Biryani for the boss

What's cooking on the sets of Endhiran? A peek into Rajnikanth's lunch box is startling

What's cooking on the sets of Endhiran? A peek into Rajnikanth's lunch box is startling

Guess what Rajnikanth, the health conscious and super fit superstar, is tucking into these days? Ambur biryani is his preferred choice for lunch and brunch.

This deliciously flavoured and calorie-rich biryani is the quickest way to pile on the kilos but Rajni is happy to indulge all for the sake for a film.

Director Shankar needed Rajnikant to put on 18-20 kilos for Endhiran, so Rajni, a vocal advocate of the low carb diet, is now on a binge. It helps that the crew is shooting near Vellore because it gives the production manages easy access to the rich biryani that the cooks in Ambur rustle up round-the-clock. It's not unusual to spot a line of fancy cars parked in front of modest hotels in the town of Ambur, waiting to take away the ambrosia for their box office deity.

Rajnikanth, who isu00a0 fanatical about fitness, has never before experimented with his weight unlike his counterpart Kamal Hassan, who loses and gains the kilos whenever the script demands. But Endhiran is a special film and Shankar a special director, so the super star seems to have made some concessions. We wonder what his family physician thinks of his new diet plan.

While Rajni gets busy with his biryani, HiT LiST does a quick round up of heroes and their weighty issues.

Atul Kulkarni
In Delhi 6, Atul plays Gobar, a happy go lucky fella whose glowing looks and gelled hair make a style statement in Chandni Chowk!u00a0 He was given two months to put on 10 kilos, so all he did was eat and eat u2014 potatoes, almonds and egg whites being his favourite foods. The carbs also came from a diet of bananas, honey, ice cream and dry fruit laddoos. In fact, he even set his alarm clock so that he could wake up and gorge every few hours!

Kamal Haasan
In Alavandan, Kamal plays the role of Nandhu, a woman-hater whose traumatic childhood makes him a complexed loner. Knowing Kamal, he not only put on weight but also shaved his head to look "different".

Madhavan
In Ayutha Ezhuthu, Madhavan plays Inba, a toughie who rides roughshod over everyone, including his wife. To look the part, the star had to pile on the kilos.

Abhishek Bachchan
In Guru, Abhishek goes from young, hungry and ambitious to canny, confident and prosperous. The paunch and the double chin didn't come easy. It took weeks of laborious eating to go from Guru to Guru bhai, but the effort paid off and won him not only Mani Ratnam's praise but critical acclaim as well.u00a0 Currently, AB Junior is looking lean and mean. He's said to have dropped 14 kilos, again at Mani's behest, for his role in Ravan.