To play the role of an ancient warrior, Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor really decided to get into character. For his upcoming movie Veeram, the 39-year-old star burned off his pot belly, and lifted his way to an impressively jacked physique.
Just like fellow Bollywood actor Aamir Khan—who went through a stunning body transformation of his own—Kapoor’s character has two different looks in the movie, meaning he had to first gain 25 pounds before dropping the weight and getting shredded.
“I was training like a beast for almost six months,” Kapoor said, according to Yahoo News. “I have always been fit, but this is the fittest and most muscular I have ever been. I play a warrior in the film and I wanted to make sure I felt and looked like one.”
The actor shared a look at his journey on social media and commented that “232 protein shakes” helped him through the transformation:
Veeram, which was partly adapted from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, “is based on the ballads of North Malabar and narrates the tale of the brave and ambitious Kalarippayattu warrior, Chandu,” according to IMDB. The film was released in India in February. Kapoor, meanwhile, is already hard at work on his next film, Raagdesh, which is based on the Red Fort Trials of 1945.
There’s no word yet on whether Kapoor will need another major body transformation, but if he does, he’ll be well prepared for it.
Kapoor shared some of his training and his transformation journey on Instagram:
