Shahid Kapoor and Samir Jaura on building up and breaking down the actor's body for Kabir Singh
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; June 12, 2019)

For an actor who is admittedly particular about being in shape, Shahid Kapoor is surprisingly unperturbed about being undone on screen for Kabir Singh. "It's always character before your personal life," he says before chronicling the process of first gaining eight kilos, and then losing 14, for the film.



For The Weight Gain Portion

What Shahid wanted
The team decided to first shoot the portions that saw me out of shape. The character goes through an emotional phase; he is self-destructive and doesn't care about how he looks. Actors are used to [looking] their best, at all times. But, here, I had to look as disinterested as I could about the way I appeared. Hence, we took the decision to grow the hair and beard. They took about two-and-a-half months to grow out, and during this phase I worked with my trainer Samir Jaura on drafting a plan and achieving the [hefty] look. If you sit down and make a plan, there's a smart way of [gaining weight].

How Jaura helped him

Shahid wanted his body to be de-constructed to play an [alcoholic] surgeon. We wanted the puffiness on his face and the softness in his body to make it as real as possible. So, we limited his training to one hour a day. We incorporated light weight training and focused on keeping his joints mobile because we knew that post this, he would have to get into a strenuous workout regimen to lose 14 kilos. So we didn't want to invite any injury at that time. His diet helped him achieve the [heavier] look. If his body needed 2,000 calories, I was giving him 3,600-4,000 calories a day. He had a lot of dense-calorie foods, involving rice and pastas.

Weight to gain 8 kilos
Calories 4,000



For The Weight Loss Portion

What Shahid wanted
I wanted to look boyish for the younger portions to play a medical student. I didn't want a perfect body; one that was manicured or chiselled because that's not how college-going boys look. Seventy-five per cent of what you eat depends on your diet. I don't drink alcohol and am a vegetarian. Generally, I live a healthy lifestyle. To lose weight, I needed to severely cut the calories I consumed, and train harder. Even though we were training, the look was achieved more via the diet; not so much in the gym. We had two months to lose the weight. I didn't want to rush into anything since that is not healthy.

How Jaura helped him
Since he wanted a boyish look, we incorporated a lot of boot-camp training, beach training and agility work into his routine. He was training for three hours a day, and it was primarily cardiovascular work to [shave off] the fat. He was consuming four to five meals a day, and the calories were limited to 1,800. Transformations like these are conducted under professional guidance. You need to understand the requirement of the look in the film, and the time in hand to achieve it. The hardest part is maintaining a certain look across the shooting schedule because actors [expend a lot of energy while] shoot for 10 hours a day.

Weight to lose 14 kilos
Calories 1,800

Pooja Makhija On His Diet

Shahid has always given exercise a lot of importance, which makes a transformation of this kind relatively simpler because he is dedicated. If I give him an eating pattern, he will not tweak it to the slightest, even if that means eating the same food for 30 days. A vegetarian diet allows enough scope to adjust the protein and carbohydrate ratio. But, it may not be easy to comfortably include all the protein that's required into the diet. So, we had to also include protein extracts from plant sources. I worked with his trainer to adjust his carbohydrate and protein ratio based on the energy expenditure (including workout intensity) for that day. Carbohydrates are energy sources, and were upped when needed.

18% Kapoor's body fat percentage when he was overweight
9% his normal body fat percentage
(The average body fat % for a relatively healthy man is between 15 and 19%)

Shahid Kapoor on playing a self-destructive leading man
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2019)

Shahid Kapoor has been immersed in Kabir Singh, the Hindi remake of the 2017 Telugu drama, Arjun Reddy, which chronicles the downfall and resurgence of its protagonist, a surgeon who hits the self-destruct button. Now, the actor discusses what made the process creatively exciting but emotionally draining. Excerpts:

How challenging was it to transform from an angry Kabir Singh to a happy family man?
It was almost schizophrenic because the two worlds are such contrasts. Had I been single, living alone, I might have immersed myself in this dark zone for six months, like I did during Udta Punjab. But this time I am married, a father, so I had to sanitize myself before returning home to protect my children from the negative energy. I couldn’t carry Kabir’s emotional baggage back so I had to flip roles after ‘pack-up’.

Difficult?
Yes, it took a lot out of me because not only does this character degenerate into a loner in a self-destructive mode, I had to also create three different silhouettes, one of which needed me to be out of shape. That upped the physical challenge but also needed mental conditioning because as actors we are used to showcasing ourselves in our best shape. Here, I wanted to look my worst for an honest portrayal.

How many kilos did you gain?
My normal weight is around 71-72 kg, I had to go up to 76-77 kg, a lot of it fat, and look destroyed. There are scenes when I’m alone in the house, drinking, in shorts or pajamas, bare-chested. It’s not a pleasant sight but the character demanded that I not be a star but step into actor mode. And since I’m an actor first, I was excited.

But you got to eat stuff which is usually taboo for an actor...
There was nothing enjoyable about it. My fitness trainer Samir Jaura who helped me acquire a Rajput warrior king’s body for Padmaavat was shocked when I told him now he had to help me look as out of shape as possible. It hurt to see all our hard work go waste after, and there was this niggling fear... what if I never looked that way again. But having seen the original, and Vijay’s performance, I knew we had to keep it real. I’d shaved off my hair before (for Haider), this time I grew it out and also my beard.

Yeah, you looked somewhat disheveled for a while…
That’s because at that point in his life, my character wouldn’t bother to look into the mirror. Usually doctors are very particular about hygiene, but this guy’s personal space was so messed up, it was eating into him and reflected in his work. I didn’t only have to look like an alcoholic, but an alcoholic doctor.

Not all through the film...
No, Kabir starts out as a 24-25-year-old medical student who’s about to graduate and start practicing. During that phase I had to look like a young boy. I either pulled out clothes from my wardrobe or pulled them off real students. And after going up to 76-77 kgs, I had to go lose weight till I was down to 65 kgs. I had to keep to strict timelines since I had just two-three months to prep.

This yo-yoing from lean to fat and back could go against you in the future.
(Sighs) As an actor, my job is to push myself, I can’t stay in one zone for too long. I’m aware there could be health implications. The only way out is to surround myself with the right people, give myself some downtime after I finish a film. Not be at it back-to-back and be brazen about it.

You don’t drink or smoke, are a strict vegetarian and disciplined in your lifestyle. So how is it playing characters like Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab and Kabir Singh whose lives spiral out of control?
I never judge a character I am playing, I become him. Tommy was a crazy guy, the drugs had messed him up, but Kabir loves intensely and passionately. People need to feel the beauty of his love story to understand his angst and pain when he loses this love and hits the self-destruct button. We all go through heartbreaks and can get self-destructive, but this is another level altogether.

Why is the film called Kabir Singh when the original was titled Arjun Reddy?
Singh because my character is a Punjabi here. The director, Sandeep Vanga, came up with the name Kabir Singh which we thought was apt for the new draft. This guy lives in Mumbai but goes to the capital city to study. Since I was born and lived in Delhi, I’ve seen such strong-minded Alpha males on the campus and could understand that aggressive vibe.

What drew you to the original?
I liked the character’s emotional graph. It’s cinematic, appealing and gives me scope to perform.

Aren’t you afraid of comparisons?
This film is primarily for a Hindi speaking audience across the country who wouldn’t have seen Arjun Reddy. But I know it’s a cult film down South and some of those who have seen it may come to see our film with high expectations and hopefully an open mind because this is not a copy paste job. Yes, the director is the same because no one understands its soul better. But our version is very different.

Marriage seems to have made you more of a risk-taking actor.
Marriage grounds you, gives you a sense of belonging. You want to do things that will make your family proud. As a father I have to be the best version of myself as my work is being documented. It will be there for my kids to see, give them an understanding of who their father was and what he did. You can’t tell children what to do today, you can just set a good example and let them take away from it what they want.

Talking of children, after being in dark spaces, what is it like to wake up to purity every day?
It comes with its own challenges. After long days or night shifts, I return home longing for sleep. But my daughter Misha will wake me up between 7.30-8 am every morning and drag me to the garden. I have to play with her, tell her stories. And it’s imperative that I give my children as much time as I give to my work. It’s tiring and a constant adjustment. My wife (Mira) is supportive but there are days when I wish for eight hours more. Your ‘me’ time is impacted but it’s gratifying to get a shot of positivity every morning. Misha is a little lady now, Zain is still a baby, but with a daughter and a son it feels like a perfect family.

Did you imagine marriage and fatherhood to be like this?
No, I never thought I deserved something so good. God has been kind.

You’re a biking enthusiast and now there’s an action-packed biking film. Also, a biopic on boxer Dingko Singh. It’s an interesting line-up.
I haven’t confirmed anything officially. Yes, I have the rights to Dingko Singh’s story, it is a work in progress. The biking film has been offered to me, and we are in talks. I’m not sure what I am doing next.

You were spotted with Ekta Kapoor recently, and also Abhishek Kapoor and his wife Pragya. Anything brewing?
Abhishek and Prayga are friends. His son and my daughter are in the same school and we meet socially. Ekta and I have worked together in Udta Punjab. We are always in talks, maybe something will come up again, but that is not to say that something is happening.

(From left): Shahid Kapoor, Samir Jaura, Harshvardhan Rane, Rohit Roy and Suved Lohia

Shahid on jetting off for day-long Panvel trip on Sunday with his band of biker boys, including Rohit Roy, Harshvardhan Rane
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; May 7, 2019)

It was a boys’ day out for Shahid Kapoor and select members of his biker gang, which took off for Lonavala’s Hilton Shillim over the weekend in the wee hours of Sunday. Kapoor, along with actors Rohit Roy, Harshvardhan Rane, Suved Lohia and trainer Samir Jaura, set off for one of his longest bike trips after taking part in similar endeavours on a weekly basis.

Kapoor says, “It is a fun one-day trip with the boys [that I participate in]. It’s like a ‘boy thing’. I love riding, and we have a group. So the experience is fun. We try to do it once in a week.” Roy states that the three-and-a-half hour trip to the resort commenced at 5.30 am. “We had a pit stop at [Lonavala’s] German Bakery since it was a long ride, and a 45-minute climb to the hill. We were to return on Sunday, but stayed back since we were enjoying it,” he says, adding that “intrinsic members” Kunal Kemmu and Arshad Warsi were missed. “We formed the group of 12 a couple of years ago, and have been riding ever since. It’s a mixed lot, comprising four to five actors, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and corporate professionals. Five of us came together to ride to this resort. Shahid is among the most [interesting] and spiritual members. We had great conversations during this ride.”

The Bike riders, as Roy says they call themselves, are particular about adhering to safety norms. “We ride with proper gear, including helmets, jackets, riding pants and gloves.”

Actor on carb-heavy diet to gain weight for Padmavati’s next schedule, reveals trainer
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 3, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor is a stickler for getting the perfect physicality for his characters in films, be it going bald for just one scene in Haider or the disheveled look for Udta Punjab.

The actor is set to do it again for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama, Padmavati. For the film’s last schedule, the actor shot for a few bare body scenes, which required him to look lean and flaunt a sculpted physique. But for the film’s next shooting stint, the actor will bulk up.

His trainer, Samir Jaura, tells us, “Since he plays the role of a king (Raja Rawal Ratan Singh), Shahid will have to put on a certain amount of weight to reflect the regal look and complement the majestic costumes. For starters, he will have to put on weight — at least 5 to 10 kilos, although the focus is on building muscles through rigorous strength training exercises. Earlier, I insisted on outdoor and functional training, but we have cut down on that now.”

Besides weight lifting and cardio sessions, the actor has to exercise individual body parts, says Jaura. “Every kind of muscle training is necessary to replicate the look we need. He has been sweating it out, and bulking up without an ounce of fat is a challenge.” Earlier, the actor had gone on a strict diet for 50 days, avoiding sugar and salt for nearly a fortnight and having little carbohydrate. His meals included steamed veggies along with 50 grams of brown rice.

But, his new diet is relatively more carb-heavy. “It was admirable how he didn’t touch bread for over a month. At that time, I had to make sure he eats his veggies — asparagus and broccoli — because he also had to sustain long hours of shoot. Now, he can have 70 grams of rice and/or three rotis. A major point of difference is that we have broken down his regular meals into six smaller ones. Since he is a vegetarian, we ensure he gets enough protein in the form of pulses, tofu and low-fat paneer. We try different combinations with black or brown rice. We alternate between black dal, rajma and chholay regularly,” adds Jaura.

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; February 21, 2014)

Fitness trainer Samir Jaura, who has earlier trained Farhan Akthar for his film, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', had been roped in to train Priyanka Chopra for her upcoming film based on Mary Kom's life. But now it has emerged that owing to invariable delays in the film's shooting schedule, Samir has quit midway.

Says a source, "Given that the film has PeeCee essaying the role of acclaimed boxer Mary Kom, fitness training is a must for the actress. It's a big blow to see Samir leave midway as shooting for the film is far from over."

It seems that Priyanka, who had earlier undergone rigorous training sessions for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela', had just started training under Samir and is now left with no trainer. When contacted, Samir confirmed the news

“Yes, I was training Priyanka for the Mary Kom film, and we also shot three-to-four fight sequences. But after that I didn't hear from the production house for almost five to six months, so I had to let go of the project. I had other clients to take care of," he says.

Samir is currently training Hrithik Roshan and Rani Mukerji for the films 'Bang Bang' and 'Mardaani' respectively. -- The actress's spokesperson was not available for comment.