From Nimrat Kaur to Taapsee Pannu, Bollywood actresses who underwent a dramatic transformation for films

We have often seen actors undergo intense physical transformation for their roles. Think Aamir Khan in ‘Dangal’ or Salman Khan in ‘Sultan’. Right now, though, it is the turn of the leading ladies in Bollywood to experiment.

Here's looking at Bollywood actresses who are building muscle, as well as gaining or losing weight for roles.

Bollywood actress Nimrat Kaur opened up about the transformation she went through to play the role of Bimla Devi “Bimmo” Chaudhary in recent movie ‘Dasvi’. She posted a before and after picture on Instagram along with a note about her emotions at gaining 15kg for the role. “In the age of heightened expectations regarding what we ‘should’ look like, at all times — gender, age and profession no bar, I’m sharing a small chapter from my life that brought with it learnings that shall last a lifetime,” she wrote. “This entire exercise taught me as a girl and an actor both, how non-negotiable it is for each of us simply mind our own business. Having completed the circle of this journey and back to physically being me, today in the truest sense I’ve learnt how not to let an outside perspective decide my relationship with me.”

Anushka Shetty also gaining 20kg for her movie ‘Size Zero’. It was reported that she struggled to lose the extra weight she had put on for the movie. But in February this year, lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho uploaded a set of photos in which Anushka looks visibly thinner and back to her normal size. The actress looked happy as both of them were photographed chilling on a beach.

Bhumi Pednekar was a model and unlike other actors, she had signed up for a role that demanded her to put on weight for her debut movie, ’Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ (2015), about an overweight newly-wed bride. She gained nearly 30 kilos for this film, where she played the part of an overweight housewife trying to earn the affection of her husband. Then, movie shoot, she lost 33 kilos in just under four months by regularly working out and eating homemade food.

While other actresses in Bollywood prefer a leaner physique, Priyanka Chopra went the opposite way and bulked up for her role as boxer Mary Kom in the eponymous biopic. In order to look more like the sportswoman, the actress underwent rigorous training and reportedly worked out for five hours every day. Priyanka was lauded for her efforts and the film went on to bag a National Award.

Taapsee Pannu Over the past year or so, Pannu has undergone a rigorous fitness regime to become an athlete in her upcoming film, ‘Rashmi Rocket’. She gained weight and the muscular built of an athlete over months. In one of her social media posts, Pannu had written: "The journey from 50 lbs (22.6 kilos) to 540 lbs (244.9 kilos)", to explain her drastic makeover. Directed by Akarsh Khurana, the sports-drama showcases the story of a girl named Rashmi, and her journey from a tiny village to athletic glory. The film will release sometime in 2021.

Kangana Ranaut The actor will be seen in the action spy thriller ‘Dhaakad’ and recently released a post of the film to reveal her first look in the project. By the first look, it is obvious that she has upped her fitness quotient to acquire a super-fit look for her role. Ranaut will don an uber action avatar in the violent spy thriller, set against the backdrop of international espionage. Besides ‘Dhaakad’, Ranaut also has ‘Thalaivi’ slated for release. She reportedly gained 20 kilos to play a phase in the life of late Tamil nadu politician-actress J. Jayalalithaa.

Tisca Chopra will soon be seen in a web series, ‘Fear’. While she has kept mum about the storyline, she has revealed that she has to lose a lot of weight to look her role. While talking to IANS, Chopra said: "It requires a lot of physical effort in terms of hardcore physical training and changes in diet. I need to have a very lean look in it."

Kriti Sanon has undergone drastic transformation for her upcoming film, Mimi. Sanon had announced a while back that she is gaining 15 kilos for her role. The film is about a girl who becomes a surrogate mother for a middle-aged couple. The actress revealed that she had to forcibly increase her diet intake in order to gain weight. “so I completely stopped working out, even yoga! I used to have poori-halwa-chana as breakfast and sweets after every meal. Though I enjoyed initially, later I had to force myself to eat as I had lost interest in food,” she said. During the lockdown in India, she lost 15kg but getting back to her normal eating and exercise habits.