Vicky Kaushal to increase his weight for his next, 'The Immortal Ashwatthama': reveals Director Aditya Dhar

MUMBAI: Actor Vicky Kaushal has some of the most interesting line-ups of films in his arsenal. The actor is slated to be seen in a YRF film with Manushi Chillar followed by a magnum opus - The Immortal Ashwatthama which will be directed by Aditya Dhar. The two are teaming up after the success of Uri: The Surgical Strike.

Reportedly, the three-part superhero film has its roots in the Mahabharata. Vicky’s character is based on the mythological character Ashwatthama, the son of Dronacharya who was given the boon of immortality in the Mahabharat.

A Mid-Day report quoted Director Aditya Dhar as spoke about his eagerness to reunite with Kaushal after the resounding success of Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019). He also spoke of the Massan actor’s preparation and revealed he has to train for three months for the movie.

Takht was supposed to wrap up by December, and we were scheduled to kick off our film by early 2021. [Despite the change in the line-up], we are sticking to the schedule; the film will go on floors by April 2021. Vicky needs to train for three months for the movie. So, once he wraps up his Yash Raj Films' project, he will begin prepping in February - Aditya Dhar

The actor will reportedly have to train in horse-riding and various martial art forms, including krav maga and jujutsu for his portrayal of Ashwatthama — the son of Dronacharya.

"He will have to weigh more than 100 kilos," added the director.

'The Immortal Ashwathama' was scheduled to be shot in a start-to-finish schedule, spread across 80 to 90 days, in locations such as Greenland, Iceland, Tokyo, New Zealand and Namibia.

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He mentioned, "We will begin shooting in Europe, primarily the UK, and then head to Iceland. The final schedule will be in Mumbai. The plan may change depending on the COVID-19 crisis in these countries."

Meanwhile, Dhar also revealed how lockdown has offered him an opportunity to be productive and ensured that every detail was attended to during the pre-production.

He said, "We have finalized our HoDs [head of departments] and begun our discussion with the VFX team. Since nobody has attempted such a subject before, we don't have a reference point. So, the VFX and design teams have to use their imagination and create [the universe] from scratch."

Director Aditya Dhar also believes that spectacle films such as 'The Immortal Ashwathama' with a touch of Indian mythology must be served more to the audience.

For the unversed, according to Mahabharata, Ashwatthama was the son of guru Dronacharya, who fought for the Kauravas in the battle of Kurukshetra.

SOURCE – INDIA FORUMS

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