Mystery of Abhishek's non-veg diet

Co-stars on the sets of Laaga Chunari Mein Daag who noticed the additional chicken-mutton fare said it was for his new look but they weren't sure what that was. "He's been tucking into the mutton as never before," one said.

Two theories emerged from this, the first of course being the Atkins weight loss method. This was given credence when Abhishek was heard saying he "wanted a body like Kunal Kapoor's". Kapoor, seen in Rang De Basanti, is slim but muscled.

Last year, Abhishek put on weight for Guru, where in the second half he sports a little paunch, but lost weight again for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

However, another of our khabris said Abhishek was doing this to put on weight to prepare for Sakar II, which begins its shoot on July 7 in Hyderabad. Sarkar II, though it will not carry the plot forward from the first part exactly, will feature Abhishek as the new Don and for that director Ram Gopal Varma might want him larger than he currently is.

Abhishek gets a large tiffin from home on the sets, which is stuffed with non-veg food. He is known to want demand, especially curry, for almost every meal. But since he returned from his honeymoon, the star has been attacking the meat.

"He's been taking a longer personal lunch session -- his tiffin's really that large," a member of the unit said. He added that this could not be for the current film, whose schedule will end soon. Laag Chunari... stars Rani Mukherjee opposite Abhishek.

Of the Bachchans, father Amitabh is a strict vegetarian who also gets a tiffin from home, but he's probably the only vegetarian in the family. Abhishek's bride Aishwarya is a Shetty and likes her fish. Mum Jaya Bachchan is Bengali and known to enjoy her non-veg food.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007