I used the lockdown to transform myself and learn acting so I could play the villain: Mathi

This

lockdown

has been a time for self-introspection for many. It’s no different for

Mathi

, who decided to work on his body, take up acting courses online and finally turn villain in films! He will be playing an antagonist in his production, Arun Vijay’s

Boxer

, and also in choreographer Bobby Antony’s debut directorial.

“We’d actually planned a long schedule of Hansika’s Maha from March 25, and on March 23, the lockdown was announced. My family stays in Delhi, and I was alone in Chennai. There were no house helps around. So I decided to use that time to get in shape,” says Mathi, “I used to train in the gym, but they were shut. So, I trained the traditional way – two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. I jogged and used bodyweight to get in shape. I’m a hardcore non-vegetarian, but I stuck to pure vegetarian south Indian food, complete with a serving of rice and a lot of vegetables. I was 90 kilos before, and now, I’m 64.7kg!”

Mathi signed up for an acting course online in April. “It’s conducted by a Norway-based company and is different from traditional acting methods. For instance, if you have to cry, you have to do so without making any noise. It’s interesting,” he adds.

When the lockdown was eased earlier this month, he did a photoshoot. “That’s when Boxer’s director Vivek walked in, and asked me to play a role in our film,” he reveals, “We’d already spoken to Anurag Kashyap for the role, and were ready to make the announcements. But there were certain logistical issues. Arun Vijay has three looks in the film, and he had bulked up for one of them. He shot that portions and then went on to complete Mafia: Chapter 1. He also shot for his other films. Now, he will require at least 60 days to bulk up and look like an MMA boxer, and then has to reduce weight again. We can’t ask Anurag to wait for that long. So, Vivek asked me to do that role. We spoke to Arun, and he was also excited. I don’t have to fight Arun’s character in the film. I play his manager, who has to keep track of all his fighting assignments for the contract period, but when he decides to do something on his own, I turn against him. I’ve already shot for a day for Bobby’s film before lockdown, and I’m looking forward to work on these two films now.”