Former national level boxer and fitness trainer Tridev Pandey, a Varanasi native, is the man behind the transformation of actor Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion.
“Kartik is well trained in boxing now. The idea was always to train him to the core so no body-double would have to be used. It took 14 months to do the job and I made him learn the sport from scratch,” says the trainer from Varanasi.
Pandey, who started training Bollywood personalities in 2017, feels fitness is still a confused term.
“Being an athlete who has competed at the national and international level, I believe in training for a sport and taking fitness and good health as a lifelong journey, surely not as an ultimate aim…ke bas body ban jaye. Sab ko abs chahiye nobody looks at the bigger picture. I am happy that today many actors are readily understanding the importance of wholesome fitness,” he says.
Talking about training celebrities, Pandey adds, “Bollywood today is more about actors and not stars. Hitting the gym should no longer be equated to fitness. Fitness is more about learning a skill that helps you to grow not only physically but mentally as well. Like all of whom I worked with, be it Vikrant (Massey, actor), Sanya Malhotra for Jawan (2023), Rajkumaar (Rao, actor) or Wamiqa Gabbi, it has been more about getting trained in the game of boxing and achieving a way of a fitter life ahead.”
Pandey is happy with the response his hard work has received after the release of the film. “I am glad that my work has been noticed and people have come forward to praise Kartik’s (Aaryan) transformation. Mujhse zyada mere parents khush hain as my work is showing now. As the lead actor was a boxer and I am from the same background, meri zimmedari badh gayi thhi. It’s not easy to learn a sport and do it on screen. Kabir sir (Khan, director) had told me in the very first meeting that Kartik should look like a real boxer and not some amateur in the field,” the trainer says.