Vishal Jethwa: Body transformation is an added layer; acting is the foundation

Vishal Jethwa underwent a major physical transformation for his upcoming project Shakti Shalini, putting himself through a strict fitness regimen of disciplined workouts, controlled meals and a highly structured lifestyle that completely reshaped his daily routine.The actor, who was last seen in Homebound alongside Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor, says discipline plays a central role in any physical goal. “Discipline plays a big role whenever you want to achieve any physical target. Weight and muscle gain has always been difficult for me because of my body type.”His routine changed entirely. “Earlier, my schedule was very different. I used to sleep late and wake up late, but when I prepare for a goal like this, everything changes. I would wake up at 7 am, take a protein shake and eat six meals a day, which felt like a strict schedule, almost like it was my job. It was a bit of a privileged problem, having to eat so much healthy food, with each meal easily taking 30 to 45 minutes (laughs!). Two months later, eating the same food every day became so boring that sometimes I didn’t even feel like looking at it. Social life bhi change ho jaati hai. Logon se milna kam ho gaya tha. My entire day revolved around eating, training and sleeping on time.”On the idea that physical transformation often overshadows craft, he draws a clear line. “It’s true that physical transformation is the first thing people notice, but if you perform the character with conviction, both things show equally, as seen in Aamir Khan’s approach to balancing performance and physicality. For me, the most important thing is acting and craft. Body transformation is an added layer. Agar performance strong nahi hai, toh koi bhi physical change kaam nahi karta. Acting is always the foundation.”Despite the discipline required, he doesn’t view the process as pressure. “I actually enjoy it because it pushes me beyond my limits. It’s a beautiful process, even if it is difficult. The biggest blessing for an actor is getting to live so many different characters in one lifetime.”He ends on a lighter note: “I once completed my diet in the middle of an award function. That’s how strict it got.”