Zarine Khan told that she balances both workout and diet. Every person must give time to fitness. Even if it’s a 30-minute walk. Not because we have to compete or look a certain way. Just for its benefits. It keeps you healthy.
Zarine Khan made her Bollywood debut in 2010 with the film ‘Veer’. She has done movies like ‘Ready’, ‘Housefull 2’, ‘Hate Story 3’, ‘Aksar 2’, ‘Chanakya’. In these 14 years, she has undergone an amazing transformation. She once weighed 100 kg; today, her fitness inspires fans. The actress shared her fitness journey in a conversation with Aaj Tak.in. She also talked about marriage, social media trolling, pap culture, and films.
What is the secret of your fitness? Do you follow any special mantra?
I do not follow any mantra, I just try to stay fit. I have made fitness an important part of my life. Because when I was a teenager, I was very overweight. My weight was more than 100 kg. When I started the fitness journey, it gives a very good feeling. The body feels light, there are many benefits of this. Last year my weight increased a lot. I was going through a lot of stress. It affected my health. I gained a lot of weight. Then I started following it. Now I am fitter than last year. I am not in any competition. I do not compare myself with anyone.
It took me a long time to understand this, but now I am at peace with my body. Everyone’s body is different. Everyone’s fitness level is different. In such a situation, it is not right to punish yourself. Every person should definitely give time to fitness. Even if it is a 30-minute walk. Not because you have to compete or look a certain way. Just for its benefits. It keeps you healthy.
Zareen told that she balances both workout and diet. According to her, one cannot exist without the other. There are many people who spend hours in the gym, then come out and eat Pani Puri, Chaat. It is not that you should not eat it at all. You can eat it sometimes. But it is important to balance it.
Have you ever followed any weird diet plan?
When I was 100 kgs and was trying to lose weight, I followed many diets. There was a time when I was on liquids for about 5 days. So that the weight could be reduced quickly. Then I followed a diet for 1 week in which you have to eat different food every day. In the end, you lose up to 3 kgs. I have done a lot of crazy things. But now I am happy. With age, understanding increases and you are satisfied with yourself. Now I am in the content zone. Right now there is a lot of information available on the internet. When I was a teenager, there was no social media or internet. Right now every dietician is giving tips on Insta. Now people can explore knowledge through many mediums. They should try to get information from the right source.
Body-shaming or age-shaming has become common on social media. How do you deal with such negativity?
It doesn’t matter to me. These trolls are faceless accounts. You don’t even know if they exist in reality or not. I believe that if someone leaves a comment on your account, life is so busy, and he is taking out time from it to comment on your account. It means that you are secretly in love with me. You are commenting to get my attention. I sympathize with trolls. I think trolls are irritated in their reality, no one pays them any attention in life, so they vent their anger by writing negative comments. Therefore, their words should not be taken seriously.
Many actresses have raised questions on paps clicking photos in a wrong way. Have you ever experienced something like this?
I am outspoken. Paps know this. I have not been clicked from such a weird angle. If I felt something like this, I would have stopped them right there. This is a two-way process. I believe that there are many actresses who deliberately wear such clothes so that they can attract people towards themselves. They can get attention. I don’t think everyone is comfortable with getting shot in a particular way. Shoot them the way they are comfortable. One good thing about our paps is that if you refuse them, they agree. They don’t force anything. They listen to you. I have seen abroad that paps don’t listen to you. They do what they have to do. Our paps share a good relationship with the actors.
Which director or actor do you wish to work with?
I wish to work with many people. Unfortunately, I haven’t got a chance yet. I hope these people will give me a chance to work. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is my favourite director. The canvas he creates, like he did in ‘Heeramandi’. Costumes, sets, everything was beautiful. I am a big fan of Imtiaz Ali’s work. He makes soulful cinema. Rajkumar Hirani, he makes different films. Anurag Kashyap, I am a big fan of him too, the kind of realistic cinema he makes. He is the one who brought the culture of realistic cinema to Hindi cinema.
Wedding season is going on in Bollywood. What are your wedding plans?
I am not in this race. The way all the actors are getting married. I don’t know if they are doing it for real or under pressure. I believe in companionship. Two people should stay together and be happy. Nowadays, they stay together for three months, then they fight and break up. I don’t believe in such things. I believe in life-long love. Like our grandparents’ relationship.
They loved each other, fought, but still wanted to stay together for life. They didn’t end their relationship. It seems that people have lost patience now. They don’t want to put in an effort in their relationship. This is the current trend.
These are the times, people are so stressed in their lives that they don’t put effort into their relationships. I want a relationship like the one in my grandfather’s time. I won’t get married until I get that. I haven’t found anyone like that yet.
