I put on 15 kg for my role as an amateur wrestler in the first half of the Marathi film Natrang.' Then, I lost 17 kg for the second half of the film where I play a nachya,' an effeminate character in traditional Marathi tamasha. The weight gain took 40 days and I lost weight in the next 40 odd days.
Priyanka Chopra has produced a Marathi film. Even John Abraham announced he wants to make a Marathi film. Suddenly everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon. Shah Rukh, Rohit Shetty also want to do a Marathi film. There is an awareness. But I hope they don't come and spoil the market by making their kind of cinema.
My normal weight category is 48 kg. So for the 51 kg. category, I had to depend on lots of food and drinks before going in for the weigh-in. But that does not make my strength, my muscles. It's a little bit different. If there's a 48 kg. category, it's a perfect fit for me.
I have lost 18 kg. Now if I lose anymore weight, I will vanish.
The Marathi film 'Natrang' has amazing songs. I also like and have sufi and folk music.
The weightlifting competition I saw was the women's 63 kg class. I'm not sure whether this means the actual women weighed 63 kg or the weights they lifted weighed 63 kg. Or possibly the temperature in the weightlifting hall was 63 kg. There's no way to know for sure without finding out what a "kg" is, and my belief, as an American, is that if I have to start understanding the metric system, then the terrorists have won.
My rookie year was so much easier, and it was so much shorter than most rookies due to the fact that I had KG. That changes everything. I was blessed to have the opportunity to play with KG - not only learn but play with KG. Not many people in the NBA are able to say that.
In a couple of days, it will be 40 days, 40 hours, 40 years in the desert - 40 is fraught with meaning and symbolism.
My love for my wife Roya is so intense that I gave up alcohol. My love for my father was so great that when he made me promise him that I'd lose weight, I did and lost 167 kg.!
As a girl, the thought of gaining weight wasn't easy, but when I thought as an actor, I was very sure. That gave me the confidence, and I started training myself to gain weight, and then, as planned, I lost weight.
I'd lose weight if I was an actress and had to play a role where you're supposed to be 40 lbs lighter, but weight has nothing to do with my career. Even when I was signing a contract, most of the industry knew if anyone ever dared say lose weight to me, they wouldn't be working with me.
What I learned from this movie, 40 Days and 40 Nights: Abstinence can be a very good thing. Especially from box offices where this film is playing.
I have been doing Marathi theatre for the past 15 years. The people there are very hardworking, talented and committed. But the state of Marathi cinema is going from bad to worse.
I did not have a script [of Close Up]. I made notes in the evenings and we filmed during the day over 40 days.I didn't sleep a wink for those 40 nights. I have a picture from the end of the shoot, and in it I have lost all my hair.
The Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period. Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days.
When I look at character artistes, they begin after 40. For instance, Boman Irani took up his first film after he was 40. Since I too, am in my 40s, I think I am finally getting to be in my zone.
The role of Charlie Eppes has changed me. I never imagined I would play a role like this. I lost some weight, grew my hair and now every woman in America over 40 wants to date me. It's their daughters I want to convince. The truth is all this talk makes me blush. Me, I look in the mirror and all I see is this Jewish kid from Queens.