2
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    ttt 4 2020!

    Gene Ching
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  3. #3
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    Neeta Pillai


    Neeta Pillai: Training for The Kung Fu Master was often painful, but I never wanted to give up

    By - TNNDeepa SomanUpdated: Dec 31, 2019, 16:09 IST
    Neeta Pillai: Training for The Kung Fu Master was often painful, but I never wanted to give up

    She was all spunk as the inspiring chairperson Irene in the 2018 film Poomaram. But who knew that was just a glimmer of what Neeta Pillai was capable of. After the release of the trailer of her second film The Kung Fu Master, again with Abrid Shine, her steely fights in a snowy backdrop has left many agape. But Neeta reveals, it was no piece of cake and shares with us the stories of the scars and bruises as a result of playing the character.

    When were you told about this role?

    Director Abrid Shine told me about his plan to direct an action film almost towards the end of Poomaram’s shoot. However, I didn’t have a complete picture of what’s in store. But, when he asked whether I would be interested to be part of it, I said yes. I love the genre of action movies.

    You are in full-on action mode in the film’s trailer. Do you have a background of martial arts?

    No. I trained in them for the first time for this film. For almost a year, I trained in various martial art forms. I started with kickboxing, followed by a two-month session in taekwondo. Later, I also did judo, karate and finally, kung fu.

    Tell us about your character in The Kung Fu Master

    My character Ritu Ram is a Malayali girl, whose family is settled in North India for many years. She is a martial arts teacher and the film revolves around a few incidents and the journey of her life.

    And how easy or tough was the process?

    It was extremely difficult. Regardless of how active you are, developing such skills push us outside our comfort zones. I understood that right at the beginning. At the kickboxing stage itself, I could see how exhausting it can get. However, I didn’t want to give up. There were times when I felt, ‘One more push and I would drop’. Every muscle and nerve were pulled to do this.
    Shine sir himself arranged for my trainers and we practised in Kochi. I used to train for almost five hours and once back, I was always dead tired.

    Did you suffer any injuries?

    Usually in films, fights aren’t done in contact. Even partial contact fights are rare in shoots, apparently. But, that wasn’t the case in The Kung Fu Master. It was all contact fight, with no harness or padding and so, every punch and kick is for real. And I was fighting men who were all trained, strong martial artistes, that too in supremely cold locations.
    We shot majorly in the Himalayan Valley, Badrinath and China border, where weather conditions were quite harsh. All of my toes turned blue without proper blood circulation after snow got into my shoes, giving me a frost bite. I could not place my leg on the floor or slip in a footwear. And yet, I had to put on my shoes and fight! That was extremely painful and often I couldn’t even sleep at night.
    I also had two injuries, the first of which was a ligament tear that happened three months into the shoot. I had to take a month and half break for it to heal, and it also affected the shoot. Then, towards the end of the shoot, I dislocated my shoulder leading to another break of the same duration. Many other artistes on the set were also courting injuries now and then.
    I was trained in kung fu syllabus intensely and we kept this for the last after we completed everything else. But that’s when I got my shoulder dislocated and I couldn’t shoot for that part well since I still have my right arm immobile. This has been very painful for me.
    But I should say I could never give up and enjoyed every bit of this project, its challenges, the team I worked with – all of them kept me going. I am always grateful to Shine sir for giving me this opportunity.

    It would have been a transformative experience too.

    Yes. Despite how demanding the training or shooting was, I was completely in it, physically and mentally. The contact fight experience in itself conditions you quite a bit. I lost a lot of weight, but gained strength. It has also given me the confidence to feel brave in my own company. It has improved my reflexes too, quite a bit. I don’t know whether I can punch anyone to pulp if confronted (laughs), but I feel I have what it takes to protect myself better, now.

    Other than the training, what were the other challenges of doing this project?

    The weather in which we were shooting this film posed a great challenge. Reaching the location itself was tough, and we had to carry camera and equipment and walk for about four kilometres for the same. We could only shoot from 10 am to 4 pm as these places had an early sunset, so we had to ensure we reach on time. I could see how tough it is to shoot an action film in such weather conditions. Sometimes, during the shoot it would start to snow. We would think of shooting with the snow, but there is no guarantee that it would snow the next day too. So, there are times we worked continuously from 10 am to 4 pm without lunch breaks. Adding to that was the frost bite woes.
    As we couldn’t waste any time on the set, I had to undergo practices and rehearsals till about midnight after we got back to our motel post shoot, daily. This was one another major challenge I faced in addition to everything else.

    You had joined the film industry putting your studies on hold. What’s up with that now?

    When I took Poomaram I was in my final semester of my masters, which I pursued in the US. My faculty were quite supportive, at the same time, strict about submitting various works on time. I sat in the green room of the movie and finished my project. After first schedule of Poomaram, I had gone back and finished my masters.
    What I had to put on hold was MBA, for which I had gained an admission. I got it deferred by a year but could not make it in time. But I spoke to the dean and faculty, and they understand this is a good opportunity for me. They have asked me to re-apply whenever ready.
    I can't grab the pix. India Times buried them too deep for me to bother hunting for them too long.
    Gene Ching
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  4. #4
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    A Himalayan musical...

    I do want to see this. I luv musicals.

    ‘The Kung Fu Master’ is a musical action drama set in the Himalayas, says Abrid Shine
    Vijay GeorgeTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JANUARY 23, 2020 13:00 IST
    UPDATED: JANUARY 22, 2020 13:22 IST


    Neeta Pillai in a scene from ‘The Kung Fu Master’ | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

    The Malayalam director talks about the inspiration for the film, his previous works and more

    After 16 years as a photographer, Abrid Shine made his foray into movies as a filmmaker with 1983 (2014). He won the Kerala State Film award for the best debut director for the movie, which narrated the story of a cricket fan’s love for the game even when he himself could not make it big as a cricketer. Action Hero Biju (2016) and Poomaram (2018) followed. He is now ready with The Kung Fu Master, a martial arts drama that releases today. If Abrid’s earlier movies were inspired by real life, The Kung Fu Master has been inspired by the movies he has watched over the years. Edited excerpts from an interview:

    How did The Kung Fu Master happen?

    We were planning to add Taekwondo fight scenes in Action Hero Biju but it did not materialise. When I heard about Wing Chun, a Chinese Kung Fu martial art style that values speed, I was fascinated. Wing Chun was conceptualised by a woman called Ng Mui and it was practised by legends such as Bruce Lee. Neeta Pillai (who played the female lead in Poomaram) was enthused about training in Wing Chun. She started off by practising Wushu, a rhythmic martial art form.


    Abrid Shine | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

    What is The Kung Fu Master about?

    It is a musical action drama set in the Himalayas. Neeta and Jiji Scaria play siblings Ritu and Rishi respectively. Jiji is a qualified Wing Chun practitioner. They are pitted against a criminal gang, also trained in martial arts.

    Conventional action movies in Malayalam are essentially about the tussle between the hero and the villain. How different is The Kung Fu Master?

    (Laughs) It is on the same lines, except in this film, the female and the male lead take on the villain together. The Kung Fu Master is a mix of action sequences, sound effects and music, which should make it an interesting theatrical experience. Besides Wing Chun, there are other martial art forms such as karate, kalaripayattu and taekwondo.

    Malayalis are generally particular about a credible storyline...

    Even while working on my earlier films, I was warned that the movies did not follow conventional narrative patterns. Nevertheless, it was well received by viewers. As a filmmaker, my attempt has always been to offer something new for the audience.

    The Kung Fu Master has an interesting storyline. However, I have intentionally given a gist of the story in the title.

    When the trend is in favour of realistic tales, what made you come up with an action drama?

    Although I have never deliberately set out to make realistic movies, my previous movies were in that genre. The Kung Fu Master had to be treated differently. It had to be a pure martial arts film.

    What was the shooting of the film like?

    The process was difficult yet interesting. The fight sequences had to look convincing, especially when the heroine was up against trained men. The action choreography went on for almost 10 months. Shooting the stunts in the snow-filled terrain was not easy. Our idea was to present a film with a different visual experience, good music and a story that connected emotionally.

    Are viewers willing to accept movies without big stars if the content is interesting?

    I feel such films have always been there in Malayalam, right from Manjil Virinja Pookkal in the 1980s to Angamaly Diaries in recent times.

    As a filmmaker, you seem to mix offbeat themes with commercial elements. Is that your concept of filmmaking?

    I don’t have a definite explanation for this. The climax of 1983 and Poomaram were almost poetic, unlike formulaic endings. I would say several influences, including my stint as a photographer, have shaped my thoughts.

    Both 1983 and Poomaram didn’t celebrate heroism...

    I actually love heroism. One of my all-time favourite movies is Sphadikam, which is all about the ‘hero’. Though 1983 was inspired by my fascination for cricket, the agony the lead character goes through because of his not reaching anywhere in life despite his skills as a cricketer, was created to make the storyline more hard-hitting.

    As a filmmaker, you are known to be a stickler for perfection.

    I aim to give my best in each of my films. I am aware that those who come to watch my movies have seen more movies than I have. That thought always make me try to better myself.
    THREADS
    The Kung Fu Master
    Wing Chun in Movies
    Gene Ching
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  5. #5
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    First forum review

    I think The Kung Fu Master was my first Malayalam film. This is Mollywood, not Bollywood. There was a lot of buzz about this production prior to the pandemic, then I lost track of it.

    It was surprisingly good. Not great but not bad.

    A martial arts gang terrorizes a city near the Himalayas. A Wing Chun master helps the cops identify some of the gang using his martial network. The gang kills his family. He and his sister walk the road of vengeance. Yeah, cliche, but it has enough of an angle on it to make it work even the 2 hour running time was excessive, especially at the beginning.

    The fights were okay. The lead Jiji Scaria definitely has some Wing Chun. There was a lot of buzz about how hard Neeta Pillai trained a year prior to filming, but that’s not much in martial years. Her forms suck but she can sell a punch and kick. The villains all seems to have some skills too. Almost the entire cast is credited as ‘introducing’ so for a first time effort, not bad.

    The backdrops are incredibly scenic because it’s the Himalayas. The Indian markets and buildings have vibrant local color. And the villains’ lairs are these architecturally interesting abandoned structures.

    Unlike most films, the heroes are beautiful. Neeta is cute but she has significant acne scarring, which you’d think they would’ve covered with makeup.

    Mollywood has this weird device where warnings in Malayalam appear in little boxes whenever something illegal is represented - this ranges from drug use (the main villain, who is very good at being bad, sniffs coke off his index finger - which is a dumb wasteful way to snort), to smoking, to riding motorcycles without helmets to seat belts notices whenever they rode in a car. That was distracting but I approve of the idea. It takes you out of the movie and reminds you that it’s bad.

    What I liked most was the general mercilessness of it. SPOILER ALERT when the villains kill the family, they bash in the skull of thr dad, kick a pregnant mom so hard she dies with blood bursting from her groin, and kill a little kid, although that’s off screen. When the heroes take revenge, they’re all in. Each villain is dispatched with angry glares and no hesitation. The heroes have no issues with brutally murdering everyone in the gang, some with some bone cracking coup de graces. END SPOILER

    No dance numbers - maybe that’s a Mollywood thing. This plays out like most Kung Fu films with three long fight scenes that escalate well enough. There’s too much time spent setting up what a lovely family it is and then emotional recovery, but once the fights start rolling, it’s tasty ultravi.

    THREADS
    The Kung Fu Master
    Wing Chun in Movies
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

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