Tamannaah Bhatia game for kabaddi

Tamannaah Bhatia, with her new-age vibe, has enthralled the audience with her unrehearsed ease over the years. And at a time when contemporary actresses are breaking their heads trying to be versatile, Tamannaah seems to be mastering it with élan.

In what could be her first sports drama film, to be directed by Sampath Nandi, Tamannaah will be seen as a kabaddi coach to an all-girls team.

Intrigued as she’s been about sports and being fit, Tamannaah found the script to be very experimental. “I feel that coaching is an underrated aspect of any professional sport and that is why I find this film even more interesting. While big players get most of the credit, the coaches tend to absorb much of the unwarranted blame, but they are still important figureheads, vital to their team’s overall success,” she explains, adding, “My role is a tribute of sorts to coaches like Pullela Gopichand, Ramakant Achrekar, Guru Hanuman, Satpal Singh and the likes who have turned things around for Indian sports.”

According to the actress, there is one thing all big coaches had in common though—the winning attitude—and that’s something she wants to showcase on the big screen. “The best coaches in sports history have impacted the game both on and off the side lines of their respective sports. So the drama that surrounds them makes for an emotional tale,” the actress adds.

As for her prep for the role of kabaddi coach, Tamannaah says, “I’ll have to undergo a compete transformation from head to toe. I also have to work on my body language, technical knowledge about the game, etc.”