Actor Vikramjeet Virk, who plays the antagonist in upcoming Telugu historical film "Rudhramadevi", says it wasn't easy to lock horns with co-star Anushka Shetty as she fought like a true warrior in the film.
"Contrary to the misconception that women are soft and weak, Anushka has proved everybody wrong with her performance in the film. She fought like a warrior and was so good in the action sequences that one can't believe if there's a woman involved," Vikramjeet told.
"I never felt like I fought a woman, because Anushka was extremely strong and competitive. Her personality suits the character so well," he said.
Anushka plays Rani Rudhramadevi in the eponymous film, which is set against the Kakatiya dynasty.
The actor, born in Punjab, and known for his work in television serials such as "Shobha Somnath Ki", "Deven Ke Dev" and "Maharakashak Aryan", plays a character called Mahadeva Nayakudu in "Rudhramadevi", which releases worldwide on October 9 in Tamil and Hindi.
It was his role as Mahmud of Ghazni from "Shobha Somnath Ki" that impressed director Gunasekar, who immediately roped him in to be part of the Rs.80 crore project.
"Rudhramadevi" is reportedly India's first 3D stereoscopic historical film, which also features an ensemble cast of Rana Daggubati, Allu Arjun, Prakash Raj, Krishnam Raju and Baba Sehgal among others.
Unlike his previous roles in Telugu films such as "Baadshah" and "Heart Attack", Vikramjeet's role in the film required lot of hardwork.
"The weapon I use in the film weighs around 12 kg and was 8 ft tall. You can imagine how strong one needs to be to even lift and move it freely. I had to be extremely fit, so I gained about 10 kg and added lot of muscle," he said.
He also trained for weeks in preparation of his role.
"From horseriding to swordfighting, we were trained by professionals," he said, and added that the experience of shooting in 3D wasn't easy.
"We shot a lot using chroma screen. The thing is, when you use chroma even within a set, you to have to imagine what you will finally see on the screen and act. With chroma all around us, we had to put in extra effort to perform. It was extremely challenging," he said.
"Rudhramadevi" too, like recent Telugu blockbuster "Baahubali", has its share of awe-inspiring stunts, says Virk, adding that they were shot with great precision.
"The war sequences will stand out. We shot the action sequences in summer in Hyderabad, and I swear there were instances when I felt I'll die due to the heat. Despite all the pain, we managed to pull it off thanks to the commitment of Gunasekar," he added.
Gunasekar, according to Virk, has dedicated his life to this project.
"He spent over three years on the project, which he has produced on his own. He's been trying to make this film for over a decade. He's very patient but at the same time won't give up until he gets what he wants," he said.
