GUNS AND ROSES: LOVE, SEX AND VIOLENCE (2015): After last year's surprise hit, The Xpose, Himesh Reshammiya went underground and didn't show up even at award shows despite being nominated for his Kick score. The reason: He was getting into character to play Raghu, a tattooed Mumbai gangster who sets out to Ireland and Greece to rescue his lost love. The film will roll in August and is being directed by Ravi Rai, brother of Raanjhanaa director Aanand L Rai. "I've been in the gym with my trainer six days a week, 90 minutes a day. I don't eat after 8.30 pm and no carbs after 4 pm. My diet includes grilled chicken, eggs, protein shakes, but no steroids. I've gained five kgs in pure muscle," he says. Get set for Rowdy Reshamiyya.

THE XPOSE (2014): Dhokla, fafda and gajar ka halwa went out of his diet as Himesh spent six months getting in shape to play '60s superstar Ravi Varma, shedding 20 kgs along the way. "It taught me the importance of getting 'into character' and gave me the confidence to experiment with the role of a gangster," he says.

AAP KA SURROOR (2007): The podgy Gujju bhai with the nasal twang, inspired by the success of the album, turned actor. "I was an amateur then, today I am more experienced. The cap became a sensation," he recalls.

KARZZZZ (2008): The topi was quickly abandoned following a hair transplant. "I experimented with long hair for the first time in the Karz remake but the film didn't work," he sighs. However, he kept the tresses in Radio (2009) in which he played a popular RJ going through a marital crisis. "But the reactions to my hair weren't too encouraging so I decided to do away with the look forever."

DAMADAMM (2011): This film arrived with Shah Rukh Khan's superhero flick, RA.One, with Himesh playing the average Joe. "I didn't have to work too hard on the look but I was conscious not to put on any weight," he points out.