Hrithik’s fight for fitness

The electric dancer stuns you with his body language. But few people are aware that doctors had written his health off not too long ago for a profession like acting, leave alone dancing. It is sheer will power that has made Hrithik Roshan what he is today.

Shares the actor, "I was very young then; in college to be precise. I wanted to be an actor like my father. But I was told often by various doctors that my health needed attention. Then we went to a specialist. I used to have a bad back problem, a disc that slipped among other issues. The doctor said that I can never dance all my life. I was told that I could not do things that were needed to be an actor and should concentrate on something else. My parents were also told that they should not encourage me in this profession as it was beyond my capabilities."

But that did not deter the lad who like many others would have lost the will to do better things in life. "That is what one can call inner strength in human beings who want to break the norm. I was aghast, upset, shattered. But I was determined to be an actor. I thought I would do everything possible and try and be what I wanted to be. At that time, there was just one person who stood by me - Susanne. She has been my childhood love and she was by my side egging me on that I should get my goal. My parents were a little wary because they did not want me to do anything that could hurt me too badly physically. But I started working on my back on my own. I did various kinds of treatments to myself and got into the shape that I have got today," he says.

The mystery healer that he is, Hrithik also says he will share his secrets with people who need his help. "Why not? But I think one should try and help himself or herself on their own. I did that. A lot of people are not aware that I have a slipped disc as well. I was doing a series of shows abroad when I had a slipped disc. I fought that and trained my body to withstand the pain and I have become used to it now.

"I did a lot of stunts in Krrish as well after that. I was suspended by safety cables and thankfully fell on top of a shop and didn't get hurt. I did get hurt during Jodhaa Akbar though. Even during Dhoom I did stunts on bikes and did rollerblading as well. From snow boarding to water sports, everything was possible only because I have learnt to conquer pain," he says.

The actor then proceeds to share the routine that helps him look like a Greek god.

"I don't have a great body as you guys think. Cinema always makes people look bigger. I have a thin frame. But I workout for a week before I need to shoot a scene showing my body. Then I put a spray so that the muscles look enhanced," he laughs. "Don't think that Hrithik Roshan is into body building. I am not. I also don't have the fittest or the best body in Bollywood. Everyone is making me out to be a Greek god, who I am not," he candidly admits.

"I do stuff like bench press and a lot of cardio. Then I do some weights once in a while. I do a lot of exercise for the whole body and not more for my biceps and triceps. At times there seemed to be an imbalance with big biceps and triceps and a thin body. I am not very well built and do not have a lot of tendon. That could explain why I look muscular in some scenes and why I look thin in some frames in Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. But I have sort of evened it out now," explains Hrithik.

But then the muscular chiselled body that one saw on screen also metamorphosed into a fitness boom in India. "It is a fallacy to presume that I have got a lot of muscles. You can see that in my films too. The truth is that I have very little muscles. My schedules are so tight that I do not have the time to build muscles. You need enough time in a day to build muscles. Normally, I just do my routine exercises when I am running about. Otherwise I need to do the full routine.

"I do the regular bench press and some weights. I do not workout for more than 40 minutes in a day before I go to sleep. My schedule is such that I return home pretty late. Hence I need to workout only then. It is only when I am in India that I catch up on an hour of exercise. This happens between 12.30 and 1.30 in the night. I sleep after that. If I do not workout, I cannot sleep. Workouts also put me to sleep. I usually workout with Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj and a few of my friends," he says.