In town on Tuesday to promote his film I, actor Vikram shared some interesting facts about the three characters he plays in the romantic thriller.

He was on a strict diet for the film as he had to put on weight for one character and also become ultra-thin for another character. “It is difficult to put on weight and then lose it,” says Vikram

He went on a strict diet for almost eight months. “When I was on diet my wife worried a lot and she would ask me to stop my diet,” says the actor.

“When Shankar sir narrated the story I was very excited and I wanted to do something on my part. These opportunities come once in a while, so I decided to take up a diet,” he says.

Director Shankar told Vikram that make-up and graphics could be used to get the effect, but Vikram wanted to do it for real. “Some-times I had just half an apple in two hours and a small piece of egg with little rice. I would go mad with hunger after 10 in the night,” he says.

Talking about the look, he says that it took five hours for make-up on the first day. “From then on, it took four-and-half-hours and then it reduced to a minimum of three hours. Removing the make-up took one-and-half-hour and that too with four people working on it,” reveals Vikram, adding that the character of beast required make-up on the entire body.

He added that any actor in his position would have done the same as the character created by Shankar was exciting. “The entire team stayed together for almost three years. Some of them got other offers, but they didn’t take,” he says.