Odiyan star Mohanlal looks decades younger after weight loss

Malayalam Superstar Mohanlal has swept his fans off their feet by achieving an impressive body transformation for his upcoming film Odiyan. The actor on Saturday showed up at a public event in Kochi wearing a dark-blue polo t-shirt coupled with jeans looking at least 20 years younger than his actual age. The actor has lost a significant amount of body weight due to a strict weight loss regime that was designed by a team of international fitness experts. He had to get a leaner look to play the younger version of Odiyan Manikyan.

Mohanlal had enlisted the help of a team of fitness experts, including masseurs, yoga masters and dermatologists from France. His workout routine also included high-intensity exercises. The actor reportedly lost about 18 kgs in two months and will start shooting for the final schedule of Odiyan soon. In the film, Mohanlal plays the last surviving member of a tribal community called Odiyan in Kerala that lived in Palakkad-Malabar region. "Odiyan is a different entertainment film. A person can transform into an animal. It's a trick. It will be a treat for the audience," the 57-year-old actor said while talking about his film earlier. The members of the Odiyan community made a living by scaring people in the dark for others. Odiyan also stars Manju Warrier and Prakash Raj in important roles.

Director Shrikumar Menon revealed that Superstar Rajinikanth phoned Mohanlal to congratulate him on his body transformation.

The makers of Odiyan released a teaser recently unveiling the young avatar of Mohanlal from the film.

Mohanlal will continue to work with the fitness experts from France for the next couple of years in preparation for his next film The Mahabharata/Randamoozham, in which he plays the role of Bheema.

Mohanlal will take training in martial arts as there are several battle sequences in the two-part mythological film The Mahabharata/ Randamoozham, which will be made on a Rs 1000 crore budget.