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Ram Charan’s Peddi transformation: The grueling ‘Desi Pehalwan’ routine and secret third look revealed
Fitness trainer Rakkesh R. Uddiyar, who spent over sixteen months building Ram Charan's body for Peddi, reveals the diet, the wrestler drills, the 4 am wake-up calls, and why the hardest phase had nothing to do with weights.
Ram Charan, who trained for over sixteen months under fitness coach Rakkesh R. Uddiyar, adopted a wrestler's physique for Peddi built through kushti drills, gada swings, and a strictly monitored carb-cycling diet. (Credit: @PeddiMovieOffl/X)
When director Buchi Babu Sana sat down with Ram Charan to map out the actor’s physical journey for Peddi, they were planning an entire character arc. The character would go through three distinct physical transformations on screen. And according to Rakkesh R. Uddiyar, the celebrity fitness trainer who has been with Ram Charan for over sixteen months, the third is being kept under wraps.
“There will be three transformations of Ram Charan in the film,” he said, adding, “The third will be a surprise for fans.”
In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Rakkesh R. Uddiyar recalled the brief from Buchi Babu Sana was clear from the start. “Buchi Babu and Charan were very clear to me about the lead character in Peddi. He should look like a desi pehalwan. He should not look like a Greek god,” Uddiyar said. The target physique was specific: broad shoulders, a big chest, visible abs without a full six-pack, and lean legs.
Weights on Monday, Kushti on Tuesday
To build that body, Uddiyar designed a weekly structure split across two types of training. “Monday, Wednesday, Friday, we did weight training with fasting cardio. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, we did functional movement with kushti exercises and mobility exercises.” Recovery involved physiotherapy, massage, and targeted joint treatment as needed. The gada, a traditional Indian exercise tool, was part of the routine. So were Surya Namaskar, rope pulling, and akhada drills.
The diet ranged between 1,800 and 2,500 calories depending on the day. “We followed a structured 1,800-2,500 calorie plan, known as carb cycling. Some days low, some days high.”
The opening phase of the shoot required Ram Charan to appear lean rather than bulky, as the character begins the film as a village boy. For this, the celebrity fitness trainer shared that they kept the actor on a calorie-deficit diet for four to five months so he would look leaner.
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The toughest stretch of the entire programme came not from any workout but from Ram Charan’s annual Ayyappa Mala fast. “That time was very difficult for us. He was already following a 50 to 60 percent vegetarian diet. But putting him on a full vegetarian diet during training, it was difficult,” Uddiyar said.
On how Ram Charan held up through it all, Rakkesh R. Uddiyar is candid. “There were ups and downs. Some days, I could see he was feeling low, and on those days I’d give him extra calories. I could compromise there. But when it came to training, Ram Charan was exceptional.”
The days were structured almost to the minute. Uddiyar said he would get a call at 4 am. “He (Ram Charan) would call saying, ‘I’m on the treadmill. Just come. I will get ready.'” Training happened before the shoot, with the actor taking his first meal in the car on the way to the set. A dedicated WhatsApp group was set up on his phone with the chef, doctor, dietician, bodyguards, and personal staff. “I would be discussing how to take care of him during the shoots, so there is no repeat.” With some shooting days starting as early as 4 am, Uddiyar asked the production team to set up a gym on location so training could continue during breaks instead of being skipped altogether.
When it comes to rating Ram Charan’s kushti abilities, Uddiyar offers some perspective. “He is not an athlete. He’s an actor. An athlete puts his entire body in motion. To catch that character and perform, it’s very tough. But every move he did, we were shocked at how he was doing it.” Adding a personal note, he said, “How Salman Khan is for me in Bollywood, Ram Charan is for me here in south cinema.”
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Sixteen months and counting
The entire process, from the first day of training to now, has taken over sixteen months. “It’s not a one-day programme. I have almost given one year and four months for his body.”
Rakkesh R. Uddiyar, who previously worked with Salman Khan on Sultan and Dangal, first trained Ram Charan for Dhruva back in 2017. So when Peddi came along, he was not starting from zero. “I have already worked with Ram Charan in Dhruva. The ground was ready. For me, it was not the basics.”
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