After piling on eight kilos for Shakeela, Richa Chadha develops athletic frame for Panga
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 14, 2018)

After wrapping up the first schedule of Panga last week, Kangana Ranaut and Richa Chadha are training in kabaddi before the next stint in February. Besides picking up the sport, Chadha, who apparently plays a rising kabaddi player in the Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari-directed sports drama, has to gain muscle to attain the toned physique of an athlete. that is proving to be an uphill task for the actor who had recently piled on eight kilos for the Shakeela biopic.

“My body is complaining because of the extremities I have put it through. I had to gain weight for Shakeela, and now, I have to lose it,” begins Chadha, whose daily schedule now includes kabaddi sessions and intense workouts. “I have been training at two different fitness centres — while one includes functional training to gain muscle, the other regimen is to build strength. It is challenging when you’re working on a film where you’re required to undergo a physical transformation. But as an actor, one has to be a shape-shifter.”

Naturally, the physical transformation also entails dietary modifications. “I have upped my protein intake. I am vegan, so my diet can’t include tofu.”

On the kabaddi court, the film’s team is training with national level players that reportedly include Gauri Wadekar and Vishwas More. “It has been amazing to work with professional players. I used to play the sport back in school, which has come in handy. Ashwiny is thorough, and makes us want to put in that extra effort to look convincing as athletes.”