Actor Vikram Mastal says he was too thin to play the mighty deity Hanuman in "Ramayan", to begin with.
On how he bagged the role, Vikram said: "I had visited Anand Sagar's office where the auditions for 'Ramayan' were taking place. I had thought of auditioning for the character of Meghnath. However, the casting director asked me to randomly pick up a script for the audition and I ended up delivering Hanuman's dialogues."
The show's makers loved his audition so much that they offered him Hanuman's role.
"However, I was skeptical to play the role of Hanuman due to my lean body. At that time, I was told that my track would appear after 6 months. Therefore, I should build my body by then. Considering that I was a beginner in the industry, I didn't have the necessary financial support to afford supplements or go to the gym. Anand sir then offered me Rs 20,000 per month for my workout sessions and supplements," said the actor.
Talking about how the producer took efforts to build a character, Vikram said: "Anand ji made sure I looked like Hanuman in a matter of six months. His compassion and dedication for his work motivated me to build my body. I went from 76 kilos to a 101 kilos to look like Hanuman."
Anand Sagar's "Ramayan" originally aired from January 2008 and ran till June 2009, and is currently airing on Dangal TV.