Chennai, April 15 : Actor Gautham Karthik, who plays one of the leads in director Manu Anand's eagerly awaited spy thriller Mr X, has now put out a video that showed him sweating it out at the gym, and said that preparing for #MrX had been one of the greatest transformative journeys of his life.

Taking to his Instagram page to post the video, Gautham Karthik wrote, "Nine months of blood, sweat and tears, pushing through limitations, resisting cravings, chasing consistency and overcoming old injuries. With the help of my trainer @aestheticyogi, preparing for #MrX has been one of the greatest transformative journeys of my life. Forever grateful to my director and dear friend @iammanuanand for trusting me with the role."

It may be recalled that only recently, actor Arya, who plays the other lead in the film, had disclosed how he had to go to extraordinary lengths to do a pivotal underwater sequence in the film.

The sequence â?? the film's opening shot â?? was filmed in a 20-foot deep diving pool in Mumbai. Sources close to the unit say that the actor descended 20 feet into ice-cold water, bare-bodied, holding his breath for a sequence that director Manu Anand had claimed was unlike anything Tamil cinema had attempted before.

For the unaware, most underwater sequences in Indian cinema are filmed at a depth of six feet using submerged stages.

For Mr X, sources claim that was not an option. The sequence required Arya to descend to 20 feet to authentically simulate the deep ocean â?? a depth that brought extreme physical challenges, most significantly the temperature of the water, which hovered between 15 and 16 degrees.

Arya had said, "As we go deeper, the temperature of the water reduces â?? it was around 15 to 16 degrees, ice-cold water. Performing the scene bare-bodied, the body shouldn't shiver. Controlling the shivering while holding my breath for 30 to 40 seconds of action was an immense task for me."

Arya, reflecting on the process, had said, "At the end of the day, when you see it on screen, I am very happy about the output of the sequence. When people watch the film, they will understand the significance of this sequence"

Mr X is based on seven real incidents that took place in India between 1965 and 2023. Produced by Maverik Movies Pvt Ltd and Prince Pictures, the film also stars Gautham Karthik, Manju Warrier and Sarathkumar and others. The film is set to release worldwide in theatres on April 17 this year.

/IANS