- Ranveer Singh gained 10 kg in six weeks for his role in Dhurandhar: The Revenge
- He consumed 3,600 to 4,000 calories daily, including protein shakes and high protein foods
- Ranveer trained extensively with coach Mustafa Ahmed for weight and breathing improvement
Ranveer Singh is an exemplary actor, and he has proved it time and again with his filmography - a carefree man in Band Baaja Baaraat, a con artist in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, a fierce warrior in Bajirao Mastani, a cruel antagonist in Padmaavat, and now an Indian spy in the Dhurandhar franchise.
Over the years, he has showcased various shades of Ranveer Singh - the actor. After watching him in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, it is only natural that his fans are going gaga over his portrayal of Hamza Ali Mazari and Jaskirat Singh Rangi.
"To look brutal on the screen", Mustafa Ahmed, who played Rizwan Shah in Dhurandhara: The Revenge, told NDTV, "Ranveer Singh put on 10 kg in just six weeks."
How Ranveer Singh Bulked Up To Play Hamza Ali Mazari In Dhurandhar 2
"That is how I got on the project," shared Mustafa, who has previously trained actors on many of Aditya Dhar's projects, including Yami Gautam for Article 370 and Manav Kaul for Baramulla.
"Ranveer had to put on a lot of weight, and they didn't have much time," he said, stressing, "Aditya sir said, 'He has to put on almost like 10 kg and 6 hafte mein hum shooting shuru karenge.'"
When the fitness coach met Ranveer, he was close to 76-77 kg, and by the time shooting began, he weighed 87-88 kg. "He packed on 10 kg in six weeks," he recalled.
"He was eating more than I was. He was skinnier than me when he started," said Mustafa, adding, "One thing about Ranveer is, if you tell him, he runs like a machine."
While he was consuming 3,000-3,6000 calories a day, Ranveer's intake was 3,600 to 4,000 calories a day. The coach revealed that 600-700 calories were coming from protein shakes. Two protein shakes a day meant 1,200-1,500 calories. "He was eating a lot of chicken, rice, and red meat, like mutton, to incorporate close to 240 grams of protein a day," Mustafa said, revealing the diet of his co-star and friend.
For the first six weeks to two months of the schedule, he trained Ranveer, but when he got on the project as an actor, it became a little bit of an issue, considering the erratic shoot schedule. Mustafa has also trained his co-star and friend for Padmavat, for which he put on a lot of weight to play Sultan Alauddin Khilji. He also trained him for Gully Boy when he had to lose weight.
"He is very intelligent, he knows how to lean down," added Mustafa.
Praising his co-star, the fitness coach said, "He does weight training to help his breathing and build character. It is rare. Actors do it to pump themselves, but he does it as an artist, as an actor. He has figured out that it helps his breathing. It helps his body achieve firmness and build strength."
"We were training on sets to help his character, our character, look brutal. When you see him on screen, he looks capable enough to kill somebody," Mustafa further shared. During lunch breaks, he revealed that Ranveer would sometimes practise weight training before he would eat.
"It makes the trainer's job easy. You don't have to be after his life," he chuckled.
Ranveer Singh And Mustafa Ahmed Shot 16-18 Hours A Day
Those who have watched the film must have seen one of the climactic scenes in which we see Rizwan and Jaskirat in a pit, wrestling each other, while training to become formidable spies for India.
By the time the scene was shot, the two actors had lost a good chunk of the weight they had put on before. They trained well to ensure they only lost the extra weight while still looking fit to play the roles of young cadets.
"Imagine shooting for about 12 hours and then going and rehearsing for that action for about 6 hours, so we were literally working 16-18 hours a day," revealed Mustafa.
They shot that scene in Kasauli. The shoot location was a 30-45-minute drive. "Driving between shoot and rehearsal locations and coming back to the hotel, I used to feel as if I was going to pass out," the Dhurandhar 2 actor shared.
Ranveer and Mustafa had only a day to learn the choreography for the fight scene, and they practised it for 6 hours every day for four days before shooting in front of the camera. "It was completely worth it," Mustafa added with pride.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge released theatrically on March 19, 2026.
Also Read | Exclusive: Dhurandhar 2 Actor Mustafa Ahmed Shares How He Put On 6 Kg, Then Lost 8 Kg To Play Rizwan