A vegetarian since childhood, Manushi Chhillar started eating meat for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: ‘My father would forcefully make me finish my food’

Sometimes, actors undergo rigorous physical transformations for a film, even altering their lifelong eating habits to meet the demands of their roles. Bollywood actress Manushi Chhillar, who has been a vegetarian since childhood, recently transitioned to a non-vegetarian diet for her latest film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. In a recent interview, she opened up about the reasons behind this dietary change and how it helped her during the film’s overseas shoot.

Speaking to Zoom, Manushi said, “I have always been a vegetarian, my entire life actually, and one thing I told myself was that I would never be able to eat meat simply because I have never eaten meat in my life before. Then came Bade Miyan Chote Miyan… I was shooting for another film at that time and I got Covid. So, I was so scared because I didn’t want to lose weight as I needed to build muscle. My father, who is a doctor, suggested me to switch to meat.”

Manushi’s father played a crucial role in ensuring she maintained her protein intake, meticulously overseeing her meals. She said, “I asked him to make me something which won’t look like chicken. He used to sit on the table and watch me and forcefully make me finish my food.”

Story continues below this ad

Explaining how this transformation also helped her during shooting for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in exotic locations, she said, “So, we shot for the film in places like Jordan, Scotland, London and in Scotland we didn’t have much vegetarian options so meat was my easiest source of protein.”

Also read | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan box office collection day 11: Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn films amass over Rs 100 cr in losses, may end their run soon

Starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff in lead roles, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan saw Manushi paired opposite Akshay. Despite significant anticipation, the film failed to garner favourable reviews from critics and struggled at the box office. With a budget of Rs 350 crore, the film has amassed Rs 55.55 crore within 11 days of its release.