Malayalam actor Prithviraj develops ‘ideal body’ for Aiyya

Mumbai, Sep 13 (IANS) South Indian actor Prithviraj Sukumaran is all set to mark his debut in Bollywood. But that will not be the only fresh experience for this actor, who has also developed a six-pack abdomen for his role in Aiyya opposite Rani Mukherjee.

“Director Sachin (Kundalkar) gave me the brief that I would have two-sided scenes. I play Suriya, an unassuming guy who does not care about his appearance. But there are songs in which the same man is the object of Meenakshi’s (the heroine’s) fantas

y. In the song sequences, the man fits all those cliches of masculinity,” Prithviraj told reporters during a session promoting Aiyya.

“I tried to fit both roles, and I had to develop an ideal body. I was on a strict diet regimen for about five months. Sachin (the director) and Anurag (Kashyap, the producer) were kind enough to shoot some scenes first and give me enough time to get into shape (for the fantasy scenes). It wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but seeing how it has come off, it was worth it,” Prithviraj said.

The actor, who hails from Kerala, says delivering dialogue in Hindi wasn’t a problem.

“I can read and write Hindi. I was comfortable delivering the dialogues,” he said.

Besides being a recognized actor in Malayalam films, Prithviraj is also a singer of some renown. On public request, he sang a few lines from the song in Aiyya, Dreammam Wakepam.

Prithviraj arrived at the venue of the event in typical South Indian attire, wearing a blue shirt and a white “mundu”. Other actors starring in the film were present, too.

Aiyya is slated for release Oct. 12.

IANS 2012-09-13 21:41:10