Paoli Dam - Moner Manush with Prosenjit Chatterjee

Power puff girl

FITNESS EXPERT CHINMOY ROY PUTS PAOLI THROUGH THE PACES ONLY TO FIND THAT SHE PACKS A REAL PUNCH

I like throwing challenges at my trainees — the idea is to tap the potential they aren’t aware of yet. Though Paoli Dam appears frail from the outside, she gets a huge kick from challenges. When she came to me to shape up, only a month was left for Goutam Ghose’s Moner Manush to roll. Paoli was fascinated by her character (of a widowed baul singer) and was ready to walk the extra mile. Till then, all Paoli had by way of training experience was a feel of the gym and some familiarity with the cardio machines. I did a reality check at the outset. No shortcuts to the Kareena Kapoor look — it would be all sweat and toil. “I believe in hard work and I won’t mind it,” said Paoli. She learnt the lifting technique in about a week. Unlike other women who are apprehensive that weight training would make them muscular, Paoli had no reservations. Cable chest press, squat and rotational press, alternate rows and horizontal pull-ups became a part of her routine within the next few weeks. Paoli lost around 10mm of skinfold during training. And it surely stood her in good stead during the Moner Manush shoot. “The shoot schedules were long and demanding but my workout helped me withstand the strain. I never felt drained. Now I am eager to work more on my fitness,” she told me after returning from the shoot. Ladder drills & running with parachutes I started with ladder drills and resistance run at the gym. Paoli picked up the quick feet ladder drills within a few days. I had another girl to train with her to bring in a competitive edge. Paoli’s attitude told me that she liked the competition as her stride frequency went up by a few notches. But it was her cricketing skills that surprised me the most. I often use a lot of fielding drills in my interval runs. So, one day I asked her if she would be game for some fielding activity with a soft cricket ball. Paoli was ready for the action. Just to test her, I lobbed the ball at her a few times and she got it right between her palms every time. I suggested that we start training outdoors, and next day off we went to the Rabindra Sarobar stadium. At the stadium, Paoli’s cardio endurance, especially the cross drills and pyramid intervals, caught the eye of some Nigerian footballers who were practising in another corner. Watching her run with a pair of parachutes tucked at the waist, one of them came forward to compliment Paoli on her hard work. So, how did she like training out in the sun? “It’s incredible! The sun and the green grass added a spring in my step. I felt so energised,” said she. Punch and duck One of my favourite drills is punch and duck. Here, I would stand in front of Paoli wearing a pair of mitts. In between her punches, I would pretend to hit her back and she had to duck. Paoli’s reaction was spot on. “Back home, I am practising punch and duck on my brother!” she laughed. Cardio kickboxing Knowing how people get bored with the banal machine cardio, I gave Paoli cardio kickboxing for a change and she was hooked from Day One. “It’s too captivating to miss,” she said. I started with simple punches and basic kicks. The intention was to pump her adrenaline and let the heart rate shoot. Her superior flexibility ensured a nice range in her kicks. I gave Paoli one or two-minute breaks to see if she could sustain the intensity. Whenever the punches turned soft, I would shout at her. And Paoli, exhausted but provoked, would strike back with all her might. She would gasp for breath and mumble: “I may be struggling but I am not going to give up. I believe in winning.”

Who do you think is the fittest actor/actress in Tollywood? Tell t2@abpmail.com Pictures by Pabitra Das; make-up: Aniruddha Chakladar; styling: Sandy

KAGOJER BOU

Bedtime story

- Joy and Paoli get under the sheets and steam up the sea at Mandarmani for Bappaditya’s Kagojer Bou. A t2 first look

(Top and above) Foreplay time for Joy and Paoli in bed; (below) the duo shoot a song sequence on the Mandarmani beach

Last week, Joy Sengupta and Paoli Dam had a steamy time in a Mandarmani hotel — just for the camera, of course.

The scene being shot for Bappaditya Bandopadhyay’s Kagojer Bou, where Joy is seen caressing and kissing Paoli’s bare back, marks the start of a love-making sequence that is yet to be shot. “It’s an important scene in the film. Joy plays a married man who is obsessed with Paoli. All the characters of Kagojer Bou are driven by lust, money and power,” said Bappaditya.

“Would anyone believe that Kagojer Bou doesn’t have a script yet! So, we don’t know what will happen next. In this scene, we do everything that precedes love-making but we are yet to find out if we will be shown making love. We are given the dialogues on the day of the shoot. It’s a very interesting way of filmmaking and it’s a first for me,” said Paoli.

Joy and Paoli also shot a song sequence on the beach where she flaunted her new toned legs. “I am so happy that I’m not stuck in the image of a sari-clad, depressed woman! Here, I sport hot pants, tight tops, minis and even a bikini!” adds Paoli, now busy shooting in Goa for Anindya Sarkar’s Keu Bole Buro Bham.