In a whirlwind of dedication and determination, Bollywood actor
Janhvi Kapoor
is gearing up to enthral audiences with her upcoming
Sharan Sharma
directorial ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi,’ alongside RajKummar Rao.
During the film’s promotional event in Delhi on Tuesday, Janhvi shed light on the arduous journey she embarked on to step into the shoes of her character, Mahi, a doctor turned cricketer.
With the trailer already released, excitement is building among fans. During the promotion, Janhvi revealed the strenuous preparation she underwent for her role, which involved rigorous strength training and a demanding fitness regimen.
The 27-year-old actor shared, “I wasn’t very radiant while shooting for this film. When I started preparing for this film, I was promoting ‘Good Luck Jerry’. I was possibly shooting for ‘Mili’ and I was about 8-9 kilos heavier. Sharan was very stressed and told me that I didn’t look like a cricketer. He said if I really wanted to do this film, I needed to start losing weight and begin cricket training.”
This marked the beginning of an intense transformation for Janhvi. Her daily routine was packed with physical training, guided by her coach, Abhishek Nair.
“My daily routine was very intense. I was at the peak of my training, and my coach, Abhishek Nair, said that the training I was undergoing was more intense as what they did with their IPL players,” Janhvi elaborated.
She also shared that her training routine included gruelling sessions in the nets with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players, strength training, conditioning, cardio, and cricket practice spanning over five to six hours every day.
Janhvi’s commitment to her role led her to adopt a strict low-carb diet, causing noticeable changes in her physique that even her fellow filmmakers couldn’t overlook.
“I used to wake up in the morning and practice in the nets with the KKR players, who he had recruited. We would practice there for 2 hours. Then I would go to Bandra for strength training, conditioning, and cardio, which took about an hour. After that, I would attend meetings. If there was a shoot, I would go for the shoot, and after wrapping up, I would practice for another 2 hours at a ground in Bandra. So yeah, it was almost 5-6 hours of physical training every day. I was following a very low-carb diet and shooting simultaneously for other projects,” she said.
“My other directors and producers were getting very upset because I kept losing weight. I remember going to one schedule of the ‘Bawaal’ set, and Nitesh sir looked at me and said, ‘You’ve become so thin.’ I was also shooting for ‘Devara’ for two days, and everyone remarked that I didn’t look as glowing as I used to and that I looked tired. This was all during the course of this film, and I think it went on for a while. But now, I’m starting to feel like myself again, and of course, each of these challenges will take me through a longer process,” Janhvi shared.
However, the path to transformation was not without its hurdles. The makers recently released a behind-the-scenes clip showcasing Janhvi’s transformation journey.
The clip includes insights from the director, Sharan Sharma, the coaches, and Janhvi herself. In the clip, Sharma explains that Janhvi initially assumed the training would be similar to her preparations for ‘Gunjan Saxena,’ but quickly realised it was a completely different challenge.
The coaches detailed how Janhvi was taken through a cricket workshop and observed international cricketers, which was an essential part of her training.
Janvhi revealed that during the training process, she suffered ligament injuries on both shoulders, uncovering her multidirectional instability.
The director revealed that Janhvi has multidirectional instability (MDI), which is beneficial for dancers but problematic for cricketers. Despite these setbacks, she persevered and completed her training.
In the BTS clip, Janhvi candidly admits to being the “most unathletic person” who had no prior knowledge of cricket.
She shared a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes journey on her Instagram, expressing gratitude to her trainers. “The two years of training that went into this film was such a huge part of my routine and life – that no one saw. It feels weird looking back at myself in all different shapes and sizes and levels of my game but the one thing that stayed with me the most was the courage, motivation, guidance, and strength I got from the faith that both my coaches had in me. Abhishek Nayar and Vikrant Yeligeti thank you for everything!! And sorry for all the days I was irritating, I know there were a few.”
‘Mr & Mrs Mahi’ marks Janhvi’s second collaboration with director Sharan Sharma, who previously helmed ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.’
The film also reunites her with Rajkummar Rao, following their successful pairing in ‘Roohi.’
