Siddharth P Malhotra chronicles going from fat to fit, for the fourth time
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 17, 2020)

Anyone who has battled the bulge will vouch that incidents that hit closer to home work as motivators to start an active lifestyle. For Hichki director Siddharth P Malhotra, it was his inability to seamlessly work on his web series Kaafir in high altitudes that served as a trigger. "We had landed for the shoot and I realised that even reaching the hotel from the airport was difficult because I weighed 127 kilos. If I have to direct my film, things must change. If I couldn't even walk properly for two minutes, how would I lead the cast?" says the director, who shaved off 40 kilos.

Apart from his trainer, Malhotra owes his transformation to Rohit Roy, who gave him a regimen to follow. "I was on a diet and I walked 10,000 steps a day. Four months into this programme, I hit the gym. When you lose weight, you develop loose skin. Gradually, when you notice how clothes fit and get compliments, you are further motivated. I have lost about 30 kilos three times, only to gain it all back. I don't want that to happen again. It is a challenge to make the healthy food taste as good as junk food. And [nutritionist] Jaydeep Bhuta made sure that I lose weight and still eat my favourite foods."