Jaideep Ahlawat Opens Up About His 'Painful' Physical Transformation For Maharaj: It Was Challenging

Jaideep Ahlawat recently made the headlines after sharing about his drastic physical transformation for the role of Jadunath Maharaj in Maharaj. The actor had shared a set of photos on his social media handle sharing that he shed 26 kgs to fit into the character. Now, opening up about the same in a recent interview, the actor said that it was not an easy journey.

The transformation was physically very challenging: Jaideep Ahlwat

In an interview with Puja Talwar, Jaideep reflects on his journey from 109.7 kg to 83 kg in just 5 months. He shared that the body transformation was "physically very challenging". He didn't work out for almost a year during lockdown and by the end of the pandemic, he was "very heavy".  "It was difficult and painful. Thanks to Prajwal Sir, my trainer, director Sidharth P Malhotra and everybody who believed that I could do that," the actor added.

He shared that getting into the shape was not the only challenging aspect. Another thing was thinking right. He said his character thinks very differently, never gets angry and feels everyone is petty in front of him. So it was quite challenging for him to convince himself to understand his character's thought process. "I had to believe it and make it convincing for myself first and then make it convincing for the audience. I could do it thanks to my director, my writer and my costume designer,” he concluded.

What do his industry friends have to say about his transformation?

Soon after he dropped the post, his industry friends and fans lauded the actor for his dedication. Siddharth wrote, "Amazing bhai." Comedian Zakir Khan wrote, "Bhai bhai bhai". Prajwal commented, "You are an inspiration". Neil Nitin Mukesh and Indraneil Sengupta dropped fire and clapping hands emoticons. Siddharth P. Malhotra, the director of Maharaj, also took to the comments section and wrote, “Bhai the dedication and devotion you have put and given to this role and character can’t be put in words! Always indebted to you (heart emoticons).”

What do we know about Maharaj?

Co-starring Junaid Khan, the historical drama Maharaj is based on one of the greatest legal battles in Indian history - the 1862 Maharaj Libel Case. Based on a true event that took place in 1862, pre-independence India, the movie follows the journey of India's social reformer, Karsandas Mulji. This David vs. Goliath story showcases one man's courage to stand against the injustices of his time.