Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; October 10, 2017)

With his Bollywood outings edging on romance and biographies, Sushant Singh Rajput has infrequently given his fans a glimpse into his physical prowess. Now, Rajput’s Instagram posts boast of an enhanced fitness level, which makes reports of him losing seven kilos for his next baffling.

Singh recently jetted off to Israel to film a song for Tarun Mansukhani’s Drive, also starring Jacqueline Fernandez. The actor plays a racer. Singh was put on a strict diet to “get into shape” for his part, a source tells mid-day. “Given his previous commitments, Sushant had little time to prepare for this song until he arrived in Israel. He had to sport a lean look, and lose seven kilos within three months. His trainer, Yeshu Talari, travelled with him so that his fitness regimen was on track. He also put him on a ketogenic diet for 15 days.”

Highlighting the principles of the diet, Talari says, “Keto is a diet high on protein and fat, and devoid of carbs. The reduction in carbs puts the body into a metabolic state, called ketosis. We followed this regimen for a fortnight, and subsequently switched Sushant to a low carb diet. He consumed protein every three hours.”

A typical day for the actor commenced with an hour of cardiovascular training, before he began shooting for the rest of the day. Given that racers can lose as much as three kilos in a single race, the shriveled look was essential for the part. “We conducted a mix of functional training, CrossFit, weight training and TRX [ Total Resistance eXercises],” Talari said.