MUMBAI: Actor Himanshu Malhotra was recently seen playing the role of a fierce 13th-century warrior, Rasool Khan, in Kesari Veer, and he confessed that it took a toll on him not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too.
He shared, “Playing a historical character is definitely a challenge. The entire environment changes—your costume, the drama, the setting—all of it becomes larger than life. We were shooting for Kesari Veer, which is set back in the 13th–14th century. I play a warrior in the show, so the preparation had to be both physiological and psychological.”
The actor mentioned that Rasool Khan was an antagonist, and the emotional and mental prep became even more intense. He said, “For a contemporary role, you often draw from personal experiences. But with a historical character, you can only read, research, and try to imbibe the essence of someone who lived in a completely different time. In this case, I’m playing Rasool Khan—a ruthless warrior. So yes, it definitely takes a toll.”
To get into character, he had to train in dual-handed sword fighting—using both left and right hands. He said, “Rasool Khan is ferocious, so physically I had to transform. Emotionally and mentally, too, it was demanding. But as an artist, these challenges are what we live for—to push boundaries, to reinvent ourselves.”
In fact, Himanshu has to undergo physical transformation for the role, which he admitted was grueling. “Physically transforming your body—expanding or contracting it—is no joke. Rasool Khan had to look broad and imposing, as a warrior would in those times. That meant eating more than my body was used to and pushing through intense calisthenics—400–500 push-ups a day, weighted dips and pull-ups, and hours of training for months. The body needs rest, massages, recovery—it’s not easy.”
But he was comfortable with the language, as the actor is well versed in Urdu. He said, “I know Urdu well; I’ve read and written poetry in it for years. So, that helped. But emotionally becoming Rasool Khan—someone so distant from my own nature—was definitely tough. I even created a backstory for him. I imagined love as his core driving force—he would kill or die for his brother. That belief gave his ruthlessness a human layer.”
Despite the challenges, he mentioned that playing a historical character is a little easier, and he is back to his real self once the costume and makeup are off. “For instance, when I was playing Rana in a contemporary setting—wearing just shorts and a T-shirt—those lines blurred. But in historical roles, everything feels far removed from your real life,” he said.
“When we were shooting in Karjat, once I got back to the hotel and changed, I automatically felt like myself again. The language also created distance—in the show, we used Urdu, Hindi, Pashto, and even some Arabic. That stark contrast helps keep things separate,” Himanshu ended.
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