Jaideep Ahlawat on physical transformation for Maharaj: It was painful
Actor Jaideep Ahlawat surprised everyone with his drastic physical transformation for the role of Jadunath Maharaj, a powerful nobleman in pre-Independence.
India who preys on the weak and subjugated, in the Netflix movie Maharaj. Now, while talking to Puja Talwar, he revealed that undergoing the process was not an easy journey.
On shedding the weight
For the role, he lost close to 26 kgs in just five months. In the interview, Jaideep looked back, and shared, “The body transformation was physically very challenging. I was not working out for almost a year, after the lockdown, I was very heavy. It was difficult and painful. Thanks to Prajwal Sir, my trainer, director Sidharth P Malhotra and everybody who believed that I could do that.”
In fact, getting the fitness level right was not the only challenging aspect. Another was getting his thinking right.
“This man thinks very differently. He feels everyone is petty in front of him. He has this belief. He doesn’t get angry on petty things. It was challenging because I had to convince myself to understand that man’s thought process, and whatever he is doing… I had to believe it and make it convincing for myself first and then make it convincing for the audience. I could do it thanks to my director, my writer and my costume designer,” he added.
Sometime back, Jaideep took to Instagram to share a bunch of pictures from his Maharaj shoot days. He showed how he lost close to 26 kgs for the role in just five months. “From 109.7 Kg. to 83 Kg. in 5 month. That’s the Physical Transformation for the Role of Maharaj. Thank you Prajwal Sir for believing in me @prajwal7542,” Jaideep wrote in his post. The post included before and after pictures of Jaideep. He has a big belly in the picture from five months ago, replaced by a toned upper body and arms in the latest pictures.
About the project
Directed by Sidharth and produced by YRF Entertainment, Maharaj features Junaid Khan, in his debut role, alongside Jaideep and Shalini Pandey, with a special appearance by Sharvari. The film is based on true events from pre-independence India and highlights the courage of Karsandas Mulji, a social reformer who challenged the status quo in a landmark legal battle. It released on Netflix.