Ashwin Kakumanu, who was recently seen as the antagonist in Ravindra Madhava's Thanal, has opened up about pursuing boxing as a full-time activity and has called the sport a stress buster for him.
In an interview with IANS, Ashwin called himself a Sylvester Stallone fan and said, "Boxing is something I always enjoyed watching because I'm a huge Sylvester Stallone fan. Therefore, I'm a huge Rocky fan by default. And right from when I was a teenager, it has always been a thrill for me. Even when I was kind of down, I would just put the thing on YouTube and just watch it."
Ashwin reveals that it was a film that steered him towards boxing. "Before the pandemic, I had actually gotten this offer for a boxing film which I really liked. I was like, 'This is it. I get to play this role.' So, I joined boxing. But then the pandemic happened, and boxing kind of went by the wayside."
Despite the project being shelved, Ashwin didn't let go of his passion for boxing, returning to it for his own mental health. "Boxing kind of gives you this mental relief. In fact, it's a stress buster. I also go with my wife and my friends. So, it's actually fun to do it as friends."
On the benefits of boxing, he added, "We both go for class, and my friend also comes. So, we motivate each other. Your body posture automatically changes when you take up the sport. Your shoulder, your speed – all those things kind of add to it. So, it's a fitness thing. In fitness, it gets repetitive going to the gym and doing the same things. So, adding a new skill like boxing changes that. Also, there's animal flow; there are these animal postures and mobility. So, I feel, you know, boxing helps me get into that Zen state."
Before Thanal, Ashwin had the release of Pizza 3: The Mummy in 2023. He was also seen as Senthan Amuthan in Ponniyin Selvan: I and II.
