Rishabh Sawhney aka Azahar is fetching attention for his portrayal of the fierce baddie in Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone starrer 'Fighter'. We gather that when the film was screened for a select audience from B-town, even Shah Rukh Khan was all praise for this good-looking villain who impressed everyone with his acting as indeed with his action chops! How did the model turned-actor manage the transformation needed for the film, we wondered."As far as the physicality of the character goes, well... I had to redesign my meals according to the frame needed in the movie. Instead of my regular three-meal plan, I had to eat 7 to 8 times a day to look the way I look on the big screen. My diet was specifically designed where in everything was measured from my micros to the macros, the amount of protein intake, and the rest period--everything was counted and calculated. I was always fascinated with the big muscular bodybuilders you see in the Olympia tournament. Here I had to portray that strong guy and we had to design him carefully for the effect," says Rishabh.

They say to be the on-screen baddie, one has to comprehend the mindset of that persona. How did Rishabh work on the interiority of the character? "I was asked to shut down from any outside influences for days at a stretch, at regular intervals, not to utter even a single word. I was also instructed to watch a lot of war documentaries and write down my emotions. The anger, the rage of injustice and war crimes simply built that emotion. The bottled-up energy and emotions were then channeled for my character for the big screen," he reveals. Fighter Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's Aerial Actioner Gets Grounded By Its Generic Storytelling Beats (LatestLY Exclusive)

Excited and elated about the success of this one, Rishabh is now very careful about his next project. And he certainly got the golden advice from the horse's mouth, his co-actor in 'Fighter' and the legendary Anil Kapoor. "Anil sir has told me to select my next project carefully and cautiously, for that will set the path to my journey as an actor and as a performer. I see the space where that advice comes from, and I will look for another challenging part in my successive projects," he signs off.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2024 09:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).