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Rajkummar Rao reveals reason behind viral physical transformation
Rajkummar Rao clarifies his new look

Rajkummar Rao reveals reason behind viral physical transformation

Feb 16, 2026
02:29 pm

What's the story

Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao recently attended the Bolti Khidkiyaan Short Film Festival in Mumbai, where he was seen in a new avatar. His changed appearance sparked concern among fans, who speculated about his health. To clarify the situation, Rao has now explained that he gained 9-10kg for his recent biopic on public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. He also revealed he's now losing this extra weight for his upcoming film on former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly.

Acting philosophy

My being is through my art: Rao

Rao took to Instagram to explain his recent physical transformation. He said, "My being is through my art. Just finished shooting for my next biopic #NIKAM and yes, it has demanded me to change physically, which I love doing." "I'm not a believer in prosthetics as long as I can achieve the look through my hard work, which I've achieved in Nikam, be it gaining weight or looking old (to play a certain age) or to make my hair thin."

Role preparation

How he prepared for other challenging roles

Rao also shared how he prepared for other challenging roles in the past. He recalled being advised against going half-bald for Bose, gaining excessive weight and then stopping eating for Trapped, and behaving like a visually impaired person even when the cameras weren't rolling during Srikanth. "For Nikam, I had to gain around 9-10kg, and I was eating 2 pizzas and a lot of sweets and my fav aloo parathas, biryani."

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Future plans

Transition phase to lose extra weight for Ganguly's biopic

Rao is now in a transition phase and is losing the extra weight to prepare for Ganguly's biopic. He wrote, "And now it's the transition phase and time to lose these extra kgs and get ready to slip into Ganguly mode. Our very own Dada." Nikam, directed by Avinash Arun, is currently awaiting a release date. Meanwhile, the Ganguly biopic will be directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.

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