Veteran action director and stunt coordinator Sham Kaushal has revealed about his experience of supervising wrestling sequences in Ram Charan’s film pedi, Revealing how the actor fought back despite injuries, why wrestling in the film was never just about the sport, and what made the project special.

Speaking about the audience response to his work and the success of the film, Kaushal said that the biggest reward is seeing audiences connect with a project.

“It feels really good when you work hard on a film and people like it. You know the story and you’re emotionally attached to it, so naturally you like it. But when you see people’s reactions, it feels even better.”

Every project is also an opportunity for Kaushal to move forward.

“To be honest, whenever I go to the set in the morning, if by the evening I have learned something, that day is very important to me. I don’t believe that I am giving anything; what I am taking back is growth. We learn every day whenever we work with people – from their experiences, from the actors, directors and cinematographers. I always want to remain a student.”

How did Sham Kaushal Peddie come on board?

Kaushal revealed that he was specifically approached to supervise the wrestling portions of the film on the request of Ram Charan.

“When these wrestling portions were about to be shot, he contacted me and said that Ram Charan ji wants me to supervise the wrestling. I respect Chiranjeevi ji and Ram Charan a lot, so I said okay and came on board. I only got involved in the wrestling sequences, not the entire film.”

The veteran action director explained that designing such sequences goes beyond choreography and requires understanding the emotional core of the story.

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“First of all, what I think about such scenes is not important. It is very important to understand the director’s vision, what the story says, and what the characterization demands. I did riot Too. In riotWrestling was different because the match had to be won. But here, the emphasis was different.

“To maintain that emphasis and emotion, each person involved in wrestling is looking at it from a different perspective. The crowd has come to be entertained, but if our hero Ram Charan is fighting, his motivation is different. The motivation of his disciples is different. So it is very important to understand everything. The interpretation is not what you think; what matters is what you see from the director and writer’s point of view. That is why the sequences are different in every film because they become part of the story.”

Why did Dangal become a reference point?

Kaushal admitted that it is gratifying when his previous work becomes a benchmark for others.

“I love it when people reference movies. riot. To be honest, I am associated with this film only because of Dangal.

Watch the trailer of Dangal movie here:

He also credited the collaborative nature of filmmaking and highlighted the contribution of his colleague Navkant.

“When I came into this film, it was important to understand that wrestling is not just a simple wrestling match. There are a lot of things in it. One of my colleagues in this film was, NavkantWho worked as an action director. Before coming on board, I sat down with him and asked if he minded me monitoring the wrestling scenes. He was very happy. He is a very nice person, very hardworking and talented. He is like a son to me now.”

‘A single person can’t do anything’

Reflecting on the process behind the wrestling scenes, Kaushal stressed that no single person can take the credit.

“Whatever good work happens in film making, I believe it is teamwork. A single person cannot do anything. The writer and director write and think well. As an action director, I brought in professional wrestler Kripal Shankar ji. Then we had to create a story within wrestling.”

“The director had to understand what emotions were needed and how everything should be displayed. Then the actors displayed it. After shooting, we would sit with the director, look at it and often come up with more ideas. He would say, ‘No, let’s explore this space more. Let’s do it a little differently.’ This is how the process evolved. We won’t proceed with the sequence until the director is satisfied.

“In the end, it is the director’s medium, so I believe the director knows more than me because he is thinking about the entire film, not just one sequence. It is important to understand his vision and thought process.”

He said that while technicians and action directors contribute to the creation of a scene, it is ultimately the actor who brings it to life on screen.

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“Then it is the responsibility of the actor to connect with the audience through his hard work and honesty.”

Ram Charan’s injury and commitment on the set

The most shocking revelation from Kaushal’s conversation was about the injury Ram Charan suffered while filming a crucial wrestling sequence.

“Full credit goes to Ram Charan for his transformation and performance. No matter how well you have designed it, it will look fake and will not connect with the audience. Today, the audience is connecting with him because he looks real; he looks like a wrestler. He has portrayed the emotions so honestly, and that is what has worked with the audience.”

Kaushal further added, “He is a very sweet person. He is like a child. He would just come and hug me, just like Vicky and Sunny. I had a great relationship with him. He has worked really hard.”

Sharing a detail from the sets, Kaushal revealed, “I will tell you one thing. During the climax bout in the ground, on the first day of the shoot, unfortunately, Ram Charan got injured and needed stitches. But he completed the entire bout with those stitches because we couldn’t postpone the shoot. We didn’t have the stadium available again.

“He was injured, but you never felt he was hurt. That’s the commitment. He didn’t let anyone feel he was injured or wonder how he was going to finish shooting. That’s the spirit of the game. When you take all that with you, you’re a great guy.”

Ram Charan’s dedication is being compared to Aamir Khan’s Dangal transformation

While Kaushal praised the entire team, he believes the biggest credit goes to the actor and director.

“If anyone deserves credit for this, it is Ram Charan’s performance and director Buchi Babu’s writing. We do our job, but the actor is the one who ultimately conveys it to the audience through his emotions.”

During this time he compared Ram Charan’s dedication to Aamir Khan. riot.

“I think the level of commitment shown by actors Ram Charan and Aamir Khan is remarkable. With Aamir Khan in Dangal, we shot the father’s role for the first time and within five months, he completely transformed himself physically. With Ram Charan too it is the same kind of commitment.”

with pedi Receiving a strong response from the audience, Kaushal especially appreciates the effort put in by Ram Charan and director Butchi Babu. Looking back on the project, he attributes the film’s success to a shared commitment to storytelling, which ensured that each wrestling scene served a larger emotional purpose rather than merely serving as spectacle.