The fight master talks about his foray into films, what it takes to choreograph action scenes, his fitness and much more.
Published Feb 11, 2023 | 5:00 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 11, 2023 | 5:00 PM
Stunt choreographer Ram Krishan with actor Kartikeya. Gummakonda. (Supplied)
Action choreographer Ram Krishan is on a roll. The young man from Visakhapatnam has been composing stunts for actor Kalyan Ram, in a row.
The first was Bimbisara; now, it is Amigos; and the next on the sets is Devil.
His fetish for fights and films led him to the industry. He learnt gymnastics and Karate and began preparing for a career as a stunt choreographer ever since he was 10 years old!
“My idea was to play tournaments and use it as a stepping stone to enter the movies. But, without even participating in competitions, I ventured into cinema,” Ram Krishan told South First.
Ram Krishan designing an action sequence for actor Pawan Kalyan. (Supplied)
Fight master Suryanarayana spotted the spark in him, introduced him to Ram-Lakshman and even got him a Union card. “I worked with Ram-Lakshman for many years and became an independent action choreographer in 2018.”
With a repertoire of 40 films, Ram Krishan asserts this is the right time for people aspiring to be stunt choreographers to make a move. Well, with the advent of OTT, action films are back after the pandemic.
Ram Krishan works with a team of 10. “Sometimes, when there are four fights in a film, each fight sequence is allotted to a different action choreographer. This happens when the dates of a technician are not available or if the director wishes to have variety. Moreover, we have all worked under one fight master or the other. So, no hard feelings!”
A Balakrishna kicking a Sumo in Veera Simha Reddy or a Chiranjeevi leaping to a chopper from a cliff defies logic, but, said Ram Krishan, it’s all designed as per the director’s creative vision and the fans’ demand.
Movies are all about escapism and they have no qualms when trolled. It is the box office collections that matter at the end of the day.
Ram Krishan choreographing a fight sequence for actor Ravi Teja. (Supplied)
“Our fights are designed based on the concept, the situation, the hero’s character, his mannerisms, etc. We don’t design or get ideas from thin air. There are mass fights and stylised fights. For example, when someone related to the hero dies, we choreograph an action scene based on his temper and powerful dialogues,” he explained.
Earlier, Allari Naresh’s stunts would elicit laughs because he was a comedy hero. But now, after Naandhi, he has become an action hero. “So, we are designing fights for him in Ugramm, an action movie, in the by-lanes of the Old City keeping his new image in our minds.”
Ram Krishan says they hardly get to sleep but whenever they find time, they just doze off in the caravan. These days they are on night shifts as they have permission to shoot in the by-lanes only after 11 pm.
But what gives them a high and how do they upgrade their craft?
“We do watch action scenes of various films on the Internet, pick some from foreign movies and adapt them here accordingly. Also, we blow whistles for exciting scenes,” he guffawed.
Audiences these days are smart; they know where a scene has been taken from. “So, we have to be smart enough to make it look new. If a hero is working with the same action choreographer multiple times, he might opt for another for the next to beat the monotony.”
Ram Krishan with actor Nithiin. (Supplied)
The action choreographers are on their toes now because the OTT has become global and everyone is watching their work.
“If it is good, we may bag an offer from other movie industries.”
“Big banners rope in good technicians to do CGI (computer-generated imagery aka visual effects), bring a sheen to the action scenes and take it to the next level,” he said.
For a fight master, a strict diet regimen is essential to stay fit and healthy. So, what does Ram Krishan eat?
“I eat fruits, eggs and other regular stuff for meals and chapatis for dinner, but all in moderation,” he quipped.
Recalling that stunt choreographers used to consume alcohol and eat a lot of non-vegetarian food, Ram Krishan said it’s now a thing of the past.
“A fight master designs the scenes and the team executes them for the cast. Moreover, we sleep less and travel a lot because of our erratic schedules. For this, we need to stay fit and be health-conscious,” he added.
