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We underestimate the physical transformation of characters: Amey Wagh
The actor admits that the physicality of a character helps enhance the role and perform better
In 2017, actor Amey Wagh lost 10kgs for his role as Banesh Fene in Aditya Sarpotdar’s Faster Fene. This year, he has gained nearly eight kilos to play Nachiket in Upendra Sidhaye’s Girlfriend. In less than two years, the Muramba (2017) actor has undergone rigorous physical transformations for two completely different films.
However, Amey says that when he read the script of Girlfriend, there were no discussions about weight gain or appearance. “Honestly, when I read the script, my first reaction was, this cannot be me. I was sure I would not fit in the role. And, this is what I find exciting. The challenge is in portraying roles that are poles apart from your real self,” says Amey.
It was a collective decision made by Upendra, producers, Aneesh Jog and Ranjit Gugle and Amey, that the character will require to put on a certain amount of weight. “Nachiket is a person who looks older than his age. In real life, I am someone who has always looked younger than my actual age. So, we decided that it is important that I put on weight,” says the 31-year-old actor.
It took about four to five months and training sessions by celebrity fitness trainer Shailesh Parulekar for Amey to finally look like the character of Nachiket. Amey admits that it wasn’t an easy process, as he had to gain weight during the summer. He says,“We tend to underestimate the physical transformation of a character. We assume that it is always about emoting and enacting. However, with the last two transformations, I have realised that the physicality of a role is important too. It adds immensely to the performance.”
He adds that he could enhance the performance of Nachiket with elements such as body language, posture and lethargy because of the physical change. “It helps in building the character and presenting it as a whole to the audience,” he signs off.
