We have seen his acting prowess; from Masaan to Chhaava, Vicky Kaushal has proved his versatility portraying each and every character to perfection. However, it’s not just about what we see on the screen as the final result but most importantly, about what goes behind the scenes, in the making of the character. Kaushal, for one, is an actor who doesn’t like leaving any loopholes and perhaps that’s what sets him apart from his contemporaries. 

For his upcoming release, Chhaava–a period drama that depicts the story of courageous Maratha ruler, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in 1681, Kaushal has gone through rigorous training to make the portrayal look as authentic as possible. In one of his interviews during media promotions, Kaushal mentioned that it took him six to seven months to prepare for the character before starting the shoot. 

The preparation included learning horse riding and sword fighting, and intense physical transformation to look like his character. The actor had to gain 25 kgs and go from 80 kgs to 105 kgs to look broad and bulked up like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Kaushal calls the preparation not just physical but also mental. He went through rigorous action training and bodybuilding to build a specific physique. No wonder the actor calls it the most challenging transformation of his career.  

Throwing back to his prep days, the actor took to his social media to post a series of pictures and videos that show how he prepped and embodied the look of the character. He can be seen hitting the gym, lifting weights to build the muscle weight, and doing shoulder presses for broader and more defined shoulder muscles. He has also shared BTS images that he constantly did cycling at the gym to keep the body all fired up for the intense workout sessions. He also posted about taking an ice bath and using a roller to soothe the sore muscles, all together contributing to the building of his body for Chhaava. 

When it comes to substantial weight gain like this, it has to be closely monitored as it can lead to other health issues otherwise. It has to be a balanced mix of nutritional diet (food not high in sugar and salt content), exercise (weight training, yoga, cardio and recovery to boost metabolism) and lifestyle changes (adequate sleep, stress management).  

Apart from the physical transformation, the actor also went through a series of changes in his appearance–from growing his hair, caveman beard to getting his ears pierced, the actor changed his appearance completely to look like the courageous Maratha ruler.