Arjun Kapoor who made a mega debut with Parineeti Chopra stunned us with his sheer weight loss journey. The actor lost 40-45 kgs before he made his debut, and has always been an inspiration for the youngsters.
Saying that here we have brought you the time when Arjun Kapoor spoke on weight issues, and his words of wisdom are what you need to note down.
He said, to India Today, “I have done it once before. I lost 45-50 kgs before I started Ishaqzaade. It took me 4 years. I was very diligent and patient. And then over the course of my career, I was looking good and doing well. There was a point when my health issues caught up with me. I was running like a hamster and didn’t know what is happening. We sometimes don’t realise how we torture ourselves. Some people like sprinting, some prefer walking. I kind of got caught up trying to sprint when maybe I’m better at walking. That had made me successfully tackle my obesity. Now, when the lockdown happened, I realised I need to do what is right for me rather than follow a fad.”
He added, on being bullied for his size, saying, ” remember being very okay with my size. I never had an issue with myself. I was not one of those who are very conscious. I was fine and used to embrace it how it was. How I reached there? It was over one summer. I was never a fat kid. I had chubby cheeks, which I still do have when I smile. And one summer, when my parents were separating and there were issues, I found solace in food. That kind of changed how I led my life. I became okay with the way I looked because that was my way of hiding, eating and enjoying and trying to find some happiness in life while there was a lot of sadness around me. I never felt that anybody could bully me. What you guys call a sense of humour, was actually self-defence. Because before anybody could take me on, I always had the wit and gift of the gag to always have something ready to give back. I had my sisters in school. So I became everybody’s brother. I had Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor with me in school. So I was always a protective kind of a guy, which seems to follow me around now also. I was a safe guy to tie to.”
When asked what tips he would like to give to youngsters on dealing with body shaming, he said, “The problem is that being fit is equated to being thin. You have to look a certain way to be perceived that you are fit. India, as a society, has issues with colour, size and structure. In my case, I have a broad built and I’m proud of it. I have legs that are European and American in size. I’m a big structured guy. No other guy in my generation, in my age group, has the kind of structure that I have. I’m unique and different and I have embraced it. But that doesn’t mean that I should be unfit. I should take care of myself. Today, society has to realise and understand that you cannot put other people down. You have to educate them and make them understand that you are okay the way you are. But that doesn’t mean that you go into a dark hole. You might be slightly overweight. So try to make efforts towards bettering yourself. Thin doesn’t mean you are fit. I have seen thin people who can barely walk without getting tired.”