Shahid Kapoor and Samir Jaura on building up and breaking down the actor's body for Kabir Singh
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; June 12, 2019)

For an actor who is admittedly particular about being in shape, Shahid Kapoor is surprisingly unperturbed about being undone on screen for Kabir Singh. "It's always character before your personal life," he says before chronicling the process of first gaining eight kilos, and then losing 14, for the film.



For The Weight Gain Portion

What Shahid wanted
The team decided to first shoot the portions that saw me out of shape. The character goes through an emotional phase; he is self-destructive and doesn't care about how he looks. Actors are used to [looking] their best, at all times. But, here, I had to look as disinterested as I could about the way I appeared. Hence, we took the decision to grow the hair and beard. They took about two-and-a-half months to grow out, and during this phase I worked with my trainer Samir Jaura on drafting a plan and achieving the [hefty] look. If you sit down and make a plan, there's a smart way of [gaining weight].

How Jaura helped him

Shahid wanted his body to be de-constructed to play an [alcoholic] surgeon. We wanted the puffiness on his face and the softness in his body to make it as real as possible. So, we limited his training to one hour a day. We incorporated light weight training and focused on keeping his joints mobile because we knew that post this, he would have to get into a strenuous workout regimen to lose 14 kilos. So we didn't want to invite any injury at that time. His diet helped him achieve the [heavier] look. If his body needed 2,000 calories, I was giving him 3,600-4,000 calories a day. He had a lot of dense-calorie foods, involving rice and pastas.

Weight to gain 8 kilos
Calories 4,000



For The Weight Loss Portion

What Shahid wanted
I wanted to look boyish for the younger portions to play a medical student. I didn't want a perfect body; one that was manicured or chiselled because that's not how college-going boys look. Seventy-five per cent of what you eat depends on your diet. I don't drink alcohol and am a vegetarian. Generally, I live a healthy lifestyle. To lose weight, I needed to severely cut the calories I consumed, and train harder. Even though we were training, the look was achieved more via the diet; not so much in the gym. We had two months to lose the weight. I didn't want to rush into anything since that is not healthy.

How Jaura helped him
Since he wanted a boyish look, we incorporated a lot of boot-camp training, beach training and agility work into his routine. He was training for three hours a day, and it was primarily cardiovascular work to [shave off] the fat. He was consuming four to five meals a day, and the calories were limited to 1,800. Transformations like these are conducted under professional guidance. You need to understand the requirement of the look in the film, and the time in hand to achieve it. The hardest part is maintaining a certain look across the shooting schedule because actors [expend a lot of energy while] shoot for 10 hours a day.

Weight to lose 14 kilos
Calories 1,800

Pooja Makhija On His Diet

Shahid has always given exercise a lot of importance, which makes a transformation of this kind relatively simpler because he is dedicated. If I give him an eating pattern, he will not tweak it to the slightest, even if that means eating the same food for 30 days. A vegetarian diet allows enough scope to adjust the protein and carbohydrate ratio. But, it may not be easy to comfortably include all the protein that's required into the diet. So, we had to also include protein extracts from plant sources. I worked with his trainer to adjust his carbohydrate and protein ratio based on the energy expenditure (including workout intensity) for that day. Carbohydrates are energy sources, and were upped when needed.

18% Kapoor's body fat percentage when he was overweight
9% his normal body fat percentage
(The average body fat % for a relatively healthy man is between 15 and 19%)

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 19, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor made a drastic lifestyle change when he turned vegan earlier this year. The actor claimed in several interviews that cutting down on dairy and dairy products led to increased stamina at work. Now, it seems Kapoor wants to extend the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to his fans. The actor is set to launch and support a fitness app called V-Fit. Currently in London to ring in his daughter Misha’s first birthday, he has given his nod to the creators of the app. The app in question will share Kapoor’s diet and his meal plans with his fans.

A source informs, “Celebrity apps are the in thing. Shahid strongly believes in the vegan way of life and wants his fans to reap the benefits as well. It was in early 2000s that he took to vegetarianism and he could feel the difference. His current diet comprises protein-rich fruits and vegetables.”

The app will also boast of a health expert, who will customise the user’s diet depending on his body type and nutritional necessity. Meanwhile, Kapoor will be back in the bay later this month. One hears that he will lock in his next film during the vacation. “He has shortlisted five scripts after conducting meetings with the respective filmmakers. He will finally select two of them. One can expect a big announcement from his end next month.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 13, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor who has been the poster boy for vegetarianism and animal rights since 2010, bagging the “hottest vegetarian” title thrice, has been working out overtime this month to look like the beefed up warrior-king Raja Rawal Ratan Singh for the on-going action-packed schedule of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period-romance Padmavati. For his new ripped avatar, the 36-year-old actor is collaborating with city-based Canadian chef Kelvin Cheung, whose hip resto-bar in Bandra is always bustling with B-townies. Kelvin has worked out a special diet for Shahid, which comprises three meals and two snack packs.

“Shahid has always been fit and healthy but he also needs an energy boost to survive the long working hours of this arduous schedule and the aim is to efficiently give him stronger muscle mass while maintaining the aesthetics of his look,” Kelvin told Mirror, adding that regardless of his preferences, it is imperative to break down the healthy fats, calories and proteins to help him achieve the exact targets.

Shahid is an early riser and the meals are tailormade to suit his high metabolism rate. Greens like broccoli, kale and spinach, along with grains and legumes, make for a high-protein afternoon meal after a rigorous workout while sweet potatoes work as a small recovery snack after a tiring shoot. “Since he is on a no-salt diet, Shahid gravitates towards Asian cuisine since the spices used give the meal a certain flavour despite the absence of salt. Mexican meals like a rice wrap, which is like a burrito with lots of grilled, steamed or raw vegetables, is a once-a-week treat. Since Shahid is always working, it is important to make the meals enjoyable so that he can look forward to eating,” Kelvin adds, asserting that his meals are sustainable and long-term, sprinkled with natural sugars to break the monotony once in a while. “His treats are usually small, sweet nuggets made of coconut milk as he doesn’t consume any artificial sugar. A bowl of cut mangoes is a summer indulgence.”

The meals are freshly made and never require to be put into the microwave as that can take away the nutritional value. Since Shahid has been shooting extensively, alkaline foods like nuts and fruits are added so he remains hydrated and doesn’t tire out easily. Low-quality oil like vegetable or corn oil are a strict no-no, it’s always healthy fats like avocado oils. The actor himself treats Kelvin’s meal design like a lifestyle menu, following it to the T, even when he is travelling. “He’s completely focussed and always prepared to follow a meal design,” Kelvin points out.

Meanwhile, Shahid admits that he’s been told repeatedly that by choosing to be a vegetarian, he is not giving himself the required proteins to build muscle faster. “I follow a high-energy diet with lots of vegetables. Fitness has always been a part of who I am. Even though it can be tougher, it’s completely worth it and satisfying at the end of the day,” he signs off.

Ahead of the DNA iCan Women’s Half Marathon, Shahid Kapoor talks fitness, looking good and how the two aren’t necessarily related
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; March 24, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor’s tryst with fitness started when Shah Rukh Khan joked about his lanky body during one of his performances with Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe. Shahid fondly recalls the incident which changed his take on being fit. Today, he is one of the fittest heroes in B-Town.

Ahead of the DNA iCan Women’s Half Marathon, we talk to him about his idea of fitness and why it’s more important to be fit than just good-looking...

Professional hazards
Shahid says that actors need to be honest about the fact that they don’t always look as good as the characters they portray. He explains his viewpoint. “It’s a job where I need to be perceived as somebody who’s always really, really looking good. That’s not humanly possible. So, I would say this is a profession which requires you to look good and sometimes, it takes away from health and fitness. Sometimes, we push ourselves really hard and that’s not safe or healthy for any of us.

There’s a certain amount of professional hazard attached to that and you need to know where to draw the line and choose to look after yourselves first.”

Good looks don’t equal fitness
Bringing home the truth of the adage that appearances can be deceptive, Shahid reiterates, “I think people shouldn’t get carried away when they see actors looking great because they have to work very hard for a long period of time to get there. So sometimes, people who look really really good might not be fitter than someone who doesn’t look as good, but is more capable. Fitness is not only about how one looks. That’s my personal philosophy.” He advises, “You shouldn’t obsess about how you look. Rather just focus on how you feel about yourself. That’s very important.”

Vegetarianism not restrictive
Shahid says vegetarians can be fit, too! “I am a vegetarian. I’m here to tell you vegetarians who are told that you can’t have a good body that’s crap. In fact, I don’t even eat eggs or cakes and pastries that even has any residue of egg in them. I am very particular about that. And I have actually made this body in the last eight to 10 years of training really, really hard. I think I’ve looked my best many years after I turned vegetarian. So I don’t think that is restricting at all,” he says. The actor adds, “I don’t drink alcohol. I never have and that’s something I believe in strongly. I used to smoke, I’ve stopped smoking.”

Not repetitive
The actor mixes up his workouts. “At the gym, I do a lot of functional stuff like drills, which is more athletic. I dance, so that automatically gets me to move my body in different ways. I do stuff that isn’t repetitive at all,” he says, adding, “I also get on the treadmill once in a while.”

Extending muscles
The actor says that he likes to train five times a week. “I don’t like doing only weights. I like to do a certain amount of functional training, I like to run. Everytime I hit the gym, I get on the treadmill at least for sometime. I would also like to do some yoga, but I don’t get so much time for it. But it’s on my agenda and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do because I realised it’s very important for my body. When we train in the gym, all the movements we do are essential. Weight-lifting is to contract the muscles so that they grow. You also need to do something exactly opposite to that so that you can extend your muscles. Because otherwise you will end up becoming stiff and very unnatural. It’s equally important for you to do stretching before and after or some other form of exercise, which helps you extend that.”

What fitness means to me
Shahid says fitness is holistic to him. “It has to be that way. Your body has to be able to do different things with a certain sense of dedication,” he says, adding, “Functionality is a big part of that. Your body has to be functional. It’s not about being fit and looking good, it’s also about using your body for different functions — whatever it might be. It’s about doing various things so that your body is not restricted in any way.”

Have a body, keep it fit
Tearing down a gender-based approach to fitness, he says, “You have a body, you should keep it fit. Male or female don’t have differences, it’s pretty much the same. So everyone should be fit and healthy.”

In the right light
Calling DNA iCan a great initiative that “promotes and inspires people to do something that helps them feel fit about themselves or gives them constructive goals for their bodies”, Shahid concludes, “I wish it all the best.”

Actor on carb-heavy diet to gain weight for Padmavati’s next schedule, reveals trainer
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; February 3, 2017)

Shahid Kapoor is a stickler for getting the perfect physicality for his characters in films, be it going bald for just one scene in Haider or the disheveled look for Udta Punjab.

The actor is set to do it again for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama, Padmavati. For the film’s last schedule, the actor shot for a few bare body scenes, which required him to look lean and flaunt a sculpted physique. But for the film’s next shooting stint, the actor will bulk up.

His trainer, Samir Jaura, tells us, “Since he plays the role of a king (Raja Rawal Ratan Singh), Shahid will have to put on a certain amount of weight to reflect the regal look and complement the majestic costumes. For starters, he will have to put on weight — at least 5 to 10 kilos, although the focus is on building muscles through rigorous strength training exercises. Earlier, I insisted on outdoor and functional training, but we have cut down on that now.”

Besides weight lifting and cardio sessions, the actor has to exercise individual body parts, says Jaura. “Every kind of muscle training is necessary to replicate the look we need. He has been sweating it out, and bulking up without an ounce of fat is a challenge.” Earlier, the actor had gone on a strict diet for 50 days, avoiding sugar and salt for nearly a fortnight and having little carbohydrate. His meals included steamed veggies along with 50 grams of brown rice.

But, his new diet is relatively more carb-heavy. “It was admirable how he didn’t touch bread for over a month. At that time, I had to make sure he eats his veggies — asparagus and broccoli — because he also had to sustain long hours of shoot. Now, he can have 70 grams of rice and/or three rotis. A major point of difference is that we have broken down his regular meals into six smaller ones. Since he is a vegetarian, we ensure he gets enough protein in the form of pulses, tofu and low-fat paneer. We try different combinations with black or brown rice. We alternate between black dal, rajma and chholay regularly,” adds Jaura.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2015)

Shahid Kapoor has been under the weather for the past two weeks but that hasn't stopped the actor from his workouts. The actor who is currently holed up in Punjab, is working towards a lean and sinewy "druggie" physique.

He's been asked to get flab-free and has adopted a strict diet of lentils, chappatis, rajma and rice. Paneer and tofu are off the menu. Instead, the vegetarian actor is having protein shakes thrice a day to increase muscle mass. "He's also eating a lot of salads which he hates, along with a fruit platter and five litres of water," a source from the sets informed Mirror.

As far as the exercises go, due to a shoulder-injury he incurred while shooting his last film, he's going slow, "Deadlifts and squats are perfect for the trim body he needs. And he's continuing with them along with pullups. But the hours have been reduced," adds the source.

The 34-year-old actor currently has the physique of a much younger man due to functional training. It complements his body type and doesn't require long hours in the gym. His trainer of 12 years, Abbas Ali, has been keeping him company for the last 20 days. "He's looking the best he's ever had," the source asserts.