10 Months of Training Before “Action”: How Shriyam Prepared to Become a Sumo Wrestler for Sumo Didi

10 Months of Training Before “Action”: How Shriyam Prepared to Become a Sumo Wrestler for Sumo Didi Inspired by the true story of Hetal Dave, Sumo Didi premieres on 23rd October on Hindi Zee 5. Before the cameras rolled, Shriyam Bhagnani had 10 months of preparation ahead of her. For Sumo Didi, inspired by the extraordinary journey of Hetal Dave, India’s first professional female sumo wrestler, the challenge was to do justice to a story rooted in determination, courage and breaking barriers. And who better to guide her than Hetal herself? Hetal personally trained Shriyam, helping her understand the postures, techniques and physical discipline associated with sumo wrestling. Alongside learning the specific movements required for the role, Shriyam underwent overall physical training to prepare herself for the demands of the character. The process was about more than getting the techniques right; it was about understanding the nuances of a world that Shriyam was stepping into for the first time. Shriyam Bhagnani on preparing for the role: “There were two major challenges, and interestingly, the first wasn’t really about the skill itself. It was about the time I had to achieve it. A wrestler spends their entire life building the strength, muscle, posture and physicality required for the sport. I had to achieve a version of that in just ten months. I never saw it as an impossible task, though. I found it as an exciting goal. I knew what I wanted to look like and what I wanted to achieve, and that kept me motivated throughout the process. The second challenge was more physical. We were training for hours every single day, burning an enormous number of calories. My body type is such that when I exercise intensely, I tend to lose weight. Since maintaining my weight was essential for the role, I had to eat even more to compensate for the calories I was burning. So, in many ways, the physical transformation wasn’t just about training harder. It was also about making sure I was eating enough to sustain the body I needed for the character. Despite these challenges, I genuinely enjoyed the process. There was something incredibly exciting about having a goal that seemed so far removed from my everyday life and working towards it one day at a time.” For Hetal, training Shriyam meant helping her translate years of personal experience into a performance that felt authentic on screen. Having lived the journey herself, she could guide Shriyam on the finer details of sumo, from the correct postures to the discipline and precision required. Her involvement gave Shriyam the opportunity to learn directly from the person whose life inspired the film. Hetal Dave on training Shriyam: “I trained shriyam from the basics of Judo and Sumo Wrestling. I wanted her not just to understand the choreography of the fight, but also the falls you need to take if someone throws you, which made her confident on applying the attacks that she eventually did in the final takes.” Talking about the most important things she focused on, she added, “Since Shriyam doesn’t come from a combat sports background, my main aim was to help her understand and anticipate her opponent’s moves. I wanted her to learn how to gauge every push and pull, when to apply strength, when to dodge an attack, and how to study her opponent before stepping into a fight.”