MUMBAI: Actor Rishabh Sawhney, who will be seen playing villain in the Hrithik Roshan-starrer ‘Fighter’, did all it takes for his transformation for the upcoming film.
Talking about his transformation, Rishabh said: “It was a very exciting, excruciating and fulfilling journey for me. This was the first time I could actually put on muscle for a role. Coming from a bodybuilding background, I knew this was something that will play in my favour and I’d been waiting to get a chance to gain muscle and grow big.”
“I have been working out consistently for 8-9 years now and it’s been my lifesaver.”
‘Fighter’ serves as Rishabh’s dream Bollywood debut. Before this, he was a part of Nikkhil Advani’s 'The Empire', which marked his OTT debut.
Quoting Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rishabh added: “He had said this ‘First I made my body and then my body made me’ and this line has been stuck in my head since I read it. I’ve had injuries in my shoulder and ankle because of heavy lifting but it never stopped me and it all paid off when I bagged this role.”
“Being a model, I had to stay lean pretty much all the time and I wouldn’t get to experiment much in terms of physique, but with 'Fighter', I got to do that.”
Rishabh reveals that when he met director Siddharth Anand, he weighed 69 kgs and was told to put on size for the film. By the time they started shooting, he was at 78-79 kgs in a span of 5 months.
“For 'Fighter', I worked with my fitness trainer Harshad Kate. He planned some really effective workouts for me which I did consistently and vigorously. Dr Kanishka Jain and Ashim Matthan at Rhinomight came on board as my health consultants who prepared an extensive diet plan for me. Both of these were key to my transformation as they gave me the optimum approach to go about it.
“I had quit alcohol about 4 years back in order to help my fitness even more but for this particular role, I even had to quit sweets which was the most difficult thing for me to do. I also had to increase my diet by a huge margin.”
“I was eating about 6-7 meals a day which were rich in carbs and protein. My routine also included regular deep tissue massages and ice baths for recovery, ” the actor shares.
When you are facing someone like Hrithik Roshan, it’s impossible not to be swayed by him. And seeing HR’s transformation, even Rishabh was inspired.
He insists, “Hrithik is a legend in the industry in terms of fitness, transformations and his physique. I couldn’t see much of his transformation in front of me but his physique in the song 'Ishq Jaisa Kuch' clearly shows why he is called the Greek God.
“His dedication and resilience have always inspired me. Despite multiple injuries he has always bounced back with a never-give-up warrior attitude and that has always made me want to work harder and be better.”