Ritika Singh couldn’t quite believe her eyes when she saw it the first time. “I had to pinch myself and check again — Kurt Angle? THE Kurt Angle actually commented on my picture?! To say I was ecstatic would be an understatement,” she gushes.
For those who came in late: Olympian and WWE icon Kurt Angle had been one of Ritika Singh’s inspirations while growing up (her MMA background is testament to that). Thanks to the Internet, the poster of her next film Oh My Kadavule with Ashok Selvan went viral, and had been inexplicably spotted and shared by Angle’s wife Giovanna Angle, as it featured Ritika holding Ashok in an ‘ankle lock’: Kurt Angle’s signature move as a WWE performer!
“Angle and his wife had some banter commenting on that picture. My mind immediately went back to those childhood days when my brother and I would grapple to wrestling moves as soon as we got home from school… ironically we still do that, as we love fighting,” she admits sheepishly.
The mixed martial artist-turned-actor’s film career takes a new direction with Oh My ... as she gets to be part of a quintessential rom-com for the first time. The movie is set to release on Valentine's Day, February 14 next month.
“You know, Irudhi Suttru was incredible for me (she reprised the same role in the hit Hindi and Telugu versions as well), but I think my background as a fighter meant filmmakers sometimes couldn’t see me as a classic ‘heroine’. Hey, I can dance, romance and do all those things too! It’s actually a lot of fun. When Oh My.. came my way, I was thrilled. My pairing with Ashok is so.. fresh, and our chemistry is palpable on and off-screen,” she remarks.
However, she does go back to her ‘fighter’ roots with another project soon: Boxer with Arun Vijay, the first looks of which show her in peak form. “It’s a little too early to go deep into it, but I’m back in my comfort zone with that film, and can’t wait to showcase my skills in it.”
Ritika also observes that the south Indian film industry is in a transitional phase — one in which someone like her can garner a foothold — and it augurs well for the future. “Not only are real and relatable characters being written for women, but real-looking girls are being picked for the roles! I love that audiences have accepted a different vibe from heroines, one that is genuine and empathetic,” she concludes.
