Prateik Babbar to Jackie Chan? How was it working with the legend?

Jackie Chan is the warmest person I’ve ever met. He is truly a hero. Kind and funny at the same time, he has amazing energy. Working with him has been a wonderful experience. Extremely professional, he has never been late on the sets, even once.

Is he as much fun as he appears in his movies or is he a very reserved person?

He has a great sense of humour and is very active on the sets. I don’t think I’ve never seen him sit on his chair. He’s either training with the rest of us or is playing football with his stunt team.

How did the Jackie Chan film happen?

Mukesh Chhabra, the casting director, called me in to audition for the role. It was quite an amusing audition because he handed me a sheet of paper and said, “Learn the lines, I can’t tell you what film this is for.” I was taken aback because I had never gone for an audition not knowing the film I was auditioning for. Mukesh gave me a character sketch of my prospective role and then took my audition. I didn’t hear from him after that and carried on working on my Bollywood movie, Ticket to Bollywood. In November, I got a call from him informing me that I had auditioned for Kung Fu Yoga and the producers wanted to sign me for the film. I immediately said yes and now here I am.


She made her debut in Issaq and was seen in Mr X alongside Emraan Hashmi. The 22-year-old Mumbai model is presently doing a film with Jackie Chan. Surekha Kadapa-Bose spoke to Amyra Dastur about working with the Kung Fu veteran


Have you picked up Mandarin?

Well, my hair and make-up team have taught me a couple of handy words in the local lingo.

Your role in the film?

I can’t reveal too much about my character because she’s got a slightly grey side to her. What I can tell you is that she’s a modern Indian girl who’s spunky and funny and who really knows how to kick some butt.

Did you learn martial arts from the legend?

The minute I arrived in Beijing I was taken straight to Jackie Chan’s stunt teams’ gym where we practiced martial arts for the film. On set, during our action sequences, Jackie would watch us practice and he was more than happy to correct us and help me wherever we went wrong or when I found some moves a little difficult. He advised me, “You should never do a stunt unless you are 100 per cent confident that you’re able to do it. Safety should always come first.”

Do you practice yoga regularly?

Yes, I do practice yoga and I have martial arts training regularly now. I hired a mixed martial arts coach the minute I got back to Mumbai after my first schedule in December. More than exercise, I find it therapeutic.

You have done four Bollywood films and now one Chinese-Indian film. What difference did you find in working for both of them?

Of all my films, Kung Fu Yoga has the highest budget and hence the scale of production is on the grander side. The main difference between my four Indian films and Kung Fu Yoga is the speed, for they shoot with three cameras. Otherwise I’ve been fortunate enough to work with good people and good production houses since I stepped foot into the film industry.

Is Hollywood next?

I’m not focusing on Hollywood per se. If a good offer comes my way I would be a fool to reject it but Bollywood is ultimately home and I will always focus on that. I want to stay as close to home as possible.

What was the difference of working with Emraan Hashmi and Jackie Chan?

They’re both stars in their own ways. Emraan is a great co-star and a devious prankster while Jackie is a bundle of energy.

Have you bid goodbye to modeling? If offered will you accept TV serials?

The whole point of modeling was to gain an entry into Bollywood. However, I still continue to do my modeling assignments. I have no prejudice against TV serials. I will never turn down a meaty role.

Five years from now, where will Amyra be?

Five years from now … I haven’t thought of that as yet. I’ll be 27 then. Hopefully, I’ll still be acting. It’s something I’m passionate about and make an audience believe your character gives me a lot of happiness. About directing, never say never! I love to write and who knows, maybe one day I’ll bring one of my own stories to life.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, March 13th, 2016

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