Freida Pinto goes to rehab for role

The Slumdog Millionaire actor visited rehab centres in the US to prepare for her role in her new film, Desert Dancer, where she will play a heroin-addicted Iranian artist. We also look at other actors who worked hard to get into the skin of the characters.

Some actors go the whole hog when it comes to getting into the skin of their characters. From losing tens of kilos to wearing prosthetic make-up, these stars live their roles while filming. The latest to hop on to this bandwagon is

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Freida Pinto

, who in a bid to understand her upcoming role better, interacted with real-life drug addicts.

The actor, who plays a heroin-addicted Iranian artiste in her next, Desert Dancer, visited rehab centres in the US in person to get authentic pointers on her character. A source close to the actor reveals, “A month prior to the start of the film in America (shooting started in December 2013), Freida attended sessions at rehabilitation centres to meet recovering drug addicts.

She went to about five sessions, where those who’ve been recouping for long chatted with her about their journey of beginning to consume heroin to enrolling themselves in therapy.” The film, directed by Richard Raymond, is set in Iran and will release towards the end of the year.

Closer home, Priyanka Chopra has done a lot of research to play boxer Mary Kom. She says, “I love research. I’m a science student, so I really enjoy doing so.” Even Ranbir Kapoor met physically-challenged people for his role in Barfi! (2012) while Farhan Akhtar spent considerable time with athlete Milkha Singh.

Here are some Bollywood stars who toook similar actions to better their performances:

Priyanka Chopra

To play the role of Mary Kom, the actor spent a considerable amount of time with the boxer in her hometown and underwent physical training to match the athlete’s body. She will also use prosthetic make-up to look like Kom.

Read:Priyanka Chopra came to my village and cooked with me: Mary Kom

Sushant Singh Rajput

For his next, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Sushant accompanied director Dibakar Banerjee on a recce in and around Kolkata. He has even read up about the character and will be seen in a typically Bengali look.

Vidya Balan

For her upcoming release, Bobby Jasoos, in which Vidya plays a private-eye, the actor has interacted with several real-life female detectives in the country and asked them about their cases and methods of investigating.