Asif MD’s life has been filled with his efforts. Be it acting, martial arts, or learning a new language, he has tried to do justice to his work. Asif shot to fame for his role as Vidyut Jamwal’s right-hand man in the Vijay-starrer Thuppaki, which was directed by AR Murugadoss. Now, he has starred in Retro, alongside Suriya, portraying a character which was in his element: martial arts. “I worked on Retro for 18 days, and all of them were memorable. We were shooting the action scenes from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening, and I was able to see the amount of effort taken by Suriya sir for the shoots, which is not easy to do.”

Retro was a reunion for Asif with the stunt choreographer Kecha Khamphakdee. ”This was my third film with Kecha Khampakdee and my second Tamil film with him. It’s always good to work with him, as Kecha Khampakdee is my dear friend.” Asif fondly recalled that during his days as a proper boxer, Kecha was the person who taught him the difference between professional fighting and fake fighting, a lesson he remembers to this day. “Instead of making sure you hit your opponent, you ensure they are safe.”

The actor who has roots in Mumbai and Kolkata has received extensive martial arts training. But he started with theatre, spending three years with the art form. He moved on to learn bodybuilding and martial arts. After earning a black belt in taekwondo, he also trained in Muay Thai for a year in Bangkok. But Asif is no stranger to the Tamil language or the film industry. “I want to explore all genres, especially comedy. I want to perform those comedic roles in the style of Mr Amitabh Bachchan or Rajinikanth sir.”