Glory EXCLUSIVE! Pulkit Samrat's Acting Coaches On 'Challenges' In Training Him In Haryanvi Dialect: He Was...

Updated: Monday, May 25, 2026, 5:00 [IST]

Netflix Glory: Pulkit Samrat gave his blood, sweat, heart and hard work to ace the role of a boxer in Glory. The audience and critics have praised the Bollywood star for his impressive performance in the Netflix sports thriller, noting that he took things a notch higher.

pulkit samrat glory acting coach netflix

Pulkit is winning hearts for his power-packed act, and it can be rightfully attributed to him and his amazing team. Last week, we shared how his dietician worked with the Fukrey actor to ensure that he attained the transformation required for the role of a boxer.

In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Assistant Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Pulkit Samrat's acting coaches- Raghav & Sanjay explained the process behind training him for playing a Haryanavi boxer.

Was it challenging to train Pulkit in the Haryanavi dialect? Did the actor surprise his acting coaches? Read on to know.

Here are excerpts from the interview

1. What were the first conversations you had with Pulkit Samrat before beginning the prep for Glory?

I remember one of our earliest conversations was about understanding the world these characters come from - what dignity, respect, and family reputation mean in that environment, what is at stake for them and what success looks like in Haryana's boxing culture, where there's a boxing academy in almost every corner. We wanted to understand what it really takes for someone to rise above the rest in a world like that. Then to understand- the food, the language, the rhythm of conversations, So it really helped that Pulkit spent time in Haryana with the recce team and absorbed those things firsthand.

2. Pulkit is playing a boxer in the series, but the role also carries emotional depth and vulnerability. How did you help him balance both aspects of the character?

We never treated the emotional side and the boxer side as separate things. For us, they were deeply connected. While the physical preparation was happening side by side, we were constantly working on the internal life of the character as well. His aggression, his skill in the ring, and his vulnerability were all coming from the same place. A lot of our work was around relationships and emotional stakes - his relationship with Gudiya, Devender, Coach Sir, and what these people mean to him emotionally, along with what he feels he stands to lose.

There's also a deep fear inside the character - a fear of his own capacity for violence and what that could turn him into. The series itself touches on that idea that sometimes, in order to fight darkness, you risk discovering darkness within yourself too. So a lot of our conversations were around that emotional conflict.

3. How challenging was it to train him in the Haryanvi dialect while ensuring it still sounded organic and natural on screen?

One thing that really stayed with me was how proactive Pulkit was with the dialect work.

At one point, almost casually, I suggested that he try rapping in Haryanvi. I told him it could help because when you rap in a language, you start getting comfortable with its rhythm, energy, and flow in a very natural way and later on, learning lines in that language becomes easy as well.

Honestly, I mentioned it casually and forgot about it. Then about a week later, he came into a session and said, 'I want you guys to watch something.' And he performed this full Haryanvi rap track - with complete confidence, attitude, and rhythm. It was genuinely impressive. What struck me wasn't just that he had done it, but how fully he had committed to the idea in such a short span of time. That really told me how invested he was in understanding the world and the language properly rather than approaching it superficially. And I think that attitude stayed throughout the process. He kept finding playful and unexpected ways to immerse himself in the preparation.

4. What was Pulkit's approach towards learning the dialect? Did anything about his dedication surprise you?

There were a lot of scenes like that, especially because the character is constantly trying to stay controlled on the surface while a lot is happening internally. The scenes with Gudiya were very important in that sense. The basement scene in Episode 5 was another big one, and of course the Mohammed Ali scene was also quite special emotionally.

But one really wonderful thing about Pulkit as an actor is that he's extremely receptive. Through emotional preparation and imagination work, if you give him an image, a thought, or an emotional situation, he absorbs it very quickly and truthfully. He stays very open to the process, and because of that, we're able to reach emotional depth and clarity much faster in the work.

5. Were there any scenes that emotionally pushed Pulkit out of his comfort zone as an actor?

Honestly, what impressed me most was the enormous curiosity and openness that Pulkit showed up with every single session. We explored the role from many different angles - watching films and performances for reference, doing exercises in movement, attitude lines, animal status, improvisations, answering 80+ character questions, rehearsing scenes repeatedly on camera, breaking down the scene line by line, constantly experimenting and refining moments. And through all of it, he was completely relentless. There were no shortcuts with him.

6. What surprised you the most about Pulkit Samrat's commitment as an actor during Glory?

What I personally found inspiring was that he still approached the work like a student. That kind of appetite to keep learning after so many years in the industry is actually very rare. The process became incredibly enjoyable because of that energy. Some sessions would go on for 5-6 hours, and all of us would leave creatively charged instead of exhausted.

7. What kind of emotional conditioning or workshops were done before going on floors?

I told him something important: don't train like an actor preparing for a role. Train like an athlete preparing to represent India at the Olympics. That shift in mindset changes everything.

Suddenly the training is no longer about looking convincing on screen or chasing personal glory. You start approaching it with the mindset of someone carrying the responsibility of representing something bigger than themselves - their state, their people, their country. And that shift changes the emotional truth of the preparation completely.

8. Did the character require Pulkit to unlearn any of his natural acting instincts?

Absolutely. But what was really interesting with Pulkit was that he never waited for homework to be assigned. He's been working for years, so he came into the process with a lot of his own curiosity and preparation.

Very early on, he had already started watching interviews, documentaries, old videos, and especially content around real boxers like Neeraj Goyat. Almost every day he would send something new he had discovered.

9. Did Pulkit spend time listening to real Haryanvi speakers or athletes to understand the authenticity of the dialect better?

And it wasn't just about copying an accent or a dialect. He was trying to understand how these athletes think, how they carry themselves, what their values are, how competitive they are even in everyday life. What I also loved was that he kept the process very playful. One day he randomly sent me a YouTube video called 'Haryana Boys Try Pedicure for the First Time.' So there was always curiosity, humour, and observation happening together. That's why the preparation never felt mechanical or exhausting. He genuinely enjoyed immersing himself in that world. Absolutely. But what was really interesting with Pulkit was that he never waited for homework to be assigned. He's been working for years, so he came into the process with a lot of his own curiosity and preparation.

Glory is available for streaming on Netflix.

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