When Rajkummar Rao recently walked the red carpet in Mumbai, his appearance quickly became a talking point online.
His fuller face and more mature look led many to wonder if he was preparing to play former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.
Social media was flooded with guesses. Some even assumed the much-discussed Ganguly biopic had already begun.
But that wasn’t the case.
The real reason behind the transformation
Rao has now confirmed that the change was actually for a biopic on noted public prosecutor and politician Ujjwal Nikam.
He addressed the speculation after attending the ‘Bolti Khidkiyaan’ Short Film Festival hosted by casting director Mukesh Chhabra. His look at the event led to intense discussion, and even some trolling.
Taking to social media, Rao explained that he had gained weight specifically for the role. He shared that he prefers achieving a character’s look through physical effort rather than relying on prosthetics.
“My being is through my art”
The actor wrote that he had just finished shooting for the biopic titled Nikam and that the role required him to change physically.
He revealed he gained around 9–10 kilos for the film. His diet included pizzas, sweets, aloo parathas and biryani and he avoided looking “glam” in order to stay true to the character.
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Rao also reflected on past roles where he underwent major transformations. He mentioned shaving part of his head for Bose: Dead/Alive, drastic weight changes for Trapped, and staying in character even off camera while working on Srikanth.
For him, these changes are part of the craft.
What’s next for Rao?
Now that shooting for Nikam is complete, Rao says he is entering a “transition phase” to shed the extra kilos and prepare for the Ganguly biopic, where he will portray the former cricket captain, fondly known as Dada.
Apart from these two projects, Rao is also set to appear in the Netflix original film Toaster. Release dates for the Nikam and Ganguly biopics have not been officially announced yet.
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