If you have ever struggled to finish a two-egg omelette, wait till you hear this – Prabhas used to eat up to 30 eggs a day. Yes, you read that right. For most of us, that is enough protein for a week, but for the Telugu superstar, it was just part of his daily routine while preparing for one of Indian cinema's biggest blockbusters – Baahubali. The dedication behind that sculpted physique did not come easy, and neither did the diet. But that is the level of effort Prabhas put in to bring director SS Rajamouli's vision to life on screen.
The actor, who turns 46 today, became a nationwide sensation after his powerful dual roles in Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). His transformation, both physical and emotional, was central to the film's success. And while fans were in awe of his warrior-like build, few knew what it really took to achieve it.
During an interview with Film Companion South in August 2019, while promoting his action thriller Saaho, Prabhas shared a glimpse into his intense diet and how he later had to undo all that muscle. He addressed the long-standing rumour that he ate 40 eggs daily during Baahubali training. “No, I can't eat 40 eggs and all, but I had a lot of eggs. Maybe 20 in a day. Because it's very hard to eat 20 eggs, 30 eggs, sometimes, so we need to mix it with protein in mixie, have like a juice – so it doesn't smell so bad – and boiled eggs... you can't have so many eggs. Eating… it's like frustrating after some time,” the superstar said.
Once the Baahubali phase was over, Prabhas shared that he switched gears completely for Saaho. The superstar had to shed his bulky warrior look to achieve a leaner, sharper silhouette. Prabhas said, “No, Saaho is like... wanted to become slim after Bahubali, there's so much muscle we gain. So, I went on a vegetarian diet for months to lose weight. Lose the muscle and all, only vegetarian, even vegetarian protein, so it helped to lose weight... (For) Bahubali, because the muscle which we grew, we grew it for months, years… so I want to reduce all that.”
From 30 eggs a day to a full vegetarian diet – Prabhas's journey shows that behind every larger-than-life role is a routine that is anything but easy.