India: 

Mota Bhai: Ranvir Shorey

Ranvir Shorey has been gorging on bananas, rice, potatoes and chocolates. Besides guzzling many pints of beer a day. All this for his next film. And he needs to gain weight. Fast.

Writer-director-actor Rajat  Kapoor, Ranvir's mentor, has asked the actor to put on at least 12 kgs, to play the protagonist in A Rectangular Love Story.

Going an extra mile

Ranvir Shorey thinks the world of actor-director Kapoor and can't say no to him, no matter what. At last count Ranvir had already gained 12 kilos, "And is still gaining that girth fast. He's someone for whose film I can go more than an extra mile."

First-hand witness

The last actor who put on weight for an author-backed title role was Abhishek Bachchan for Mani Ratnam's Guru. I've been first-hand witness to Abhishek trying frantically to add tyres around his  waist gorging on sandwiches and pastries.

"I know that feeling," Ranvir grins rubbing his  swollen belly. "The worrisome  part is I'll have to lose all this weight after A Rectangular  Love Story in August. I planned my schedules so there would be time for quick gain and loss of weight.

I've given myself a year to get completely in shape," Ranvir has his fingers crossed.