Parineeti Chopra has been receiving much love from fans and critics for her performance in Amar Singh Chamkila. The actress, who played the role of Amarjot Kaur in the Netflix film, gained 16 Kg for her role. In a recent chat with Raj Shamami, the actress talked about several factors related to her weight gain journey. Reflecting on her meeting with director Imtiaz Ali, she recalled, “In fact, jab maine Chamkila sign ki thi, mai us time bahut fit ho gayi thi. [In fact, when I signed up for Chamkila, I was in very good shape at that time.] I have been working out for 2 years and I almost had abs. I remember very well I went to Imitiaz sir with a very very fit body and I was dying to do this movie. And Imtiaz sir offered me this film. And he said, ‘But listen, you don’t look like her.’ And that was it. It just switched in my head. Maine do saal ki jo mehnat ki thi, mai usko ek minute mein bhul gayi. [The two years of hard work I put in, I forgot about it in a minute.] I put on 16 kilos. I used to eat heavy meals and go to sleep so that I look puffy the next morning. And I have a proper double chin. And I wanted my eyes to look small. I used to eat rice and rotis like in numbers – 3 or 4, for it to look like that. It was not just fun and games ki roz pizza khao aur maze karo. [that eat pizza and have fun.] Because I really wanted me to look like her.”
Discussing the weight gain process, Parineeti Chopra shared, “It took me 6 months almost. So it was 6 months of very unhealthy eating. My sleep got affected. I could not sleep properly. My mood got affected because after couple of months when you are not eating clean it affects your mood, you feel low. My stamina was zero. No workouts for 6 months and this is me, who was doing weight trainings 4 times a week and cardio twice a week and I was at my prime at that time. Eating badly, drinking beverages that I don’t like. I don’t drink milkshakes and all these things. I was drinking all of those because very quickly (I wanted to gain). Also because I had 2 years of discipline to vo jaldi se ho bhi nahi raha tha. [I was not able to gain weight quickly.] I was not able to put on the weight. But I used to wear the clothes and it was Indian clothes, which are very complimenting. So, I used to look like myself. And I did not want to look like myself. I wanted to look like Amarjot ji. I had to. This was the project I had been waiting for, for 10 years of my life.”
Parineeti Chopra also mentioned how a co-star warned her against the physical transformation. She said, “I remember a very senior actor of mine. Maine unko btaya ki mai na iss picture ke liye 20 kilo mujhe put on karne hai. Aur unhone kaha , ‘Tu pagal hai. Tu apna career khatam kardegi. [I told him that I needed to put on 20 kilos for this movie. And he said, ‘You’re crazy. You’ll ruin your career.] Don’t do this to yourself.’”
The actress also addressed the rumours that circulated due to her weight gain. She stated, “I lost brands, I did not do events because I was just looking so terrible. I was so conscious and people started saying, ‘She is pregnant. She has done liposuction. She has done botox on her face.’ Pata nahi kya-kya logo ne bola and I used to look at it and be like, ‘Tum log kabhi samjhoge hi nahi.’ [I don’t know what all people said, and I used to look at it and be like, ‘You guys will never understand.’] ”
Speaking about not being able to lose weight and different types of attacks by people, Parineeti Chopra added, “Till today, I have not lost the weight. It has been a struggle to lose weight also. And everywhere people are attacking me and saying, ‘She looks bad, she is looking terrible, blah, blah, blah.’ But give me a film, give me a project, and you will see me go the opposite way also.”
Parineeti Chopra also got married to Raghav Chadha with the extra kilos. Sharing how it had been a “sacrifice,” the star explained, “I got married in the middle of all of this. The biggest day of my life, I did in this look. I have done many personal sacrifices — brands, wedding, appearances, red carpet appearances, everything. I have lost a lot. But I don’t see it as a loss. I gained Chamkila, I gained Amarjot in this. I have gained a performance that I will take with me to the grave.”
Amar Singh Chamkila features Diljit Dosanjh as the male lead.
