‘He kept asking for more takes’: Stunt duo on Nani pushing his body to the limit for Paradise

Stunt choreographer duo Ram-Lakshman have opened up about the making of Nani‘s fight sequences in Paradise, calling it one of the toughest assignments of their careers, despite having worked across more than 250 films.
Speaking in an interview with Gulthe Pro, the duo were especially emphatic about Nani’s dedication to the stunt work, describing a sequence built around a “different body” fight that pushed the actor hard. “Nani worked really hard on Paradise. Watch how he knocks down, gets up, rolls around, restrains people, drags them up and down, even pulls them by the head. All this means he’s laid it all out there.”
According to the choreographers, Nani refused to hold back or hand off the physical demands. He reportedly told them, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Even after a take was approved, they said, he kept coming back for more takes.
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The team also recalled Nani checking in on the prep work himself, at one point asking, “Sir, did you shoot a separate demo or something?” The choreographers said they had used iPad cameras to map out the sequence and spent a couple of days scouting a tree location with him ahead of the shoot. “Nani joked about his styling getting in the way of the stunt work, like when we do rope shots, do the braids get in the way? Or do the ropes get tangled?” they recalled.
That styling, chains and braided hair. came with its own constraints. “These chains usually have some restrictions if you try to do everything freely with all the items. There’s a bit of limitation you have to follow, so you have to take it slow,” the choreographers explained. Rather than treat that as a hurdle, the team turned it into a signature look, using a spinning bun that could pick up speed mid-fight: “We slowly twist the bun in the fight, the bun can spin at high speed. We use that as a style.”
The choreographers confirmed that Paradise’s action sequences reflect Korean action cinema, and that they personally designed two of the film’s major fight sequences with that influence in mind.
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Even with a career spanning 250-plus films, Ram-Lakshman said Paradise stood apart from everything they had done before: “Paradise is different because all the experience we’ve gained over the years can’t really be compared to this. Paradise is new, new body language, new hero setup, new vibe, new emotional angle, and a completely new backdrop. That’s why, even after all our experience, we’re putting that aside and starting fresh like kids.”
The choreographers were also candid about how exacting director Srikanth Odela can be. “He’s very specific, he sticks to exactly what he wants and keeps at it until he gets it. Otherwise, there have been times when shoots got cancelled because of that.” they said.
Paradise is an action thriller directed by Srikanth Odela, who previously directed the critically acclaimed Dasara with Nani. The film also stars Kayadu Lohar, Mohan Babu, Sonali Kulkarni and Sampoornesh Babu. It is set to release worldwide on September 24.




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