‘Aditya Chopra asked me to tone up’: Tanishaa Mukerji recalls hormonal imbalance struggle

Actor Tanishaa Mukerji recently opened up about the physical transformation she underwent for the 2005 film Neal 'n' Nikki and revealed that the intense process later affected her health. The actor shared that filmmaker Aditya Chopra had asked her to tone her body for the role, following which she pushed herself through a strict fitness routine.

Speaking during an interview with Mamaraazzi, Tanishaa recalled being called for a screen test despite already working in films at the time. She said Aditya Chopra had earlier given her career advice which she did not follow, but during Neal ’n’ Nikki, she decided to trust his vision completely.

Talking about her first photoshoot for the film, Tanishaa revealed that Aditya was direct about her appearance. Recalling the moment, she said, “My first photo session for Neal ‘n’ Nikki, I had all these love handles and he was like, ‘No, you can’t look like this. You need to be toned.’”

The actor further shared that she became extremely focused on transforming herself physically. “After that first photo session, I just went crazy and I transformed my body because I was so focused on reaching that ultimate goal and then he was like, ‘Yes, this is Nikki’,” she added.

However, Tanishaa admitted that the intense fitness and diet routine eventually impacted her health. She said she later faced hormonal imbalance because maintaining such a strict lifestyle for a long period became difficult.

The actor also reflected on the criticism Neal ’n’ Nikki received after its release in 2005. Directed by Arjun Sablok, the film faced backlash from audiences and critics at the time.

Tanishaa said she never blamed herself for the film’s response and instead tried to understand audience criticism objectively. “The audience has every right to criticise,” she said, while also noting that actors often work within the limits set by directors and filmmakers during production.