JOIN USSudeep ate just greens to prepare for Pailwaan
Kiccha Sudeep had to undergo a physical transformation to get under the skin of the lead character in ‘Pailwaan’.
“I was put on a strict diet of only greens. I was not allowed to have salt for three months and was told to stay away from sugar. Without salt, I became so averse to eating. I would feel
like puking at the sight of food,” Sudeep told Showtime.
The demands were rigorous. “I hate the sight of a gym, but I play any kind of sport. But for ‘Pailwaan’, I spent hours at the gym and today working out has become an addiction,” he says.
The engineer-turned-actor had a solid track record in the Kannada film industry when he forayed into Bollywood with Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Phoonk’.
He went on to star in Telugu hits such as ‘Rakta Charitra’, ‘Eega’ and ‘Baahubali’. He is now playing a substantial role in ‘Dabangg 3’, alongside Salman Khan and Prabhu Deva.
What has taken him so far? “I am not ambitious. I accept what comes my way and thoroughly enjoy my work and that’s why I have restful nights. I have not been confident about
myself, irrespective of how I look and what I am,” says Sudeep.
He says it is best to take one step at a time. “If you are not in the present you don’t have a future at all. I live by today and whatever follows will follow,” he says, philosophically.
What has changed in the five years since his cross-over to Bollywood? “Nothing,” he says. “I still love my tea and masala puri.” In his view, all industries are the same, and it’s the stories that take actors places. And he chases good stories. He has brought back some lessons from the ‘Dabangg’ team. “You have to be with them to know how to work hard and party even harder. They teach you how to live life to its fullest.”
Cricket his first love
Sudeep is also dedicating time to his first love — cricket. He was captain of the Karnataka team in the Celebrity Cricket League, and is the brand ambassador for Karnataka Premier League. How are the two different? “On an excitement level, CCL scores better than KPL because none of the players are cricketers, but they are the biggest talents of the state,” he says. For the stars, looks and physique are everything. They risk it all and play to attract a packed stadium, he says. KPL, on the other hand, is hard work, dedication and focus. “If Chennai has a tournament similar to CCL, we must be proud we lit the spark in them,” he says.