Weighty issues

Ranvir Shorey joins the gang of many actors who have pushed their bodies to the hilt by putting on weight because their role demanded it. Ranvir had to gain 15 kilos to fit into the role of a fat, bullied man in his forthcoming movie Fatso. But the side effects were disastrous as his blood pressure shot up and he got bouts of acidity and heart burn.

“My body went through hell. First, I had to put on 15 kilos and become fat. I went on hogging and cut down on my exercises but I was in touch with my doctors — my nutritionist and physiotherapist — who guided me through the process of putting on and losing weight. They told me what to eat and how to exercise so that I cause minimum damage to my body but still the side effects were really bad,” Ranvir told us.

He adds: “I avoided deep fried food, ghee products and pastries. I had to gorge on foods like ice-cream, potatoes, rice and chocolates. I drank a lot of beer too. After I put on 15 kilos I felt very uneasy. My blood pressure shot up like anything and I became very acidic. I also got heart burn that made things even more uncomfortable.”

Ranvir also reveals that Fatso, which is travelling to the South Asian International Film Festival in New York, has been one of his most challenging films. “Due to the kind of thing I went through I would say that it was one of my most difficult films but one of my most enjoyable, too. I have lovely memories when I was fat and I don’t think as an actor I will get to go through this experience again. For my resume it’s a great movie to add,” he says.

The actor ends by revealing a little on the plot: “The movie is about undying love and about love between five friends. I happen to be the fat one but me being fat is not the core of the movie. It’s about undying love.”