Yo-yoing on the scale

The actor’s lean look in Meenakshi Sundareshwar

Abhimanyu Dassani is gearing up for the release of Nikamma, which went on floors in early 2020. Sabbir Khan's directorial offering, also starring Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Shirley Setia, required Dassani to pile on 10 kilos to sport a muscular look. The actor remembers beginning his physical prep for the actioner in late 2019. "I had to put on a lot of weight, but at the same time, I had to sport a chiselled look. In 2019, I trained in Krav Maga in Turkey and learnt hand-to-hand combat for the film. I had to look the part of a ‘nikamma'. My hair had to be [messy], almost an out-of-bed look," says Dassani.

His toned avatar

The weight gain was aided by a strict diet plan. The actor banked on a five-meal plan, comprising wholesome home-made food. "For lunch and dinner, I had two bowls of protein, mostly chicken, with a bowl of green vegetables and some brown rice. I complemented this with a stipulated water intake, and hitting the gym."

Dassani had a bigger challenge after a chunk of the movie was shot. The actor was expected to shed the extra kilos soon, as he was to begin filming Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021), which required him to adopt a lean guy-next-door look. He remembers, "I had to lose all the weight for Meenakshi Sundareshwar. [After the film was shot], I had to regain the [extra] weight for Nikamma because we had a few days' shoot and a song sequence left."