Riz Ahmed discusses the physical requirements of his character in “Mogul Mowgli”

Riz Ahmed, who plays Mogul Mowgli in the upcoming film Mogul Mowgli, has opened up about how he had to lose 22 pounds in just three weeks to get into character.

The Oscar-nominated actor, who is 38 years old, says he was able to accomplish so with the help of professional dieticians.

“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was really grueling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie,” he said to IndieWire.

“That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger,” he added.

The film Mogul Mowgli, which Ahmed co-wrote with director Bassam Tariq, revolves around the life of Zed, a British-Pakistani rapper who has been stricken with a degenerative autoimmune disease.

When discussing the physical challenges of the role, the Sound of Metal star quoted fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya.

“Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead,’” the British actor said. “I think that’s true. Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centers you, and you can perform in that place.”