Muzammil Ibrahim shares he learnt martial arts from a rickshaw driver: 'People used to make fun of me...'

Muzammil Ibrahim, who was in Kay Kay Menon’s ‘Special Ops 2’, talked about what inspired his role. His realistic action scenes come from years of hard work, not quick training. In the show, he played Agent Avinash and got a lot of praise from fans and critics.Muzammil Ibrahim’s dedication over quick trainingIn an interview with DNA India, Muzammil revealed that he didn’t specifically train for ‘Special Ops’, explaining that his whole life was dedicated to training. He gave the example of Keanu Reeves preparing for John Wick, mentioning that he didn’t learn action for Special Ops but brought 14 years of training as a martial artist into the role.Muzammil Ibrahim’s parkour learning from everyday mentorsThe actor recalled learning parkour backflips and wall flips on Juhu beach in the past by watching YouTube, not from professional instructors but from everyday men. He explained that he used to learn parkour from a rickshaw driver and a mechanic and is still in touch with both. Taiyab, the rickshaw driver, later became a prolific stuntman and was the person doing all the stunts in Bhavesh Joshi.Muzammil Ibrahim’s experience facing mockery but staying focusedMuammil said that when he used to train at Juhu beach, he admitted that it was weird for people to see him there, and they often mocked him for training on the beach with these men, but he didn’t care and remained focused on learning. He explained that people and even peers used to make fun of him, seeing him there on the beach with those guys. He felt it was shallow of them to look down upon someone just because of where they came from. He added that now they watch his action and call to congratulate him, saying that you can’t fake the discipline of a martial artist. Muzammil concluded, saying, “The real grind is working through those 1000 days of darkness and uncertainty in the hope of making use of what you are learning someday”.