‘Touchwood, role preps have not harmed my body’

Rajkummar Rao has had an impressive 2017 with awards and accolades coming his way. The actor now has two projects to be released in 2018. He’s someone known for going the extra mile to get into the skin of his character — shedding or gaining weight, shaving his head, or opting for heavy-duty prosthetics. “Touchwood, nothing has harmed my body,” he says.

The fact that Rajkummar has always been into sport and fitness helped him adapt to the many changes. “Since I was into sport, my muscles are trained. I can play with my body, up to a limit. I love changing my look for different characters,” he says.

The actor is able to dive into these body transformations because he does one film at a time — one film’s look doesn’t interfere with the others. “I’m living a part, trying to get into the psyche of a character and adapting that part in my daily life. So, I can’t have two people living in my body,” he says. “I shaved my head half for a role (that of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose), so there was no way I could do any other role at that time. There are no rules to acting. To each, their own.”

Which is that one role that has impacted his personality? “I think Shahid (2012) has given me a different kind of confidence,” says the actor. “It was a tough part, but the faith Hansal (Mehta; filmmaker) sir had in me, and the way people resonated with the character was good. Shahid transformed me as an actor and human being. That’s the fun of being an actor — that you grow so much at a personal level.”

Since I was into sport, my muscles are trained. I can play with my body, up to a limit. I love changing my look RAJKUMMAR RAO ACTOR