Taapsee Pannu has shared a behind-the-scenes video detailing how she transformed her body to play an athlete in Rashmi Rocket. The actor says she refused to take steroids and chose to build muscle naturally. She reveals that while she had been playing sports since childhood, she had never hit the gym regularly.
The actor explained that unlike her male counterparts, she didn't have the option to take time off from work to focus on training for the role.
"As a female actor, I didn't have the liberty to sit at home for a year while I built my muscle and got my body ready for the film. I had to do other films simultaneously," she says in the video.
She continued to shoot for other films, dedicating two hours to her fitness routine and then filming for 12 to 14 hours each day. One look at Taapsee's newly chiselled legs will tell you the hard work and determination has paid off. "Over 200 kgs on a half squat was something I never thought I would be able to do," she says in the video.
The video also features interviews with her personal trainer, nutritionist and coaches who helped her get in shape for the role.
The actor's dedication to her role almost got the better of her. She recalls suffering an injury on the third day of the shoot, which threatened to derail the entire project. It took two weeks for her to recover.
"My body couldn't take it any more. I just couldn't run any more. Halfway through my sprint I stopped. My quads started paining, I couldn't lift my legs suddenly. I had to stop the shoot for a while, go into physio (therapy) for two hours just to be able to walk," she says.
The video ends with Taapsee explaining why she decided to take on such a challenging role. "I want people out there to believe that it is possible. I believe that I am ordinary but then if this transformation is possible, that means ordinary people are meant to do extraordinary things," she signs off.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)