Pawan Kalyan's love for martial arts is well-known. His early films involved him doing real stunts that catapulted him to the status of a youth icon. His action set pieces used to be unique because of his martial arts skill.
The actor-politician has now received a rare international honour. He has been formally inducted into Kenjutsu, the ancient Japanese art of swordsmanship. The recognition comes after more than three decades of disciplined practice, study, and research.
"The Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh has been awarded the Fifth Dan by the Sogo Budo Kanri Kai. This body is among the most respected authorities in traditional Japanese martial arts. He is also the first Telugu-speaking person to be inducted into the Takeda Shingen Clan outside Japan. The induction took place under the lineage of Soke Muramatsu Sensei. Such recognition is rarely extended to non-Japanese practitioners," an official statement says.
There is more...
In another honour, the Golden Dragons organisation conferred on him the title “Tiger of Martial Arts”. As part of his advanced journey, he trained under Hanshi Professor Dr. Siddiq Mahmoodi. The scholar is one of India’s leading experts in Japanese martial traditions.
In an inspirational video clip shared by his team, we see clips from his multiple movies, exhorting youngsters to inculcate discipline in life.
Early training
Pawan Kalyan, who had releases such as OG and Vakeel Saab in recent years, has credited his training under Shihan Hussaini for the realism of his martial arts scenes in this film. He famously performed stunts like putting his palms under car wheels in his early movies.
Upcoming projects
Ustaad Bhagat Singh is his next release in theatres. It is directed by Harish Shankar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. He will be producing movies on PK Creative Works in the coming years.
