From cycling 10 kms daily to sweating it out at gym for three months, Khan’s rigorous prep chronicled by Tiger Zinda Hai director
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 6, 2017)

After doing a few human dramas in the past two years, Salman Khan is returning to his home turf — action — with Tiger Zinda Hai. Well aware that the spy thriller, replete with its high- octane action sequences, would be physically demanding on him, the actor had to undergo intensive prep.

Director Ali Abbas Zafar reveals that Khan hit the gym three months before the film went on floors, to attain the muscular look. “Salman has really pushed himself for the part. He started working out three months before we began the shoot in Austria, to ensure that he had the fitness level that a film like this demands of you,” he says.

With a significant portion of the Katrina Kaif-starrer being shot in the snow-capped mountains of Austria, the director points out that altitude training was one of the biggest challenges for Khan. “He had to undergo altitude training, before he could attempt the daring stunts that had to be shot in the Alps. Salman would also cycle the 10-kilometre distance to the set and we all know it’s not easy to cycle in such harsh environments.”

A source reveals that the superstar also altered his diet to a high- protein, no carbs one in his bid to maintain the beefed-up physique. “Salman struck sugar off his diet altogether and also cut down on his intake of salt.”

Recalling Khan’s dedication to his fitness, Zafar adds that the actor treated himself to a cheat day only after the project wrapped up. “Salman had a special diet charted out — one that kept him agile. He paid minute attention to whatever he was eating throughout the shoot. The cheat day came in the last schedule in Greece!”