Mumbai, Jan 31 (IANS): Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says essaying role of a paraplegic in "Bypass Road" has turned out to be challenging.

Paraplegic is paralysis that affects all or part of the torso, legs and pelvic organs.

"It's been a challenging role because firstly the film is a thriller plus my character is that of a paraplegic," Neil said in a statement.

"There has been a major physical transformation as well because I was in great shape for 'Saaho' but for this role I had to gain weight. A man who is wheelchair bound can't have six packs, we had to make it look realistic," he added.

"Bypass Road" marks the directorial debut of Neil's younger brother Naman Nitin Mukesh. It also stars Adah Sharma, Gul Panag and Rajit Kapur. The film is a thriller drama, which is jointly produced by NNM Films and Madan Paliwal of MIRAJ.

Neil, who has turned a writer and a producer with the film, said there was a "lot of research that went into the equipment used".

He said: "Since I have gained weight pushing myself was also tough, I had my trainer on set because the shoulder goes for a toss. We shoot for 16-17 hours a day and there are action sequences in the wheelchair.

"Besides that you have make sure the camera is following you correctly so you need to control the speed. So there's a great amount of detailing that's gone into this role."

The actor added that "95 per cent of the film is complete. And the project is nearing a wrap. Indian cinema hasn't seen a film like this one and we are hoping for a great launch".