Actor R Madhavan, who will be seen next in Rajkumar Hirani’s Saala Khadoos, had recently said that the toughest part for the makers was finding a female boxer who could act too. It was from amongst 100 athletes that lead actress Ritika Singh was chosen. Ritika Singh was shortlisted only after the casting team had a ringside view of 700- odd duels and had auditioned nearly 100 athletes. “Raju Hirani chose a national level boxer over an actress to play the lead role. He felt the fights required stamina and intensity, and only a real boxer could make them look real. So, the entire team set out on a hunt for one. They auditioned over 100 boxers and attended over 700 boxing matches all over the country, before they finalised the female lead," said a spokesperson of the film. The auditions spanned for a couple of months and the makers found Ritika perfect for the role. The national- level kickboxer holds a black belt in karate and is also trained in mixed martial arts. Madhavan will be seen as her coach — a taskmaster. At a recent media interaction, Rajkumar Hirani admitted that he was apprehensive about casting a boxer as the lead heroine, but after watching Ritika's audition tape, the team was confident about her. Saala Khadoos directed by Sudha Kongara is all set to release on January 29, 2016.
