Chennai, Nov 30 (IANS): Actor Atharvaa, who plays a hurdler in his forthcoming Tamil actioner "Eetti", trained with athletes who have participated in Commonwealth Games, to look and play his part in a convincing way.

"When I was required to play an athlete, I wanted to look like one, which was only possible if I trained like one. I trained with real athletes, underwent the same rigorous workout regime and spent months on getting the right physique to play a hurdler," Atharvaa told IANS.

Talking about his physical transformation, which also includes sporting six-pack abs, he said the whole process didn't happen overnight.

"I trained for nearly a year. My day would start as early as 3:30 a.m. with weight training. I'd do my hurdles training between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. This was followed by shooting, and I'd train again in the evening between 7 and 9 p.m.," he said, adding that he liked the idea of being fit.

"Although I'd get tired easily because of low fat percentage, I was happy living a healthy lifestyle," he added.

Atharvaa was shooting for two other films when he started training for "Eetti", and he admits it was tough to not let one project influence the other.

"I ensured there was no break in my workout schedule. Irrespective of shooting simultaneously for two projects, I still found time to train for 'Eetti'," he said.

He doesn't feel he pushed himself to the edge for the project.

"I'm too young to even draw a line and decided on things I shouldn't be doing. As an actor, it's my responsibility to see to that I do anything for the sake of my character," he added.

In the film, which is directed by Ravi Arasu, Atharvaa comes to Chennai from Thanjavur to participate in 110 meters hurdles race.

"The story is about the hurdles the protagonist faces before taking part in the race. It's a sports-oriented script with ample scope for action and romance," he said.

The film also stars Sri Divya, Jayaprakash and Aadukalam Naren in important roles.