PHOTOS: Top Actors who went bald for a role

It's not always easy to be true to a role, specially if it requires a drastic physical change. And yet actors in India and Hollywood have undertaken bold physical transformations to be true to a character.

While Shilpa Shetty managed with prosthetics when she had to shave her head off for a Buddhist monk's role in the Indo-Chinese film "The Desire", Antara Mali went all the way and shaved off her head for her monk's role in Amol Palekar's "And Once Again".

It's another matter that Antara'a dedication has not been witnessed by anyone as yet as the film lies in the cans.

So is it worth an actor's efforts to go all-out for a role? Here are ten actors who have gone clean shaven, bald or nearly bald for a part:

Aamir Khan ("Ghajini"): The striped head-shave which made Aamir look like an Irish punk was so cool, but it was scary. Aamir went around without most of his hair for a good seven to eight months to look the part of the memory-challenged beefed-up avenger who has nothing to lose in life expect his life. The tonsured head was Aamir's idea. When he was signed for the role, no one expected him to go so closely by the script, even if he was Aamir Khan.

Jake Gyllenhaal ("End Of Watch"): Not completely bald...but close enough, Jake Gyllenhaal wanted that scruffy-head look for his role of a gritty cop in Los Angeles on a tough beat. Off went the long tresses. He apparently liked his near-hairless look so much that he kept it going even after the shooting was over.

Salman Khan ("Tere Naam"): This guy never acts. He just stands in front of the camera and is his natural self. Audiences love him for that. Physical transformations, beards and wigs are a complete no-no for Salman. The one exception was Satish Kaushik's "Tere Naam" where Salman agreed to tonsure his head to look convincing as a tortured inmate in a mental asylum.

Matt Damon ("Elysium"): For his futuristic part in Neil Blokamp's film, Matt shaved off his head completely. Apparently, he was advised by his marketing team not to do so as it would affect his equity. But Matt was adamant. He spent four hours every day in the gym perfecting his body langage and his personality for the role.

Arjun Rampal ("Ra.One"): To play the villain, you've got to sacrifice your vanity. Considered quite a prominent pin-up boy in Bollywood, Arjun shaved off and hid his hairless head under caps for as long as he shot for the superhero film.
 

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