Disha Patani From Dhoni To Salman Via Tiger

 I first saw Disha Patani  playing Priyanka Jha to Sushant Singh Rajput’s Dhoni in the bio-pic  on the  cricketer. I  couldn’t remember a single  heroine  surnamed Jha in   Hindi cinema before Disha.She left her mark. But not strong  enough. It  was  time to  move the pieces on  the chessboard.

The gym and Tiger  Shroff became  Disha’s  best friends. They transformed  her from  ‘whatever’ to ‘wow’ in no time at all. While Rekha and  others have achieved their makeover over  a long period of time, Disha  did  it  within  two years.

During the  lockdown  she  continued to   work-out . Last  year she  told me. “I am working out from home. I do cardio in the morning, as I have a treadmill at home so making the most of it, followed by weight training in the evening. I have some weights at home which are manageable, to perform some form of weight training exercises.”

This  determination and  drive  I  have not seen in too many  actors.Many of them have  stopped exercising at home and are worried  as to how they will get back into shape once they start  working againA  leading actress confided in me, “Before I  face the camera again I have to face the music…that’s not  a  bad idea. To put on  some of my favourite music and dance  to burn the  extra calories  away.”

Disha  never  needs to worry about  adding on  extra kilos.

Her  friend Tiger once  told me, “I’ve never seen  anyone so focused on staying fit.When  it comes to a workout regime, Disha beats me  hollow.”

  When I  asked her  about  her   unwavering  self-betterment regime Disha said, “I feel, determination and drive are two things that keep you going. I started as an outsider who walked her own path and now, it feels amazing to see how much love has come my way. One needs to strive for the best and each project that I have been a part of, has uplifted me as an artist. Malang, being the most recent one that brought immense love and appreciation to me. This only makes me bring the best to my fans and justify their faith in me with my work.”

 I haven’t met  Disha. She was in my hometown Patna two years ago. I  didn’t know  her well enough  to  invite her home. But  someone very close  to me  was keen to meet her. I couldn’t say no. I asked Tiger  to arrange  the meeting, and  he did in  a  jiffy.The  fan came back raving about her.  “She had no airs at all. She asked me  about my family and how  close I  was  to you. She allowed me  to take pictures . Her team  kept reminding her  of her  next  appointment.  But she  didn’t pay any attention.”

  A  child of impulse,  Disha is  using the lockdown  period  to  better  herself. “I have not really introspected or thought a lot about life. I am just enjoying all this time to myself. I am spending a lot of time with my pets which I otherwise don’t get to, due to hectic shoot schedules. I am trying to clean as much as I can and involve myself with some cooking whenever possible. As far as movies are concerned, I’ve not really been binge watching anything as such, but I do watch movies sometimes.”

Disha needs  to break free  as  an actor. Her  choice of  roles reflects  a  boxoffice anxiety  that she needs to overcome. Once  she stops looking at  the numbers she has the potential to grow into a a woman of  substance. I see  her  as  Poo  in a remake   of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. But then Karan  Johar has  Alia and Kiara. Camps exist. Disha needs  find her disha(direction) through the  labyrinth  of favouritism.