Battle of the bulge

Sonam Kapoor, Adhyayan Suman, Jackky Bhagnani and Mimoh Chakraborty have something in common apart from their Bollywood connection. All of them once belonged to the league of overweight celebrity kids who cut the flab to enter filmdom and match the A-listers.

While Shekhar Suman’s son Adhyayan went from 110 kg to 85 kg for his debut film Hall-e-Dil (2008), producer Vashu Bhagnani’s son Jackky shed 60 kg from his 130-kg frame and 44-inch waistline to flaunt a well-toned body in his upcoming debut Kal Kissne Dekha.

Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam and Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh’s stories are similar. They also lost oodles of weight for their launch vehicles Saawariya (2007) and Jimmy (2008), respectively.

"Jackky was around 130 kg when he came to me and he lost 60 kg in less than two years for his debut. He was very religious towards his body and put in efforts like a dedicated professional to achieve a lean look. Now he is absolutely fit," celebrity trainer Satyadev ‘Satya’ Chaurasia said.

Apart from Jackky, Chaurasia also trained Adhyayan to go from "fat-to-fit".

"Adhyayan was overweight when he was in his mid-teens and when he was 15, his weight reached the 110-mark. He used to come to my gym with his father. He, in fact, got a complex from his father’s chiselled body and started working out. He reached around 90 kg with a waistline of around 38 at that time," the trainer added.

From top: Mimoh Chakraborty, Sonam Kapoor and Adhyayan Suman’s stories are similar. They lost oodles of weight for their debut films Jimmy (2008), Saawariya (2007) and Hall-e-Dil (2008), respectively

"But then he worked very hard for a year before his first movie and like Jackky, he’s come a long way and reduced a lot. I do see him still sweating out in the gym as he is still a bit on the higher side with a waistline of around 34 and a not-yet stable weight range," said Satya, who boasts of a clientele that includes Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Esha Deol, Viveik Oberoi and industrialist Anil Ambani.

Mimoh, on the other hand, was asked by director B. Subhash, who made Mithun’’ Disco Dancer, to transform from a roly-poly kid to being fit to enter Bollywood.

"Mimoh was extremely addicted to McDonald burgers and was strictly asked to stay away from them, do proper workouts and diet to keep himself fit for three years. It was a bit difficult, but at least he managed to shave off the flab for his first film," a close friend of the newcomer said from Mumbai.

Sonam, who flaunts an ultra-slim figure in Delhi-6, was overweight while she was assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali before she was offered the lead in Saawariya. She is reported to have taken it as a challenge and went for dieting and weight reduction under the supervision of celebrity trainer Sherveer Vakil.

Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s son Jackky shed 60 kg from his 130-kg frame and 44-inch waistline to flaunt a well-toned body in his debut film Kal Kissne Dekha

Actor Shatrughan Sinha’s daughter Sonakshi too worked hard to get over her "tubby" looks and lost 26 kilos last year to grab eyeballs as the only woman to model for a menswear line at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai.

While superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan have scorched screens with their six and eight pack abs, respectively, despite being above 40, the once overweight newcomers are more keen on being fit than having a muscular body.

"I’m not after any six or eight packs, I just want to look fit on screen," said Adhyayan.

Added Jackky: "I already have six packs and I can’t try for eight packs because I perhaps don’t have that much muscle. Now I’m more concerned about staying fit and being toned."

But Jackky stressed that he was completely anti-obesity now. "Obesity is the biggest disease of mankind — bigger than even cancer. Your self-confidence is low and you become mentally sick. There was a time when I used to feel conscious because of my weight. I was never at ease. It was a very bad phase of my life," said Jackky. — IANS