Kalki 2898 AD’s stellar box office numbers are almost competing for media attention with all the applause coming Amitabh Bachchan’s way. The veteran actor essayed the role of Ashwatthama in the Nag Ashwin directorial and has blown audiences away with his command over the screen. The process of turning into Ashwatthama however, was a painstakingly long one, something which deserves the spotlight. In the same breath, Sharvari Wagh’s transformation from Munni to the titular Munjya in the 100-crore hit has also been grabbing eyeballs. Here’s taking a look at actors and their heavy-handed on-screen transformations.
Amitabh Bachchan in Kalki 2898 AD
Wooly eyebrows, a matted bun, aged skin and an unkempt beard — this formed the premise of Amitabh Bachchan’s turn as Ashwatthama. What was unmissable about the transformation however, were his black-rimmed sunken eyes and the bloodied indentation on his forehead, a nod to the lore of Ashwatthama for those who know it. Close-up photos of his look coupled with a glimpse of the transformation mid-process, was shared by Da Makeup Lab with the character design being credited to Preetisheel Singh Dsouza.
Sharvari Wagh in Munjya
5 hours, that’s how long it took Sharvari Wagh to transform into Munjya. What’s more, this was a daily process for Sharvari, making it quite the extenuating commitment. Not just this, it took about an hour-and-a-half for her to take all of the prosthetics off before she retired for the day. While the prosthetics played an important part in turning Sharvari’s Munni into Munjya, the actor has emphasised how getting the CGI-tweaked body language right, significantly contributed to the final impact on-screen.
Akshay Kumar in 2.0
Akshay Kumar’s role of Pakshi Rajan in the S Shankar helmed Rajinikanth starrer, 2.0 (2018) — the official sequel to Enthiran (2010) was as unrecognisable as it gets. The actor himself has referred to his look for the film as a “technological wonder”. As per a November 2018 IANS report, the actor said, “It was really a hard process for me to get the prosthetics done. For almost three and a half hours, I had to sit down quietly and do nothing. Three people used to work on my body and I had to stay patient…that was tough. I would say that the whole process of prosthetics made me a much calmer and patient person”.
Rajkummar Rao in Raabta
The Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon-starrer Raabta (2017) sorely flew under the radar in terms of critique and box office numbers. Sadly, this also spelled the demise of any acknowledgement for Rajkummar Rao for all that dedication needed in transforming into a 324-year old man, daily. The fact that the actor’s role of Mohak was simply a guest appearance for the film, made his commitment to sit in place for 5 to 6 hours everyday that much more commendable.
Amitabh Bachchan in Paa
It only makes sense that Amitabh Bachchan end a list which begun with him. Big B’s turn as Aswatthama is not the first time the actor has gone all out. 2009 R Balki film Paa featured the actor in the role of 12-year old Auro Arte, suffering from the extremely rare genetic disorder, progeria. On the 14th anniversary of the film, the director revisited their time on sets recalling how it would take Amitabh 4 hours, day on day, to turn into Auro, following which he couldn’t eat, drink or even use the bathroom. But it was all worth it, considering the 4 National Film Awards the movie received, including a Best Actor award for Amitabh and a Best Makeup Artist win for Christien Tinsley and Dominie Till.
Which is your favourite on-screen transformation from this list?
