Ranbir Kapoor says Shamshera 'toughest film' of his career

Ranbir Kapoor is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film Shamshera.

In a recent interview, when Ranbir was asked about his physical transformation in the film, he said that the entire process was tough physically and mentally. He added that it is the toughest film of his career. Shamshera will hit the theatres on 22 July. 

Shamshera is set in the 1800s in the fictitious city of Kaza, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved and tortured by a ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh (played by Sanjay Dutt). It is the story of Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor), who became a slave, a slave who became a leader, and then a legend for his tribe. He fights for his tribe's freedom and dignity.

In an interview with India Today, Ranbir said, "I think physical transformation has just become an occupational hazard now. It is a visual medium. Especially if you do films of this nature where you are playing quintessential hero, you have to look physically fit. Having said that, this is a period 1800 film, so there was a particular body shape and presentation that Karan very clearly wanted from this part."

He added, "Apart from that, it has definitely been the toughest film of my career. It was tough physically and mentally while playing two characters and trying to match Karan's imagination and his vision of them. He was so clear of how he wanted both these characters portrayed and that was really hard for me because it is not something that naturally comes to me. It is something way out of my lane. I had a lot of help from Karan, from hair and makeup teams and from the cast and crew. I think we have really managed to make both characters very distinct and very engaging. You will feel for both the characters, you will have empathy for them and you will also cheer for them."

The film is directed by Karan Malhotra and produced by Aditya Chopra. It is set to release in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on 22 July.