Most of you may be familiar with Kumail Nanjiani as the actor and stand-up comedian who starred in 2017's rom-com, The Big Sick.
The Oscar-nominated film was loosely based on his relationship with now-wife Emily V. Gordon, with whom he co-wrote the screenplay.
Nanjiani is also known for his work on HBO's Silicon Valley and starring with Dave Bautista in the mismatched pair comedy, Stuber.
Last year, TIME named Nanjiani as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
What many people do not realize is that the 41-year-old Pakistani-American has a jacked body.
Like, the guy is seriously chiseled with a fiercely pumped physique.
But how were we to know? His bod has remained mostly obscured from the public over the years with a variety of sensible shirts. Until now.
The public got a hint of his strong physique when his bulging biceps peeking from his short sleeves caused whiplash from fans attending D23—Disney's bi-annual fan club exposition—where he promoted his new Marvel movie The Eternals.
Like Jarett Wieselman says, he did not see this coming.
The Jack-of-all-trades entertainer audaciously tantalized followers with a shirtless pic on Instagram, where he downplayed his ripped abs with some facts and honesty.
It all started when he discovered he was cast in the upcoming superhero movie The Eternals.
"I never thought I'd be one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless, but I've worked way too hard for way too long so here we are."
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
He realized it was time to make changes to his physique and threw down the gauntlet.
Behold: a beefed-up Kumail Nanjiani – body-builder/comedian extraordinaire who can crush you with his wit.
"I found out a year ago I was going to be in Marvel's 'Eternals' and decided I wanted to transform how I looked."
But he couldn't do it on his own.
Fortunately for him, Hollywood financed his goals.
"I would not have been able to do this if I didn't have a full year with the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world."
"I'm glad I look like this, but I also understand why I never did before."
He gave a shout-out to his team of trainers who got him well-acquainted with pain and soreness from months of training sessions.
Most importantly, the actor was grateful to the team for keeping him free from injury.
"It would have been impossible without these resources and time. So big thanks to @grantrobertsfit who started working with me at the beginning of the year and made me understand true physical pain for months and months."
"Then, once we started shooting, a massive thanks to @davidhigginslondon and his team (@ellispartridge, @thebeardypt, @tomcheesemanfitness) for training me almost every day and making me strong, limber and injury-free."
While people were fawning over the hunk, one fan acknowledged this major milestone.
Fans of Silicon Valley—in which Nanjiani plays Java programmer Dinesh Chugtai—are looking forward to seeing some sort of irreverent nod to his newly beefy bod.
We have a new moniker for the almighty Kumail Nanjiani.
And while he may appear intimidating and dominant on the outside, some things about him remain the same.
Nanjiani joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as swordsman Kingo in The Eternals and will be joined by cast mates Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden and Kit Harington.
The next action-packed successor to The Avengers as a part of Marvel's Phase Four slate of films centers on the female hero Sersi and will feature a predominantly female cast.
The film, directed b Chloé Zhaois, is scheduled for a November 6, 2020 release.
At the end of his Instagram post, "Strongiani" thanked his wife Emily for putting up with his daily dialogue about diet and fitness in preparation for his role and ensured:
"I promise I'll be interesting again some day."
Sounds like the humble actor still has his self-deprecating sense of humor on flex.
Nanjiani's film The Big Sick is available here.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
