‘Jr NTR was looking frail, pale but he didn’t stop’

Prashanth said that around a year and a half ago, they were ready to start filming, and just before that, they did a look test with Jr NTR. However, Prashanth felt that his look could be modified so he told the actor, “I told him that if you became thinner for the role of the assassin, it would help.” As soon as he said, the actor became “unstoppable.”

“He didn’t shoot for the next four months, and he lost about 15 kgs at one point of time. I asked him to stop many times in between because he started looking frail and became paler but he didn’t stop,” he shared and added, “His wife was upset with me, his mother was upset with me, all his friends were upset with me. Everybody who knew him was upset with me. My whole team was upset with me, but I told them that was not my doing. I just told him to lose a little bit of weight, and he went berserk with it.”

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‘All the blame was put on me’

Prashanth said that for the next four months, they watched him “suffer and he suffered a lot.” He shared that after the actor lost a lot of weight in the first two months, everyone was worried, but he did not stop. “We were very worried. All the blame was put on me,” he said.

When asked if the body transformation was done under the supervision of experts and trainers, he said that after he first discussed the transformation with Jr NTR, his trainer arrived in the next 30 minutes, and he started his process the next morning. “We had to postpone our shoot by a few months, but we were more than happy with the result at the end of the day,” he said.

Jr NTR’s trainer said the actor did not use Ozempic

Previously, in a chat with Deccan Chronicle, Jr NTR’s trainer Kumar Mannava clarified that the actor did not take any Ozempic-like drugs to shed the weight. He also shared that the actor lost 9.5 kgs over seven weeks

Dragon is set to release in June 2027. Alongside Jr NTR, the film also stars Anil Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Rukmini Vasanth, Biju Menon, among others.

DISCLAIMER: This article covers a drastic physical transformation for a film role. Rapid weight loss protocols can carry significant health and wellness risks; they are tailored to specific individuals under strict professional supervision and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical or fitness advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider or certified nutritionist before attempting any extreme diet or weight loss regimen.