DNA Exclusive! 'Haven't eaten roti for 3 years': Aayush Sharma on his physical transformation for 'Antim'

Taking the challenge of portraying an antagonist in his second film, actor Aayush Sharma has been making headlines for his phenomenal transformation ever since the first look of his character Rahuliyaa from the upcoming film 'Antim: The Final Truth' was released. The actor inhabited the nuances of a rooted character from the interiors of Maharashtra and brought Rahuliya, the Bhai of Pune to screen. 

And now, with the film all set to hit the theatres on November 26, Aayush Sharma is leaving no stone unturned in promoting the flick that has created an immense buzz amongst the audience owing to the drastic physical transformation of Aayush Sharma as the deadly, menacing gangster along with the much-awaited face-off sequences with his superstar brother-in-law Salman Khan, who plays a Sikh cop in the film.

Recently, we at DNA caught up with Aayush and spoke at length about his phenomenal transformation, him playing a negative character in his second film and more in an exclusive tete-a-tete. 

When asked about his transformation from the lean, guy-next-door in 'LoveYatri' to the bulked-up dreaded gangster in 'Antim: The Final Truth', Aayush told DNA, "It was 3 years of constant training and lots of eating. I had to eat a lot. I am a very lean guy. It's very difficult for me to put on weight. And when we decided that we are going to do this film, I realised I have to put on a lot of weight and muscles. I realised I have to look very big on-screen, like a believable gangster. The first year was about heavy lifting, deadlift, and squats, and bench press, and etc. In the second year, my trainer wanted me to train with professional body-building athletes because he wanted me to have the competitive spirit of training like them. And the third year, he started cutting me down, getting those packs." 

"Overall, I think what was irritating was the eating bit. I used to eat about 24 eggs a day, 400 grams of chicken, and 300 grams of rice which was bifurcated into six meals. And I think, I lost the taste even before the corona happened. I don’t remember what food used to taste like," he added. "Everything was in proportion. Water had to be measured. I couldn't really have a lot of sweets. I haven't eaten roti for three years," Aayush said. 

Talking about having any reservations he had prior to getting on board to essay a negative character in his second film, Aayush Sharma told DNA, "Initially, I felt it was a dark character. I remember, at one given point in time, my mother, when she got to know what I was working on, she had said 'I don't want to walk on the streets and hear people saying you are villain's mother'." But, I knew that this is the character that I require as an actor. I felt that it is very important for me to do this role because it will really open up my horizons as an actor."

Sharing about his learning g experiences playing the hero in his first film and the antagonist in his second, Aayush quipped, "As an actor, every scene that you do is a learning experience. Sometimes, we think that we might have done a great job that day after the shoot, but when you go back home or when you see the video, you are like 'this is not as good as we thought it is'. Somewhere, there is a lot of anxious energy as an actor, but by the end of it, you trust the director's vision and you see that he/she has done brilliantly."

"I think, my takeaway from both films is that I am just a student of acting. I am learning, I am grabbing, there will be mistakes, there will be some delightful moments but it’s a journey of just learning and of acting. And I think I won't ever say that I am an actor, I will always say I am a student of acting," Aayush Sharma concluded.