Shape-shifting to suit a role has become routine for method actors in Bollywood. Ranjita Ganesan speaks to experts about the tough workout regime, varied diets and the health hazards of playing with the body.
In the teaser of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the camera lingers in slow motion on Farhan Akhtar's robust calves and arms, accentuating veins that pop out impressively like tributaries. For the upcoming biopic on the Flying Sikh, Akhtar trained for a year under the watch of a personal trainer and an Asian Games sprint coach. The otherwise lean actor worked several intensive hours on the track and in the gym not just building muscles, but also the speed and flexibility of a professional athlete.
Such shape-shifting has become almost as routine as costume changes for method actors in Bollywood, though it is nowhere nearly as simple to execute. They vary diets, sprint the extra mile and treat their bodies like Play-Doh, going from slim to bulky within months to suit specific roles or even scenes that last for mere seconds.
John Abraham's acting prowess is yet to gain widespread testimony but he spares no effort in the training room. For Dostanain 2008, to accomplish a beach body with a well-toned upper and lower half, Abraham employed cross training, squats and presses, with emphasis on the calves and hamstring. The actor, who then dropped 12 kg in 2010 to portray a cancer patient in Aashayein, later added 10 kg purely in muscle weight to play a strong, vengeful cop in Force. He has since lost another 10 kg for Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Wadala, where his character Manya Surve will metamorphose from lean to brawny.
Abraham has often admitted there are perils in frequent weight alteration, though he puts his trust in trainer Vinod Channa, a man who has experimented with his own body type 40 times in the past 20 years in order to design such routines. "The way to avoid side effects is to work with trainers who are not just theoretically strong but who have experienced these weight changes themselves," he says, sounding a bit like an advertisement.
Channa, whose clients also include Shilpa Shetty and Riteish Deshmukh, comes with the plain disclaimer: "You may be a big star, but when in training, I am the boss." The trainer, who uses a combination of techniques like ashtang yoga, kick-boxing, weight training and supplements, travelled with the cast of the 2010 comedy Housefull for 40 days, preparing them for bikini shots of 10 to 30 seconds.
Personal trainers and consultants are now regulars on the set just like hair stylists and make-up professionals. Sachin Kundalkar, director of Aiyya, set aside three months in the film's schedule for Prithviraj to get ripped for "Dreamum Wakeupum" - a three-and-a-half minute song. The Malayalam superstar sports a lean look in the film otherwise, but Kundalkar insists the transformation was needed in the fantasy sequence for him to be seen as an "object of desire". Prithviraj had to give up a lot of his favourite food and even stay off salt to get a sculpted body.
"When an actor participates in a film, it is in two ways, psychologically as well as through his body," says filmmaker Kundalkar. This is evident as more actors are signing fewer films and focusing on one role at a time. "The good actors, who give their 100 per cent, go to great lengths to modify their appearance for each role."
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Sports biopics, which have become something of a genre in Bollywood recently, demand a lot from the actors. Actress Priyanka Chopra is slugging it out in the gym for about five months until June to master the moves and demeanour of a boxer for her role in a biopic on boxer Mary Kom produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Irrfan Khan, who is usually seen exercising his acting skills, took rigorous steeplechase training from a national coach for three months before the filming of National Award-winning Paan Singh Tomar.
When Kareena Kapoor signed Tashan in 2007, her life changed forever, she wrote in a book titled The Style Diary of a Bollywood Diva. She had to rise out of the sea like a Bond girl wearing a green bikini, a prospect that led to nightmares of having love handles on display. With the help of experts, Kapoor avoided all junk food and sacrificed ghee, which equals "love" in a Punjabi household, the actress said. Soon, her arms looked ripped, waist went from 28 to 24 and she was shopping in the kids' section for clothes.
The protagonist of Kapoor's nightmares became the goal for fellow actress Vidya Balan when she took on the role of Silk Smitha. She routinely tucked into bananas, burgers and pastas to achieve a belly that spilled out of her clothes in The Dirty Picture, which won her multiple awards.
The newer generation of actors is also stepping up these efforts to take on established stars. Vidyut Jammwal, a trained martial arts practitioner, helped in designing the stunts for his next film, Commando, for which he had to add some weight after his debut in Force. "We trained for 7-8 hours a day and worked hard on making each stunt element look authentic," says the action hero who rarely uses the aid of cables while doing stunts.
Playing with your weight comes with a fair set of risks. Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher had to be hospitalised after following Steve Jobs' fruitarian diet for a month, which lacked in some essential nutrients and led to pressure on his pancreas. The actor was preparing for his performance as the former CEO and co-founder of Apple in an upcoming film.
To minimise the risks, the diet plays perhaps an even bigger role than the workout. It is important not to cut down on energy, protein and other essential body intake to avoid vomiting, dizzy spells and sickness. The meals should be eaten at regular intervals and supplemented with vitamins, juices and healthy shakes, experts say. "A lot of people who do weight training tend to focus more on the upper body than the lower, not realising that the entire body needs to be strengthened for it to operate at its best," notes Jammwal.
Losing big amounts of weight quickly also raises the possibility of sagging skin, which can be offset with a combination of toning exercises and protein-rich food. The health risks are higher for actors because of chaotic schedules with frequent travel, shifting time zones and lack of sleep, says nutritionist Pooja Makhija. "If weight changes are not properly supervised, the side effects include losing muscle, stamina and hair."
Makhija has created diet plans for clients such as Deepika Padukone, Balan and Sonam Kapoor and thrashes concepts like low-carb diets. She varies her plans according to the travel schedules of actors. So while in India they can eat rotis or rice, the diet is tweaked to include more of pastas or bread if they are headed to London. Her constant advice to stars is, "Carbs are not your enemy, don't fear food and never starve."
HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?
When not supported by the right diet, frequently playing with weight poses risks including:
- Low stamina and energy
- Loss of muscle
- Thinning and weakening of hair
- Sagging skin
- Feeling ill often
- Dizziness or fainting
