B'wood beauties flex their muscles

Deepika Padukone in 'Rana'
From martial arts to indigenous combat training, our actresses are going the extra mile...

Intense training sessions are no longer the male actor's priority alone. Several of our Bollywood actresses are willing to learn a range of fighting techniques to stay fit and do different roles on the big screen.

For the Rajnikanth-starrer 'Rana', Deepika is taking lessons in martial arts for certain action scenes in the film. She also trained in martial arts for 'Chandni Chowk to China'.

Text by Sujata Chakrabarti, Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah, Film stills

Priyanka Chopra in 'Don' and 'Drona'
Priyanka trained in Gatka - a martial art form, for 'Drona'. She also took training in Kapora - a Brazilian martial art form for a TV commercial. She also underwent special martial arts training for 'Don'. 

Lara Dutta in 'Don 2'
It has been reported that Lara Dutta is also training in martial arts for her role in the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, 'Don 2'. With her lithe body and athletic frame, it should not be a very daunting task for Lara.

Asin
For an unreleased film, the southern lass was learning the ropes of Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art form that originated in Kerala.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 'Jodhaa Akbar'
In 'Jodhaa Akbar', Aishwarya had an intense scene where she and Hrithik Roshan shot for a sword fighting session. Ash had undergone special training sessions to practice for the scene. For the recent Rajnikanth-starrer 'Endhiran/Robot', she trained with stunt master Ramesh to learn martial arts.

Tanushree Dutta in 'Rama -The Saviour'
For her role in the film, Tanushree took special lessons in martial arts from renowned trainer Peter Hann. 

Koena Mitra in 'Karna'
On the Hollywood sets of her film 'Karna', Koena Mitra underwent training in various forms of martial arts, as she was required to do several stunts on her own.

Neetu Chandra
Neetu Chandra is a black belt holder in Taekwondo in real life. We guess, she might be more than willing to show us some stunts if a script demands.

Isha Sharvani
Growing up in an ashram in Kerala, Isha Sharvani took lessons in martial arts, gymnastics and aerial dance. She used some of her skills to perform in her films 'Kisna' and 'Luck by Chance'. 

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