New mom Kajal Aggarwal practises Kalaripayattu for Indian 2

Kajal Aggarwal will be seen performing some heavy-duty action sequences in Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2. The actor, who gave birth to son Neil in April this year, has begun the prep for the action film. In a video recently shared on social media, Kajal can be seen practising the ancient martial art of Kalaripayattu, including some sword fighting as well. The video has earned her praise from fans

Kajal shared the video on Instagram on Saturday. In it, she can be seen practising the various forms of Kalaripayattu with her trainers in a gym. The video sees Kajal dressed in a black tank top and workout tights, engage in stick fighting, swrd fighting, as well as some stretching and combat training as part of her Kalaripayattu training.

Sharing the video, Kajal wrote, “Kalaripayattu is an ancient Indian martial art, that translates into ‘practice in the arts of the battlefield.’ The magic of this art form evolved into the birth of Shaolin, Kung Fu and consequently Karate and Taekwondo, amongst others. Kalari was typically used for guerilla warfare and is a beautiful practice that empowers the seeker physically as well as mentally. Grateful to have been learning this intermittently (but wholeheartedly) over 3 years! @cvn_kalari have been fabulous and so patient, guiding me as per my ability to learn and perform at different degrees over time. Thank you for being such wonderful masters.”

Kalaripayattu was famously practised by Kamal Haasan’s character Senapathi in the 1996-film Indian. The sequel is in production currently and fans have speculated that Kajal’s character here also practises the martial art. Many fans appreciated the actor for performing the gruelling and exhaustive exercises barely months after the birth of her son. “The queen is back,” wrote one fan. Another commented, “Look at her dedication training like this as a new mum.”

Indian 2, directed by Shankar, has been in production for years, and was halted after an accident on set killed four in February 2020. The accident and the subsequent pandemic meant production was halted for two years, only to resume in 2022. Indian 2 also features Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Gulshan Grover, and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The film is slated to release next year.

Before Indian 2, Kajal has three other releases lined up. The actor has wrapped up filming for three Tamil films – Karungaapiyam, Ghosty, and Uma. All three are expected to release in the next few months.