‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ 10th Anniversary: Looking Back At Farhaan Akhtar’s Rigorous Transformation To Portray Milkha Singh

One of Farhan Akhtar’s most memorable performances has to be when he portrayed the role of Milkha Singh in the biopic, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. On the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of this masterpiece, here’s looking back at Farhan Akhtar’s impeccable transformation.

To portray the role of the Olympian runner, Farhan Akhtar gave his all to ensure that when the biopic comes to life, it’s made perfectly. Akhtar’s splendid physique and transformation only added to his unbeatable performance.

In the film, Milkha Singh’s entire life is shown. So, Farhan Akhtar had to play the role of an army cadet as well as the role of Milkha Singh at the peak of his athletic career. There was a vast difference between the physical requirements of both roles. For his transformation, he first had to put on 8-10 kgs while he portrayed the role of an army cadet and shred off those 10 kilos later to play the role of the sprinter. He did not just change his physique but he also had to get more disciplined, which meant he would go to sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 5:30 am to train.

For his eating habits, Farhan Akhtar was on a strict diet. He gave up on rice, chapati which is an Indian staple and bread as well. Instead, he got his carbs from fruits and vegetables.

To bulk up for his first look as a soldier, he used to wash down 3,500 calories a day along with 5 litres of water. However, for his second look as the Olympian runner although his diet did remain the same but the portions became smaller and he cut down to 1800 calories. For protein, he would have an omelette of six egg whites and mushrooms with orange juice for breakfast. Salt was also restricted since the water retention would cause him to look puffier two hours later, he’d have a bowl of oatmeal with half a glass of skimmed milk. Half an hour later, he’d chug down some coconut water. Lunch would be sautéed broccoli, asparagus, beans, baby cabbage and Pak choy along with grilled chicken, everything would be made in olive oil. Later on, a protein shake after two hours. Berries were the only fruits that he could eat as they have a low glycaemic index and provide the right antioxidants. Every evening, a bowl of boiled chana or moong salad with cucumber, tomatoes and a low-calorie dressing. Dinner was usually the same as lunch, but Basa or Salmon fish would replace the chicken. Before going to bed, he would again have a protein shake. While being on this extremely strict diet Farhan Akhtar of course craved ice cream and gulab jamun since they are his favourite but he had a cheat day once in 15 days where he would relish a glass of Dilli Lassi.

For his workout, Farhan Akhtar along with Melwyn Crasto used to meet up at Priyadarshani Park at 6:30 am for the athletic training. The focus of this training was to teach Farhan Akhtar about the profession so that he can convincingly play the sprinting sequences in the movie. For each session, Farhan Akhtar would sprint for 1200 meters. His second workout session involved functional training. This focused on strengthening the core as well as enhancing the flexibility which is of importance for a sprinter. The third session of the day commenced at 6 pm consisting of weight training. The routine would focus on Hypertrophy Strength Training (HST) and Tabata. The HST helped in gaining muscles by subjecting the body to increasing loads.

Farhan Akhtar is a perfect example of dedication and determination. For more than a year Farhan Akhtar refrained from his leisurely life with respect to food, drinks and lifestyle. He did everything that it took to do justice to his role and it paid off really well as the film continues to get love and was one of the biggest blockbusters at the box-office.