Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 17, 2017)

His acting prowess aside, Rajkummar Rao has a knack for wowing the audience with his physical transformation. After putting on 13 kilos and shaving his head for his web series on Subhas Chandra Bose, the actor has now lost 10 kilos in a month’s time for his upcoming film, Fanney Khan, which sees him opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

“I always knew I would have to lose the excess weight post the show,” says Rao, who promptly followed a strict diet and adopted a strenuous workout regimen once the shoot was wrapped up in early September.

The hard work paid off — Rao looked relatively lighter during the promotions of Newton in mid-September. However, the road to his lean physique was not an easy one. The actor admits that he has “stopped having breakfast or lunch.” “I directly have dinner, which is essentially a meal high on proteins. Since I am constantly working, the hunger pangs don’t hit me as hard. As far as my workout is concerned, I am doing cardio and muscle training for at least three hours every day.”

Almost back to his old physique, Rao rues that it will be a no-binge Diwali for him. “It’s going to be one tough week for me. I have no option but to hold myself back. Being fit has always been my mantra.”