Indian cinema has always loved an athlete on screen because except cinema, sports is our only other passion. But over the last decade, actors have stopped treating transformation as mere aesthetics. The modern “pehelwan body” is no longer just about visible muscles; it is about learning how an athlete breathes, moves, tires and carries pain, mostly thinks. Increasingly, stars are training not like celebrities preparing for shirtless scenes, but like competitors entering combat sport, wrestling camps and endurance drills.
Here are five actors who radically reshaped their bodies for demanding roles.
Ram Charan — Peddi
If early glimpses are anything to go by, Peddi may feature the most functionally athletic body Ram Charan has ever built. Unlike the sculpted warrior physique of Magadheera or the stylised look of RRR, this transformation appears rooted in multi-sport conditioning.
Reports from the production suggest Charan trained with real wrestlers for the film’s pehelwan sequences, incorporating live grappling sessions, sprint drills and endurance work into his preparation. Insiders say the focus was not perfection but athletic realism to show how a man who wrestles, runs and plays competitive sport would naturally carry himself. The process reportedly became so intense that Charan suffered a ligament injury during training after a wrestling exchange went wrong.
Aamir Khan – Dangal
Few transformations in Indian cinema have been as technically sound as Aamir Khan’s for Dangal. Playing wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat across different ages required him to gain significant body fat before later cutting weight and rebuilding muscle definition. What made the process remarkable was the sequencing. Aamir intentionally shot the older portions first, gaining weight to authentically portray a retired athlete’s aging body. Only afterward did he undergo months of disciplined conditioning to return to a wrestler’s frame. Beyond appearance, he reportedly trained extensively in kushti techniques and mat movement to avoid looking like an actor imitating wrestling choreography.
Ranveer Singh – 83
For 83, Ranveer Singh understood that becoming Kapil Dev was impossible. But doesn’t Singh like a good challenge. The actor worked obsessively on posture, bowling rhythm and shoulder alignment to recreate Kapil’s iconic movement patterns. Cricket experts involved with the film noted how seriously Ranveer approached technical replication. He reportedly trained daily to reproduce not just the bowling action but also Kapil’s relaxed gait, batting stance and energy on the field. The transformation succeeded because viewers stopped seeing “Ranveer performing cricket” and started recognising sporting muscle memory.
Salman Khan – Sultan
Salman Khan’s transformation for Sultan marked one of the first times a mainstream Hindi star embraced the physical heaviness of a real wrestler instead of maintaining conventional action-hero leanness. The role demanded bulk, fatigue and groundedness. Salman trained in wrestling drills, functional strength work and akhada-inspired routines to develop the slower, pressure-heavy movement style associated with grapplers. The film’s success helped popularise combat-sport conditioning within mainstream Bollywood action cinema.
Farhan Akhtar – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Farhan Akhtar’s preparation for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag remains one of the benchmark athletic transformations in Indian film history. Playing Milkha Singh required not just low body fat but the explosive lower-body conditioning of a sprinter. Farhan underwent months of sprint training, track drills and sports-specific conditioning to reshape his body into that of a competitive runner. Coaches involved with the production frequently spoke about his discipline in adapting to an athlete’s lifestyle rather than simply chasing a cinematic physique.
What connects all these performances is a shift in how Indian stars now approach physicality. The modern screen athlete is no longer built in vanity gyms alone. He is built through gruelling work, exhaustion, injury, technique and the constant effort to make the body tell the truth. And kudos to how these leading men showed us their commitment to the roles
