Mumbai: For Sidharth Malhotra, getting into shape for Vvaan was not just about fitness. The film places him inside an expansive folklore world where the physicality of the character has to feel as convincing as the mythology surrounding him.
“For me, the physical preparation always starts with understanding the character and what the world demands of him. I don't believe you can just arrive on set and expect the physicality to come together. It has to become part of the character,” Sidharth said.
That meant approaching the physical demands of Vvaan with the same seriousness he has brought to his action-driven roles in the past. His philosophy has been straightforward: action has to look believable on screen.
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Aug 27, 2026For Vvaan, that preparation was about building a physical presence suited to the film's demanding world rather than simply chasing a particular look. “There is a difference between looking fit and being physically prepared for a role. For Vvaan, I had to think about how this character moves, how he reacts, how he carries himself and how he physically survives everything the story puts him through. The training has to support all of that,” he says.
The actor's previous action work has involved intensive, specialised training. For Yodha, he lost weight and underwent close-quarter and hand-to-hand combat training with Craig Macrae and his team, describing the process as beginning with understanding what would work for his body before moving into the combat preparation. That same discipline informs his approach to Vvaan. The physical preparation also included developing the kind of functional strength that an action-heavy role demands. Sidharth’s training has always been a combination of strength work, conditioning, boxing, combat drills and mobility and not just traditional bodybuilding. He underwent specialised hand-to-hand combat training and worked on becoming leaner and more agile for the role. His fitness routine has also included high-intensity interval training, boxing, bodyweight work and swimming-based conditioning.
“I actually enjoy the physical side of preparing for a film. I like being active, and I like pushing myself to learn something new for every character. The goal isn't to make the training visible. The goal is for the audience to believe the character when they see him on screen,” he says.
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Aug 27, 2026And that may be the most important part of the preparation for Vvaan: making the extraordinary feel physically real. “The world of Vvaan is unlike anything I've done before. So the responsibility was to make sure that even within this fantastical setting, the character always feels grounded and believable," he adds.
Backed by some of the country's most distinctive storytellers, The Vvaan brings together TVF’s Arunabh Kumar, director Deepak Mishra and Ektaa Kapoor for a commercial film that attempts to take Indian folklore into a new cinematic space. While its world is rooted in folklore and fantasy, the film brings together adventure, mystery and humour to shape itself as a complete family entertainer. The ambition extends beyond the film, with The Legend of Vvaan comic book already introducing audiences to the larger folklore surrounding its universe.
Presented by Balaji Motion Pictures, a division of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, in association with TVF and 11.11 Production, The Vvaan stars Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia. Written by Arunabh Kumar and directed by Deepak Mishra, with Manu Anand as DOP and Visual Director, the film is produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ektaa R Kapoor, Arunabh Kumar and Niraj Kothari.
The Vvaan arrives in cinemas on September 25, 2026, promising a big-screen fantasy folklore experience where the visuals, music, mystery and scale come together to create a world audiences will want to step into.
