These B Town actors have no qualms

Male actors nowadays don't shy away from pushing themselves physically lose a few kilograms here and gain some there in order to justify a role, says Shakti Shetty

Dedication is one thing and determination, another. And not many actors are able to employ both in their craft. Tom Hanks is definitely one of them. For his Oscar-nominated role in Cast Away, he gained several pounds to look like `an average American` and then promptly lost 25 kilograms to resemble a guy who'd make the film's title more convincing.


Even Christian Bale accomplished something similar for The Machinist. In fact, he set the world record by shedding nearly 28 kg in order to fit the insomniac character he portrayed. Michael Fassbender followed suit with his Irish rebel who refused to eat and went on a strike in Hunger. That's not it. Some gained weight as well. Russell Crowe turned pudgy with a raise of 29 kg in Body of Lies. At a relatively lower range, George Clooney put on 16 kg for Syriana while Matt Damon piled on 14 kg for The Informant. Hollywood is filled with such actors willing to push themselves to the extreme simply to upgrade a role. Well, they have company now.

Bollywood actors nowadays not only prefer growing their own moustache or beard but also are quite open to the idea of experimenting with their body types. However, apart from Vidya Balan, not a lot can be said about the present actresses since they seldom let the weighing scale wander. Coming back to the male actors, it's a pleasant change from how things used to be not very long ago.

In the second half of the 20th century when Hindi film industry blossomed, it was a rarity to witness a shirtless actor. Even in a movie. And then Dharmendra walked along in Phool Aur Patthar (1966) to show us how it's done. But then he had the physique to go with. Not many of his contemporaries could claim so. Small surprise why actors remained covered while their voluptuous female counterparts kept pushing the sartorial boundaries. Method acting understandably wasn't in vogue. As a result, the concept of losing or gaining weight remained pretty much alien to Hindi cinema. But that was then.

Recently, Ranveer Singh bulked up for his part in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela. The actor, who gained some pounds for his last release Lootera, trained for months on end to ascertain his ripped muscles and six-pack abs are prominently displayed in it. Aamir Khan's physique in the trailer of his upcoming heist movie Dhoom 3 is a far cry from the chubby Rancho of 3 Idiots. Hrithik Roshan went through a strict regimen to build the kind of body his team thought would suit a superhero in Krrish 3. Farhan Akhtar's features in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag overshadowed the lanky Milkha Singh of his youth - by miles, to be precise - for a certain amount of cinematic impact. But who's complaining?