I eat two kilos of apples and two dozen oranges everyday says TV’s Bheem - Saurav Singh Gurjar

It’s not easy to essay the character of Bheem, one of the pivotal characters in Indian mythology. But for Saurav Singh Gurjar, who plays the role in the telly show Mahabharat, an even bigger challenge is adjusting to life in a big city like Mumbai.

A kickboxing champion and a wrestler, Saurav is quintessentially a small-town boy from Madhya Pradesh. In fact, the offer to act was a big surprise for him. Says he, “Even my forefathers have been associated with wrestling, so being an actor was never on my mind. In fact, I find life in Mumbai tough. It’s very congested. There is no room to walk in apartments and people are always running around or looking out from small windows in their buildings.”

The actor also has to maintain his diet. Standing tall at 6 feet 8 inches, he weighs 135 kilos and is a vegetarian. He says, “My weight is proportionate to my height. Wrestlers in India generally weigh around 127 kilos. I have no medical problems.”

The production house, says Saurav, takes care of his diet. He says, “My day starts with one litre of milk and 45 pieces of soaked badam. For breakfast, I have around six aloo parathas. Lunch consists of one litre dal and dahi, lots of veggies and around 16 rotis. I consume a lot of fruits — around two kilos of apples and oranges everyday. Now, I have started drinking protein shakes too. My dinner is heavier than my lunch, because I can’t sleep without eating properly at night.”