A popular notion in the fitness community is that if you wish to know whether or not a person practices CrossFit, you need not do much. Why? Because a person who practices CrossFit will brag about doing so anyway, at every afforded opportunity. Anupam Kher, 66, seems to be in the midst of a similar phase in his life. He speaks about fitness with child-like enthusiasm, admitting that having dedicatedly taken to it only six years ago, he considers being the muse of a fitness-related interview, a “cheap thrill”. Out and about with his “young friends” like Varun Dhawan and Aditya Roy Kapur, his relatively newly acquired interest makes him “contemporary”, and now an active participant in conversations about training. Ever-so-often, he finds joy in asking his colleagues to “touch my biceps” to monitor his progress, or notice his shirts becoming tighter.

Unlike the array of actors bagging negative roles in Bollywood, Kher says his formative years were not defined by the need to look bulky. “[Anti-heroes] like my character, Dr Dang [Karma], were [cerebral]. They had to look like normal human beings. Also, the other negative characters that I played were of the kind that didn’t require me to gain weight. I was usually the mama or taya of another character. Also, what worked to my advantage was that I started my career playing characters that were older than I was at the time. I played a 65-year-old when I was 28, played Hema Malini’s father, and grandfather to Rishi [Kapoor] and Anil [Kapoor]. That was an advantage. Because, as years passed, people didn’t see me as a [young man growing old].”

At his heaviest at 94 kilos six years ago, Kher realised he had been looking fuller, and decided to train his focus on a fitness routine. After a fair share of trial and error — involving walking excessively to clock 10,000 steps, then 15,000 and subsequently, 20,000, on his fitness tracker — and ending up with a knee injury, he sought professional help. An amalgamation of walking, yoga practice and weight-training helped him knock off 11 kilos. “At parties, people praised me for the way I looked. That is intoxicating. Being fit has made me approach my roles with a different attitude. Sharing posts on Instagram implies that by making my journey accessible to the public, I am more inclined to stick to my routine. No one will want to see me [out of shape] again.”

Kher talks about his love for food and sweets with adulation. “What’s a Gujarati thaali without aamras, or roti without ghee?” he asks, pulling up a piece of chocolate and stating that should he give into his temptation, this would be his second indulgence in the day. “But, I am generally disciplined. I don’t like to drink, and don’t smoke. I think walking is an amazing exercise. When I was in New York, I loved to walk. I also prefer walking in hill stations.” 

I begin the day with: Water and saffron that has been stored overnight in a copper vessel. I follow it up with soaked almonds and walnuts.

My preferred choice of breakfast: Poha or one paratha. In the day, I also consume coconut water. 

Eating pattern I prefer: I eat every two hours. I cannot take to a format like intermittent fasting, where all that you think about for 24 hours is food. 

Foods I enjoy: I prefer eating rice over roti, as has been recommended to me. I enjoy Gujarati and Bengali food.