[tps_footer]Come 2014, Bollywood stars will go the Hollywood way. Heroes and heroines of all shapes and sizes, will put in blood, sweat and tears, in order to transform their bodies for a role or two.
Much like Hollywood, this trend of not merely playing the part, but looking the part, has been around in Bollywood for years now. Down the years, we’ve seen heroes beef up, or skinny down, in order to suit the role they are given.
The trend probably took off in a big, big way, way back in 2007 when the trailblazing Baadshah Khan aka Shah Rukh Khan piled on a six pack, for his role in Om Shanti Om. Shah Rukh set the bar extremely high, and many followed suit.
Transformation Chameleon Aamir Khan followed it up in 2008, when he went a step further, and beefed up considerably for his action flick, Ghajini. Aamir worked out like an insane person, to fashion himself eight pack abs, a term unheard of in Bollywood before that.
Aamir, of course, has been no stranger to transforming his body for a film- case in point was the mustachioed, long-hair look he sported for Mangal Pandey, the clean-shaven, funky collegian look in 3 Idiots, the rustic look in Lagaan (where also he sported a touch body), the yuppie goatie of Dil Chahta Hai– the list is endless. And the special thing Aamir does is he doesn’t use any prosthetics or wigs or body suits; he actually transforms his body every single time.
Farhan Akhtar too is one such hero, who has consistently changed his look in every film. The most awe-inspiring body transformation of 2013 belonged to Farhan, who literally transmuted his body to play the part of legendary athlete Milkha Singh. Farhan beefed up like never before, trained like an athlete, changed his entire diet and fitness regime, altered his sleep and work patterns, just to be able to convincingly pull off the part.
Farhan has been no stranger to such transformations. In the past, he has changed his look, a la Aamir Khan, for several of his films. While in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, he was the curly haired, thirty-something poet, in Luck By Chance, he played the short-haired, clean-shaven aspiring actor. But his 2013 transformation and transfiguration was the most drastic and praiseworthy of all.
Ranveer Singh too can be credited with having an equally jaw-dropping transformation, last year. The usually clean-shaven, lean actor (think: Ranveer as the sensitive, namby-pamby looking thief in Lootera) put on some serious muscle, and a lot of hair for Ram Leela. Ranveer grew a scraggly beard, and maintained a long crop throughout filming.
Actresses like Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Vidya Balan too have yo-yoed with their bodies, to suit a particular role. Priyanka and Katrina toughened up completely, and learnt martial arts, for Don, Don 2 and Dhoom 3 respectively. Katrina went a step further and learnt the ancient art of rope malkhamb and trapeze for a song in Dhoom 3. Meanwhile, a drastic transformation, if there ever was any, goes to Ms. Balan, of The Dirty Picture fame. Vidya shed oodle of weight, and metamorphosed into the body of Silk Smitha.
Like their counterparts, Bollywood’s newbies will also be changing their bodies, for their upcoming films. Parineeti Chopra’s new look, and weight loss for Hasee Toh Phasee, has already garnered her much appreciation. Ranbir Kapoor, as we have been reporting time and again, will be a changed man physically for Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet. He is to play the role of a street fighter, so naturally a little muscle over his lean body will go a long way.
Priyanka Chopra too has been hard at work, training incessantly, to look the part of an Olympic medal-winning boxer, in the Mary Kom biopic. Will she be India’s answer to Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby? Only time will tell.[/tps_footer]
