By: Entertainment DeskBangalore | Updated: September 22, 2025 09:00 PM IST 3 min readShantanu Bhagyaraj is gearing up for the release of his bilingual sports drama Balti. In a recent interview, the actor opened up about his intense Kabaddi training for the film, his aspirations to work in other film industries, and more.In an interview with Galatta Plus, Shantanu said, “I must thank the producers for the time they gave us to immerse ourselves in kabaddi training. Usually, we get 3 months for sports training in films, but here we were given more. They gave us 2 months in advance to start training. We were given stunt training in the first month, and professional trainers were brought in. We were surrounded by professional kabaddi players in Palakkad, where we trained for six hours every day.”The actor added, “We were shown pro-kabaddi matches by our coaches for 20 minutes every day. So from that, we got exposed to the little rules, styles of playing Kabaddi, and we could apply that. Each of our characters has power moves when we fight in the film, and this training, along with stunt training, helped us to achieve the desired results in the film. There were a lot of injuries and pain during the process, but when we started shooting for the film, all that paid off. I hope that at least some of our movements in the game look authentic on screen.”Also Read | Shane Nigam on his ‘dark phase’, headspace during the shooting of Ishq and how the pandemic helped him to bounce backDuring the interview, Shantanu Bhagyaraj was asked about his aspirations to work in other film industries. He said, “I don’t have the contacts in different industries to make that happen. I have always tried to make my way as Shantanu only. If I have to contact someone like Anil Kapoor sir in Hindi, I will have to ask my dad (Bhagyaraj) to do it for me. I don’t want to do that. I have not tried any of this PR thing either.”Shantanu also shared his approach to getting opportunities. “I have always wanted to get chances based on the work I am doing. I should be able to go before someone and show them my work and let that speak for itself. I see Balti as my relaunch in Malayalam cinema. I am fortunate to have had the chance to work with such a great production team in a film headlined by a star from Kerala like Shane Nigam. My character has a good arc in the film, and that is what appealed to me. This is what I was looking for a long time.”Shantanu Bhagyaraj made his debut in the Malayalam film industry with the Mohanlal starrer Angel John (2009).Story continues below this adWatch | Idli Kadai trailer: Dhanush is ready to pick up a machete to save his father’s idli shop from Arun VijayBalti, which also stars Selvaraghavan and Alphonse Puthren, will hit screens on September 26 in Tamil and Malayalam.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd