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Rediff.com  » Movies » Bollywood's weight gain (and loss) tamasha!
This article was first published 12 years ago

Bollywood's weight gain (and loss) tamasha!

Last updated on: March 15, 2012 16:22 IST

Image: Kareena Kapoor in Tashan, Agent Vinod
Bollywood actors have to constantly reinvent their look for various roles. But sometimes, the job entails that they go through physical transformation too.

Actresses are known to have undergone weight loss or gain as and when a certain role called for it.

We take a look at actresses who lost or gained weight for their roles over the years.
 
Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor made big news when she lost weight for her film Tashan. 

While she mainatained the (in)famous size zero figure for quite a while, she's started looking curvier off late. 

In her upcoming film Agent Vinod, she's visibly fuller than before.

Katrina Kaif

Image: Katrina Kaif in Tees Maar Khan and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Katrina Kaif was never considered fat but had always had that healthy glow. Nevertheless, she was asked to lose weight for the film Tees Maar Khan, especially for her song Sheila ki Jawani. 

Following a cabbage diet and a strict workout regime, the actress achieved an even tinier waist and was a total knockout in the film.

But when she signed Yash Raj's rom-com Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, she was asked to gain weight and get her curves back.

Vidya Balan

Image: Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shah in The Dirty Picture
Vidya Balan was never slim. One of those rare actresses who celebrate their curves, Vidya had to undergo weight loss and subsequent gain, all for one film.

The actress was asked to lose weight for The Dirty Picture for the parts where she plays a younger Silk (left) and later to gain weight for the second half of the film.

Kangna Ranaut

Image: Kangna Ranaut in Gangster and Tanu Weds Manu
When Kangna debuted with films like Gangster and Woh Lamhe, she was hailed as the first naturally skinny girl in tinselville. 

But the actress had to gain some weight when she played a north Indian girl in Tanu Weds Manu.

Kangna went back to her former svelte self after the film got over.

Sonakshi Sinha

Image: Sonakshi Sinha in Dabbang and at the 4th anniversary issue of FHM magazine
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar
Before Sonakshi made her Bollywood debut, she was a big girl and had to lose quite a few kilos for Dabangg. Even then she looked quite plump going by Bollywood standards.

Post Dabangg, the young actress kept at it and is looking her svelte best now.

Sonam Kapoor

Image: Sonam Kapoor in Sawaariya and Aisha
Like Sonakshi, Sonam Kapoor was on the wrong side of the weighing scale at 90 kilos before she courted the limelight.

She lost 30 kg before appearing in her first film Saawariya.

She has lost more weight since then. You can see the difference in her photographs from Saawariya and a more recent film Aisha.

Zarine Khan

Image: Salman Khan and Zarine Khan in Veer, Zarine in Housefull 2
Zarine Khan was asked to gain weight for Veer because it was a period film and women in those days were plump.

The film came and went without a trace but her weight stayed on.
 
After facing innumerable jibes about her figure, Zarine, who'd gained weight by eating a lot of chocolates, shed all the excess weight and is looking sizzling hot in her forthcoming film Housefull 2.

Rani Mukerji

Image: Rani Mukerji, Mangal Pandey: The Rising and Dil Bole Haddipa
Rani Mukerji constantly received flak for her weight in her early days in Bollywood.

But when it was time for her to star opposite Shahid Kapoor's in Dil Bole Hadipa and also wear a bikini in the film, she took charge and got herself a new super-slim figure. 

She followed her diet religiously, avoided oily and fried food, practiced yoga and went gyming.

Aishwarya Rai

Image: Aishwarya Rai in Dhoom and in Cannes
Bollywood's beauty queen also had to undergo the unforgiving weight gain and loss process.
 
Aishwarya was asked to gain weight for Umrao Jaan. 

But to fit in the hot and sexy clothes in Dhoom 2, she had to shed all the extra weight and she was trained by her personal trainer Deepika Mehta to achieve the desired size.

She was asked to gain weight again for Guru where she played a Gujarati housewife.

Priyanka Chopra

Image: Priyanka Chopra in Dostana and Saat Khoon Maaf
Priyanka, who wowed us all with her Desi girl look in Dostana, had to gain weight for Vishal Bhardwaj's Saat Khoon Maaf.

Priyanka put up with it but couldn't resist expressing her discomfort as she tweeted, "I've been on a put-on-some-serious-weight kind of diet for "Saat Khoon Maaf"... yuck! I feel so unhealthy!". 

After Saat Khoon Maaf, the actress got back in shape.