Actor Akshay Kumar talks about the 15th International Kudo Tournament, which was recently held in Surat
In a true testament to his lifelong commitment to martial arts and fitness, actor Akshay Kumar organised the 15th Akshay Kumar International Kudo Tournament in Surat (Gujarat) recently, bringing the Japanese martial arts discipline to the centre stage. The actor admits he thought of introducing the practice in India after realising its importance for self defence, and now is dedicated to motivate the youth to take up the form “without worrying about money”.
This year, Kumar was joined by actor Disha Patani as a special guest at the event. It’s a tournament which he has been organising for over a decade now.
“I trained for Kudo during Rowdy Rathore (2012), and before that I was training in Muay Thai and Gojukai Karate for many years. It was only after realising the effectiveness of Kudo in self defence situations that I decided to introduce it in India,” Kumar tells us.
The 56-year-old star, who is known for his dedication towards holistic fitness, continues, “I wanted to provide an international platform to the children from every town and village… An international tournament where everyone can participate without worrying about money or costs, hence my tournament was started. It is absolutely free of cost for the last 15 years, in fact, during the lockdown too, the tournament was kept going online”.
This year, he was joined by Patani, a martial art enthusiast herself, at the tournament. The OMG 2 actor feels it is important for youth icons to use their star power in mobilising people towards finding the right way to be fit. “Icons can motivate and help the youth channelise their intrinsic energies in the right direction, hence a martial artist or a fitness icon would definitely help youth find their groove in the world of fitness and martial arts,” he shares.
Kumar has himself trained in several martial art forms over the years. He is trained in Karate, Taekwondo and Muay Thai. In fact, sometimes, he uses social media to share a glimpse of his fitness routine with his fans. And he admits his own martial arts journey has complemented his professional journey in many ways.
“I always say that martial arts is not just about kicking, punching and fighting. If you take all the three away from martial arts, there are virtues such as discipline, determination, will power, punctuality and so many more will remain (with you). And this alone has been the cornerstone which has shaped my personal and professional life,” he ends.