Sara Ali Khan’s weight-loss journey is notable owing to the fact that she has been able to successfully maintain her physique over the last five years. But if you’ve noticed Khan over the past few weeks, her recent transformation wouldn’t have missed your eye. Flaunting her fittest frame during her beach vacations or red-carpet outings, Khan has evidently upped her fitness game, of late.

“Sara had a bunch of [events], like the IIFA Awards 2022, and the Koffee With Karan Season 7 interview in the pipeline, so she wanted to [look leaner]. We adopted a few steps to achieve that,” says her nutritionist and trainer Dr Siddhant Bhargava, who has been guiding her for five years.

“We took to a supremely low-carbohydrate diet. I put her on an effective 1,300 calorie diet, which implies that while she was consuming more than that, the calories that she burnt while exercising or [staying active] enabled her to maintain this number,” he adds.

While the actor doesn’t follow a Keto diet, Bhargava says that she does keep her carbohydrate intake significantly low, at all times. “At the onset, we’d practise weight-training and functional fitness exercises five times in a week. Since she enjoys spinning, we perform circuits to meet her cardiovascular needs. Her genetic make-up is such that she can add muscle mass easily, and that is not always desirable [given her profession]. So, once her base was set, we focused on maintenance. Today, she does low-intensity exercises [like pilates] thrice a week, and functional training, two to three times a week.”

Khan’s meal plan, he asserts, is like “every other Indian girl”. “People may think that one must be on a super-strict diet to look like she does. But when she isn’t working, she eats everything, including butter chicken, and desserts. What she does focus on is portion control, and that’s what I tell everyone to do.  She is also extremely dedicated to her exercise regimen, and trains six days a week. Like her, women battling PCOS will benefit from maintaining a low fat percentage.”

Her Instagram videos are testimony that Khan indeed doesn’t mess with her training routine.  Despite seen huffing and puffing during her sessions with Bhargava, she claps back when he tries to call it a day after an hour, claiming that “one hour is nothing”. “We may do two different circuits; one for the lower body, and the other for the upper body. It involves a mix of endurance work, like burpees, and jumping jacks, and weight-training exercises like rowing, push-ups or shoulder presses. We may do another round of boxing, which she really enjoys.”

- Breakfast: Eggs

- Lunch: When she’s on a limited calorie-intake, it is chicken and vegetables. Else, she adds a jowar or bajra roti to her meal. 

- Snack: Yogurt, or berries, or egg whites if she skips them at breakfast.

- Dinner: Chicken, or prawns. She doesn’t consume carbs at night.

Bhargava caps his sessions with Khan with a 15-minute boxing bout

That Vicky Kaushal is a fine actor was evident in Masaan (2015). But with Sardar Udham (2021), he showed that when given an author-backed role, he could well give a performance that was evocative and almost unforgettable. It’s not surprising then that he walked away with the Best Actor trophy at the recent IIFA Awards 2022.

“I have always wanted to be a part of Shoojit da’s [Sircar, director] films. I have got my award already by being part of his world. Anything beyond that is an honour,” said the actor, jubilant as he received the trophy at the Abu Dhabi event.

On its October release, the biopic — an ode to the revolutionary, Sardar Udham Singh — was highly praised for Sircar’s deft direction and the leading man’s restrained performance. It is widely known that the filmmaker had originally planned the period drama with the late Irrfan.

Kaushal, who had the tall order of stepping into Irrfan’s shoes, dedicated the award to the late actor, saying, “I want to dedicate my first Best Actor award to an actor whom I admired and respected all my life — the original choice for this film, dear Irrfan saab.”

The film is easily Kaushal’s most significant work to date. To him, it’s also the defining point in his career, as it made him one of the most reliable actors of the current crop. “It has been seven years in the industry for me. I remember I used to knock on everyone’s door for auditions, but never got through. I’d come back home and tell my mom that nothing is working out. She had said, ‘It’s not your job to know how it happens. It’s your job to have faith.’ That stayed with me. I did not know how this was going to happen, but I did everything in my capacity [to earn a place in the movie industry].”

While actor-wife Katrina Kaif could not attend the awards gala, she was not far from his thoughts. The actor, who tied the knot with Kaif last December, said, “People have been saying that I have a glow on my face. Everything is because of lady luck. You know who I am missing here.”

The glittering event at Yas Island saw Kriti Sanon win the Best Actor (Female) trophy for Mimi (2021), while Shershaah was adjudged the Best Film.

Mumbai Sessions Court on Wednesday permitted actor Rhea Chakraborty — an accused in a drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death — to travel to Abu Dhabi for four days to attend the IIFA Awards 2022. But, Chakraborty told the court on Thursday that she will not travel as planned, as she has a lookout notice issued against her by an investigating agency.

On Wednesday, the court issued an order to hand over Chakraborty’s passport to her and permitted her to travel to Abu Dhabi from June 2 to 5. This came after her lawyer appealed to the court that the actor had to go to Abu Dhabi for the awards ceremony, for which she should be given her passport. The court accepted the application and ordered that her passport be handed over.

On Thursday, Chakraborty told the court that she will not travel abroad for the show. She said she was unaware that a lookout notice had been issued against her, at the time of filing the earlier application, reports India Today. The court then passed an order stating her passport should not be returned.

The actor was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in September 2020 in the drugs case and her passport was deposited then.

Vicky Kaushal and Tripti Dimri kicked off their yet-untitled romantic comedy on Maha Shivratri in the last week of March, completing the schedule by April-end. Now, director Anand Tiwari will lead the cast and crew to Croatia for a two-week schedule that will see the lead actors shoot a song and a few dramatic scenes. The romantic track will be choreographed by Farah Khan, marking her first collaboration with Kaushal.

The team is expected to leave for Croatia in the first week of June. A trade source reveals, “After the spell in Mumbai, the cast shot a portion of the film in Delhi and Mussoorie in April. They celebrated the first schedule wrap by cutting a cake on the sets. Soon, they will be Croatia-bound. The production team has zeroed in on locations in Zagreb, Dubrovnik where some scenes of Game Of Thrones were shot, the Plitvice lakes, Adriatic islands and the famous lavender fields of Hvar. Farah is known for her lavish and colourful songs. The makers too want the Vicky-Tripti track to be a memorable one, especially as the film sees Vicky in a softer, romantic role and is a departure from his usual intense parts.”

Tiwari’s romantic comedy, co-produced by Karan Johar, also stars Ammy Virk and Neha Dhupia in pivotal roles. It also marks Kaushal and Tiwari’s reunion after Love Per Square Foot (2018).

Choreographer Khan is slated to host the IIFA Rocks event, a part of the three-day extravaganza that kicks off on June 3 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. “Farah will leave for Abu Dhabi on June 1 to host the show with Aparshakti Khurana. Following her hosting duties, she will leave for Croatia on June 4. Vicky is also expected to attend the international awards gala and will head to the shoot thereafter. After the song picturisation is complete, Farah will return to the bay, while the lead pair will continue to shoot some dramatic scenes together,” adds the source.

Khan and Tiwari remained unavailable for comment.

From mid-May, Salman Khan has been giving his undivided attention to Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. The superstar was to take three days’ break from the shoot to front Da-Bangg The Tour Reloaded in Nepal. However, with the show getting postponed due to the local elections and poor weather, he will devote the time to Farhad Samji’s directorial venture. It is heard that Khan has lined up a non-stop month-long schedule in Mumbai and Telangana.

A source from the creative team says, “Salman was to fly to Kathmandu yesterday to perform at Da-Bangg The Tour. But, after the show got postponed, Salman sat down with Farhad and reworked the dates. He will film his portions over the week at Mehboob Studios in Bandra, before leaving for an awards gala in Abu Dhabi on June 3. While he does his hosting duties in the UAE, Farhad will continue filming with the rest of the cast in Mumbai, only to be joined by Salman by June 5. After a week-long stint in the city, the team will go south in mid-June. A massive set of a village has been built in Kokapet, where the director will can two crucial tracks — one focusing on Salman’s character and his on-screen brothers, and the other dedicated to leading lady Pooja Hegde. The entire cast, including south star Venkatesh, will be present during the month-long spell.”

Khan is supervising every aspect of the film that is slated to hit the marquee on December 30.  “The action sequences have been designed by Anbu-Arivu, while Prabhudheva is handling the choreography,” adds the source. 

Returning after a two-year hiatus imposed due to the pandemic, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will see Salman Khan take the stage as host of the 22nd edition. Khan tells mid-day, “A lot of hard-work goes into the making of the show by artistes, performers, and hosts. It takes a lot of preparation, but sometimes, being spontaneous also helps.”

The show, which will see Riteish Deshmukh as co-host, will be held at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on May 20 and 21. Ask Khan how the desi film industry benefits from an Indian gala being held on international turf, and he says, “Our fans from across the globe get the chance to watch our films when this happens. Hindi cinema is appreciated, and well received. It helps strengthen ties between countries, and spread love among cinema watchers.”

With the Coronavirus pandemic having forced the awards to head online for two years, he is also glad that the fraternity will mingle, in-person, yet again. “Some great performances are lined-up this year. It will be more exciting to watch them as the industry will reunite on-ground after a long time.”