Chocolate boy Imran Khan has been asked to gain weight for his role in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola" and to join an akhada to build his body.

Since Bharadwaj wants the actor to sport a rustic and rugged look, the lean looking Imran has chosen to sweat it out at the old style gym, where people build their bodies working out in mud, without using machines.

Imran has found an old akhada in Juhu and has started working out there, said a source.

Bhardwaj is known for making his actors go through an image makeover. If it was Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi in "Omkara", Bharadwaj made Shahid Kapur sport two different looks in "Kaminey".

So no wonder, he wants Imran to fit well in his new project, which was to feature Ajay Devgn earlier.

"Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola" also features Anushka Sharma.