Anshuman Jha, the actor-filmmaker, shares his preparation for his upcoming film and the training he received from Tsahi Shemesh, who previously trained the cast of Avengers.
Anshuman Jha is currently busy training in New York for the second instalment of Lakadbaggha , and recently took some time off to visit Bruce Lee’s burial site. The actor says he will cherish the experience and memory for his whole life.
Jha’s Instagram video
After visiting his “biggest inspiration and master” Bruce Lee’s burial site, he posted a video on Instagram, calling it a “pilgrimage”. Ask him the reason for calling it that, and he shares: “Because it was a spiritual experience for me. I felt an energy walking there. I kneeled there, felt contentment. And to do it before a week of his Death anniversary was special. It might sound silly but there was a calling, in a way. I had to pay my respects. Its 50 years since he moved on and we are still discussing him – ordinary mortals don’t achieve that.”
“It is uncanny to feel so connected to someone who passed away over a decade before I was even born. But Bruce Lee’s life, his philosophy, his legacy have inspired me on a very personal level. It felt like a pilgrimage going to his resting site. And to do it before a week of his Death anniversary (July 20) was special. He made it against the and I have been against the odds all through my life as an actor so he has inspired me and continue to inspire on a human level as heroes. As an actor, as a martial artist & just as a human being – you can feel mind over matter even when you see an image of him & that it’s not a competition. You just got to keep practising, become your best and flow. Which is what I practice,” he says.
Further talking about the influence of Bruce Lee on his work, he says, “Training in Krav-Maga with the thought that ‘the only rule is there are no rules’ is his biggest influence. He demanded of himself great excellence and I live by that. And the perfection is achieved is awe-inspiring. And his core thought – To train hard so that everything is done by me on set. without short cuts or body doubles. I don’t want to cheat the audience. And I don’t want to ever be lazy or take it for granted – till I have oxygen running through me”.
He is learning Krav Maga
For the second instalment of Lakadbaggha, he is training with Tsahi Shemesh, who had earlier trained Avengers’ cast in the Israeli martial art form Krav Maga.
“This is round 2 with Tsahi as I was here in 2021 to train for Lakadbaggha 1. Two years later back, being on the mat with him in New York City feels overwhelming as he trains me to be better in Krav-Maga, which is the best of all worlds when it comes to fighting,” he tells us, and goes on to talk about working with Shemesh, he says, “I am so grateful to have him as a teacher, a friend and a guide. His experience and rawness has helped me design action sequences for my upcoming project Lakadbaggha 2”.
Disclaimer: Except for the headline and synopsis, this story has been taken from the HT News Service