Actor Jaideep Ahlawat had to lose 26.7 kg over a period of five months for his role in Siddharth P Malhotra’s latest Netflix drama Maharaj, he said in a social media post on Monday.

“From 109.7 kg to 83 kg in 5 months. That’s the physical transformation for the role of Maharaj. Thank you Prajwal Sir for believing in me @prajwal7542,” wrote Jaideep on Instagram, alongside a bunch of then-and-now pictures highlighting his transformation.

In Maharaj, which marks Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s acting debut, Jaideep Ahlawat plays godman Jadunath Maharaj, who, in the name of tradition, compels his female followers to perform the ritual of ‘charan seva’, a euphemism for sex.

Junaid, on the other hand, plays Karsandas Mulji, a writer and reformer resolved to challenge the godman’s might. Drawn from real life, the movie focuses on the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 argued in the Supreme Court of India.

The official synopsis of the film on IMDb reads, “Set in the 1800s, it narrates how a regular man, journalist by profession, takes on a powerful role model of society, hailed by many as a messiah for the masses. The fearless reporter wields his pen to go toe-to-toe with this spotless figure of the community in a bid to uncover a series of incidents that shake the very foundation of society. This period drama is an ode to mankind's spirit to do good, to pursue and discover truth at any cost and to fight for humanity. It shows how one person's will to affect positive social change can triumph over all evil and bring those in power to justice.”

Based on the book Maharaj by Saurabh Shah, the film, produced under the banner of YRF, had an interim stay imposed on its release by the Gujarat High Court, which cited that the film could hurt the religious sentiments of a certain section of society. However, the stay order was later lifted.

Originally scheduled for release on June 14, the film finally premiered on Netflix on June 21. Maharaj also stars Shalini Pandey and Sharvari Wagh.