Actor Tanishaa Mukerji exclusively spoke to Mamaraazzi about the extreme body transformation she went through for Neal ‘n’ Nikki. The actress revealed that producer Aditya Chopra wanted her to get toned for the film, and while trying hard to maintain that look, she later ended up facing hormonal imbalance issues.
Tanishaa, daughter of veteran actor Tanuja and sister of Bollywood star Kajol, said she was called for a screen test for the film even after already doing a few projects. She shared that Aditya Chopra had earlier advised her about her career and fitness, but this time she decided to fully trust his vision.
Talking about her first photoshoot for the film, Tanishaa recalled that Aditya Chopra was not happy with how she looked and told her she needed to get fitter for the role.
“My first photo session for Neal ’n’ Nikki, I had all these love handles and he was like, ‘No, you can’t look like this. You need to be toned,’” she shared.
The actress said that after hearing this, she became extremely focused on transforming herself physically.
“After that first photo session, I just went crazy and I transformed my body because I was so focused on reaching that ultimate goal and then he was like, ‘Yes, this is Nikki,’” she added.
Tanishaa further revealed that she became very strict with her workouts and diet while trying to maintain the look for the film. However, continuously following that routine started affecting her health.
“If you try to keep it, you would have a hormonal imbalance, which is what happened to me,” she said.
Directed by Arjun Sablok, Neal ’n’ Nikki featured Tanishaa alongside Uday Chopra. The film had grabbed attention for its bold scenes and modern love story but received heavy criticism after release.
Looking back now, Tanishaa said she never took the criticism negatively and instead tried to understand why audiences reacted that way.
“Because I was like, ‘Why did the audience feel like this?’ I went back and I saw the film. I am very objective about myself,” she shared.
The actress also admitted that while she liked her performance back then, she now feels there were scenes she could have done better.
“The audience has every right to criticise,” she said.
Tanishaa also spoke about how films are mainly a director’s medium and actors can only perform within the vision given to them.
“An actor will only push themselves as far as the director will allow them,” she explained.
Her latest revelation has once again sparked conversations around the pressure actors face in Bollywood to maintain certain beauty and body standards.
