Despite his food restrictions for next Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan raids mother's fridge to satisfy midnight cravings
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; September 30, 2019)

Over the past five months, Aamir Khan has been following a vegan diet in his bid to lose 20 kilos for Laal Singh Chaddha, the remake of Forrest Gump (1994). However, turns out, Mr Perfectionist too isn't above temptation — the superstar, we hear, often drops in at mother Zeenat's house at midnight to get his fill of his favourite kebabs.

Says a source close to the actor, "Aamir has adopted a special protein-heavy diet that consists of steamed or baked vegetables, greens, tofu, lentils, and multi-grain roti. The diet has been so rigorous that the superstar started craving some of his favourite foods. So, over the past few weeks, he has been making midnight trips to his mother's house, which is a stone's throw away from his Bandra residence, to gorge on kebabs prepared by her. Keeping Aamir's diet in mind, his mother has now started making diet-friendly vegan kebabs. She stocks her fridge with them so that the actor can help himself whenever he pleases."

Enabling Aamir Khan to shave off 20 kilos for Lal Singh Chaddha, nutritionist Dhurandhar on picking a vegetarian meal plan for superstar
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; March 28, 2019)

Inarguably the only one among the current crop of superstars to have repeatedly and unabashedly given body transformational roles a green light, Aamir Khan is set to whip himself into shape yet again for Lal Singh Chaddha. The desi remake of Tom Hanks-starrer Forrest Gump, mid-day learns, will see Khan shave off 20 kilos under the guidance of nutritional biochemist, Dr Nikhil Dhurandhar.

During Dhurandhar's book launch in the city yesterday, Khan revealed, "I play a young man in the movie, so I need to lose 20 kilos. I have already lost three-and-a-half kilos in two weeks under the guidance of Dr Dhurandhar." The actor is currently following a vegetarian diet.

From playing an ageing father and former wrestler in Dangal (2016), to a pirate in Thugs Of Hindostan (2018), Khan has been feeding hungry cinephiles with an assortment of creative roles over the years. His physicality, attained under the guidance of Dr Dhurandhar during these films, must also do justice to his act.

The dietician tells mid-day, "A diet doesn't only focus on calories, but also caters to other aspects and requirements. For Dangal, he wanted to retain his muscle [mass while losing weight]. But now, he doesn't want to gain muscle for this film. So, the protein intake is different as well." It is this variation in the demand of his characters that had Dhurandhar put Khan on a vegan diet during Dangal, and a vegetarian one now.

"I have to ask Aamir what kind of food he likes, and then plan his chart. It is a personalised chart which is dictated by the person's lifestyle. Aamir likes foods like daal, sabzi and roti when in India. Since he's on a vegetarian diet, I recommend that he has protein supplements now," says the nutritionist. Khan seconds his opinion, stating that his diet is also altered when travelling abroad on vacations. "I may not be able to access the same foods that I can in India, or have them measured before they are cooked. So, he gives me a diet which is easier to follow when I am travelling."

Aamir Khan on turning 50, going grey and what his wife Kiran Rao thinks about it
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; March 14, 2015)

As I get up to leave, happy with my interview with Aamir Khan, he asks me, “How old are you in your head?” “28,” I say. “Why?,” he asks. (It struck me later that perhaps, that was my answer as I got married at that age).

I ask him how old he is in his head and he surprises me with his answer: 18. And then goes on to relate an embarasing incident that took place on the TV show Aap Ki Adalat. He was talking a girl and then asked her mom a question, addressing her as ‘aunty’. The girl jumped up and said, “Why are you calling her aunty? She is your age.”

He had a deja vu moment recently when he went for a wedding of a youngster and called the bride’s mom ‘aunty’ only to be rebuked by her bridezilla who reminded him that her mom and he were of the same age. These incidents are probably playing in my mind now, as he turns 50 today.

Aamir Khan is now 50. There’s a big party naturally. There was a time when that was considered a retirement age for actors. But he’s at the top of his game. He is breaking his own box-office record every year. And there isn’t a frown on his head about crossing over to the other side of 50.

He currently weighs 90 kilos. Isn’t he worried about the repercussions on a body that won’t bounce back as it did at 30? He agrees, “90 kilos is very unhealthy. But what to do, that is my character in the film. I am just bindass... eating everything... meetha, yeh, woh, sab kuch. Except meat, because I turned vegan a month ago. To answer your questions, yes it’s not good for my health. Because when I am carrying an excess of 25 kilos, you can feel the difference (pats his big belly). My breathing has changed. The way I walk has changed. I feel horrible (laughs). But what to do. I could not have done this role any other way.”

Suggest that he could have gone the prosthetic way and he shakes his head, “Nahin, nahin woh sab bakwaas hai. I don’t like all that. You have to feel differently. Like when I said my breathing has changed, that is an important part of my performance...I also enjoy becoming a different person.”

He continues, “You know, it’s so funny. Recently someone I met asked me, what is your original look? Because I am looking like this now (spreads his arms to show his bulk). So I said, there is no original look left of mine now. For the last 15 years there has not been a single day in my life when I have been myself. I have always been one character or the other. So I don’t know what is my look.”

Looking back at 50, what does he see as his biggest achievement, I ask, unless he is not ready to look back? “I can look back anytime I want. If you ask me to look back today, I will (grins). I think perhaps my biggest achievement is that I have not compromised with what I want to do. Money has not excited me. Tactical things have not impressed me. I have followed my heart and I have done the work I felt like doing.”

Most actors at some point turn to Botox as they age. Your PK heroine Anushka Sharma said she resorted to cosmetic surgery for that role. Would you consider it for a role? “Of course, ya ya, no question about it. If a role required me to look different, I would. Within limits of course. I mean if it completely changes my face and it is never going to come back to normal, then obviously not. If it is reversible, I have no qualms.”

What about personally, if someone said you are looking old, and you should try Botox, your reaction would be? “Personally as I said, how I look I don’t know. Yes, it is an actor’s job to look good but these are also very personal (cosmetic surgery) things. I mean if a person wants to look fatter or thinner or taller or shorter or whatever, it’s your body, you should do what you want. I have no moral issues with it. None whatsoever.”

Aamir is going grey for the first time in his next film Dangal, which will be out in December 2016 in which he plays a wrestler. What does his wife Kiran think of his new look? “She quite liked it. Right now, I have made my beard black, but my natural color is salt and pepper. She is only concerned for my health. She feels that with 90 kilos, I am carrying so much weight so my heart is pumping for that much more weight, my joints have taken that much more weight. It will remain for eight months now.”

Harshada Rege (DNA; October 22, 2014)


After the release of Dhoom 3, he went straight into the shooting of PK, for which he needed to be fitter. He went on a strict diet and exercise regimen. But once the shooting of the film finished, let himself go. Aamir piled on a lot of weight, evident during his public appaerances.

However, parts of PK were yet to be shot and it was imperative that he shed the pounds. He needed urgent help and it was Kaizzad Capadia, Director, K11 Fitness Management, who Aamir approached to get him back in shape. Says Kaizzad, “I was given exactly 10 weeks to transform an out-of-shape Aamir and give him a lean, muscular look. Before this, his workouts were on, but his diet was totally off track.”

He adds, “We met the target beautifully. When you see the episodes of Satyamev Jayate, you can easily make out the significant improvement in musculature. He is definitely following the same regime even now.” Apparently, Aamir (perfectionist that he is) did his own research before following the diet.

Aamir’s fitness regime

WORKOUT
Four days a week of Strength Training: The emphasis was on structural lifts such as squats, overhead presses, bench presses and deadlifts. Also, compound exercises such as bent-over rows, chin-ups and high rows.
Heavy training: Select isolation movements such as lateral raises and leg curls. All of the these were put into a programme-based on the Push-Pull template. Intense abdominal work was done only once a week. The training was set at a high intensity. Weights were chosen to restrict repetitions to no more that four to six repetitions. Hence the approach would be considered as Heavy Training.
Three Days a week of Endurance Training: Endurance training was based on the high intensity interval training format. Inclusive of warm-up and cool down the total duration would be 45-mins per session.

NUTRITION
- Since fat-loss was a major goal, the approach was a very low carb, moderate fat, high protein diet. All starchy, carbs and fruits were eliminated. Only fibrous carbs were allowed and that too only for one meal. Protein was obtained from whole eggs, chicken, fish, mutton, paneer and whey/casein Shakes.

- Food was cooked in groundnut oil. Salads were dressed with extra virgin olive oil. Special emphasis was given to micro-nutrient supplementation which included Vitamins C, E, B-Complex, B6 & B12 and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. Essential fatty acid supplementation was provided by sticking to fish oils in order to bump up Omega-3 intake.

DIET
Breakfast: Whole eggs.
Lunch: Green leafy vegetables and meat.
Dinner: Grilled meat with salad dressed in olive oil.
Mid-morning and mid-evening snacks: Nuts and Whey protein shakes.
Pre and post-workout nutrition: Whey Isolate Protein shakes with Added BCAA’s (Branch Chain Amino Acids).
Bed-time nutrition: A 1:1 Casein:Whey shake.