Anushka Sharma bowled me over as female wrestler: `Sultan` director

Mumbai: Director Ali Abbas Zafar is all praise for Anushka Sharma's female wrestler avatar in "Sultan". He said he was "bowled over" by the actress' look and "accurate accent" in his upcoming film.

"As the female wrestler on set, armed with an accurate accent, Anushka bowled me over," Zafar said in a statement.

Anushka, for over six weeks, put herself through a demanding and rigorous work out that lasted for hours. 

Anushka trained with three different trainers to build different skill sets. Her first trainer taught her wrestling, the second focussed on strength training, and to cope with the day long, exhausting workout, her physiotherapist would do stretches and basic physical training to relax her muscles.

In addition to this, the "PK" star is a vegetarian. She had to stick to a high protein diet to get sufficient muscle tone.

"To be honest, I was a little concerned on how much would she be able to manage in just six weeks. But I have faith in Anushka's complete commitment to her work. She has coped with a tough training schedule without a break with no complaints," the director addded. 

In "Sultan", Salman plays the title character -- a wrestler, who goes on to win the gold medal for India in wrestling. But due to some reasons, he leaves wrestling and returns to the sport after some time, when age and an unfit body are hurdles in front of him. He is then coached by Randeep Hooda's character in mixed martial arts (MMA) and reaches the big stage.

Anushka plays his love interest in the film, who is also a wrestler. The actress will then return to Punjab immediately to complete shooting for her home production "Phillauri".

Produced by Aditya Chopra, "Sultan" is slated to release on Eid this year.