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Being an actor takes work, as behind all the glitter and glamour, one has to put a lot of hard work into their craft. While some film roles can get mentally exhausting, a few can also be physically challenging. There have been multiple actors who have taken on this challenge in recent years and triumphed.

From losing all their body fat to gaining some extra kilos in a matter of days, these stars have gone to extremes to suit their roles in movies. Here are nine Bollywood actors who underwent extreme body transformations for their characters.

1. Kartik Aaryan in Chandu Champion

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I did not have the fortune of watching any of Pulkit’s feature films, apart from the Alt Balaji miniseries “Bose: Dead/Alive,” before watching “Maalik.” I especially regret not having watched “Bhakshak” (2024), which last year caught some critical attention. However, my first engagement with Pulkit, in terms of a feature film, was not bad at all. I liked “Maalik” to an extent. Not because it is the kind of popular cinema I was eagerly waiting for, but because of its attempt to bring back a certain genre that Bollywood had abandoned long ago.

The ‘Angry Young Man’, in other words a simpleton, driven by some past events, choosing the path of a gangster/Mafia to place himself in the highest strata of power, a (wayward) hero of the working class, had literally vanished from the popular discourse of Hindi Cinema since the early 90s, after enriching Bollywood – both commercially and...

Mumbai, 31st January 2025: Award-winning filmmaker Anuj Gulati’s film ‘WingMan’ starring Shashank Arora is set to have an exclusive screening in Mumbai.

The quirky comedy film follows Omi (Shashank Arora), a call center agent at a dating service whose life spirals out of control after his girlfriend leaves him, and he falls for another woman.

The film also stars Trimala Adhikari and Auritra Ghosh (State of Siege: Temple Attack). The music is composed by Tajdar Junaid, whose credits include the films Mukti Bhawan’ and ‘Axone’. The film’s technical crew includes cinematographer Kumar Saurabh, known for the series ‘Bose: Dead/Alive’ starring Rajkummar Rao and the 2024 film ‘Bhakshak’, starring Bhumi Pednekar and Sanjay Mishra. The production design is by Prashant Bidkar (12th Fail).

The film screening will be held on 7th February 2025 at 7 Pm at Harkat Studios, Versova.

‘WingMan’ marks Anuj Gulati’s feature directorial debut, following his acclaimed short...

In a recent interview with an entertainment portal, actor Patralekhaa opened up about the scrutiny she faces regarding her personal life, especially the persistent rumors about her expecting a baby with her husband, actor Rajkummar Rao. Patralekhaa candidly shared that these rumors, often sparked by instances of bloating, initially bothered her.

She expressed her frustration, explaining that there have been times when people assumed she was pregnant simply because of natural bodily changes, like bloating. “How many times has it happened that I was having bloating, but people feel that I am pregnant. Now who will explain to those people that there are some days in the month when one does not feel good,” she said.

Over time, Patralekhaa has learned to cope with these intrusive speculations by choosing not to engage with online comments. She now focuses on feeling confident in her own skin and no longer lets such rumors affect her.

Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao has showered love on the ‘strongest girl’, his wife and actress Patralekha on the occasion of her 34th birthday. The ‘Shahid’ actor has called his ladylove the light of his life.

Rajkummar and Patralekha, who have starred together in Hansal Mehta’s 2014 directorial ‘Citylights’, had tied the knot in November 2021.

The two have been in a romantic relationship since 2010. They have also features in web series ‘Bose: Dead/Alive’.

On Tuesday, Rajkummar took to his Instagram and shared unseen pictures with Patralekha, which seems to be from their vacation to the mesmerising location of the northern lights.

The first picture shows the lovebirds romantically posing in a snow-clad backdrop, dressed in winter outfits.

There is also a solo photo of the ‘Nanu Ki Jaanu’ actress enjoying the northern lights.

Rajkummar penned a heartwarming birthday note for his wife, which read as: “Happy birthday my love, the most beautiful and strongest girl @patralekhaa.

BollywoodRajkummar and Patralekhaa had previously starred together in filmmaker Hansal Mehta's 2014 film ‘Citylights’ and the ALTBalaji series ‘Bose: Dead/Alive’AgenciesInstagramBollywood actors Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa got married on the evening of Monday, November 15, after being in a relationship for more than a decade. The couple said that they were fortunate to be companions. Rajkummar and Patralekhaa were engaged on Sunday. They exchanged wedding vows in an intimate ceremony at The Oberoi Sukhvilas Spa Resort, New Chandigarh. For the ceremony, Rajkummar was seen in ivory ethnicwear with a bandhgala jacket, designed by high couture designer Sabyasachi, while Patralekhaa was seen in a red lehenga with gold embellishments, also from Sabyasachi. Rajkummar Rao shared pictures of the wedding on Instagram. "Finally after 11 years of love, romance, friendship and fun, I got married to my everything today, my soulmate, my best friend, my family. Today there is no greater happiness for...

Mumbai, March 11: The new horror comedy Roohi is the first film in the genre that Alexx O'Nell has tried, but the Bollywood actor of American origin says he is familiar with the art of making people laugh through acting.

Alexx, who hails from Connecticut, plays Tim, an American filmmaker, who arrives at a tiny village in rural India to do a story on a very unique small-town tradition.

"This is indeed my first horror comedy and it is in fact, my first comedy since 2012, when Akshay Kumar and I faced off as rival scientists in Joker. While it has certainly been a while, I am no stranger to comedy. I perform in numerous comedy plays and musicals as a stage actor in the US, and I started my Indian film career with small roles in back-to-back-comedy movies Cheeni Kum and Loins Of Punjab Presents way back in 2007. It was...

National Award-winning filmmaker Hansal Mehta is all praise for actor Rajkummar Rao, with whom he has often collaborated. Mehta says the success of the actor makes him feel like a happy parent.

Rajkummar made his acting debut in 2010 "Love Sex Aur Dhokha". But it was through Mehta's film "Shahid" in 2013 that he gained recognition. The actor again collaborated with the filmmaker with projects such as "CityLights", "Aligarh", "Bose: Dead/Alive", "Omerta" and the recent digitally released film "Chhalaang".

Talking about Rajkummar's evolution as an actor, Mehta said, "The beauty is Rajkummar has never lost his humility and generosity that he always had as an actor. He has remained that same person. What has changed is that Rajkummar has become really popular."

The quinquagenarian reminisced about how he and the actor would walk freely on the street and shoot "guerilla style" on the roads in the past.

"Now that is not possible.

Actor Naveen Kasturia learned a new dialect for the series "Thinkistan", and it was not an easy task.

After "Sulemani Keeda" and "Bose: Dead/Alive", Naveen will now be seen in Mx Original series "Thinkistan" where he plays the role of a Hindi speaking junior copywriter who comes from Bhopal.

Naveen went through two months of training with a special dialect coach from Bhopal where he was taught not only the accent but also important words.

"The role that I am donning in this series is something that I have never played earlier. It was something new and very different," Naveen said in a statement.

"From the talk and to the walk, this character needed a lot of prep. I was required to learn a certain type of dialect and learn a lot of local Bhopali words. But my Hindi base has always been strong so it helped," he added.

"Thinkistan...

Actress Patralekhaa, who features in the upcoming film "Badnaam Gali" alongside Divyendu Sharma, says the dull phase in her career has taught her not to live on someone's mercy and only sign up for films she is convinced with.

Patralekhaa of "Citylights" fame told Ians: "One of the most important lessons that I have learned from the tough phase of my career is that if I am not convinced, I won't play the character. I think for a performer, for an actor, the conviction is one of the most important elements and if I am not fully convinced, it shows in my performance.

"So from now on, everything I will do, I will do it with conviction. Also, I have stopped taking nonsense from people because we actors are here by choice and we cannot be on anybody's mercy... No one should make us feel insecure or vulnerable just...

Prolific Indian studio Balaji Telefilms has hired industry veteran Sunil Lulla as group chief executive. He succeeds another industry veteran Sameer Nair, who is now the CEO of production house Applause Entertainment.

Lulla brings with him some three decades of media industry experience, including heading the launches of MTV India and the Times Television Network, and stints at Saregama and Sony. His most recent role was chairman and managing director of leading advertising agency Grey Group India.

Founded in 1994, Balaji is headed by Ekta Kapoor, one of the pioneers of the Indian television production space. The company had revenues of $46 million in 2017. Its portfolio includes popular soaps “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, “Parichay” and “Naagin.” Balaji’s Ott arm ALTBalaji, which this week announced over 1 million paying subscribers, has several originals including “Gandi Baat,” “Haq Se,” and “Bose: Dead/Alive.”

“Balaji Telefilms has a great combination of engaging and compelling...

Rajkummar Rao looks image perfect of Bose, as he steps into web series...

Patralekha is all geared up to work again with filmmaker Hansal Mehta for a web series that features Rajkummar Rao as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. She will be portraying the role of an elitist Bengali. The actress says, “I am thrilled to be part of the project. Recently, I happened to discuss Bose with a friend, who wrote a book on him, and now I am doing a role in a show based on him,” further adding that, “I’m happier to do the show, as I am playing a Bengali”. The trio will work together for the first time after Citylights.

The actor is not only excited about working with Mehta again, but also Rajkummar. “Getting to work with Raj as a co-star is exciting. He brings in so much more to a scene, that it develops it into something else. I am looking forward to this collaboration.”

When...