By:
Screen
Weekly,
IndiaFM
Monday,
October
15,
2007
They
can
sing
and
dance
with
effortless
ease,
look
like
a
dream
even
when
crying
copiously
but
the
unkindest
cut
is
that
they
can
drop
several
kilos
like
consummate
magicians.
Now
you
see
it
(the
flab)
and
then
suddenly,
almost
magically,
in
one
fell
swoop,
it's
all
gone.
Is
it
any
surprise
that
movie
stars
cause
extreme
reactions
among
ordinary
mortals?
In
recent
times
it
is
Kareena
Kapoor
and
Shahrukh
Khan's
changing
silhouette
that's
been
making
news
what
with
the
twiggy
look
for
the
former
and
six
pack
abs
for
Mr.
Khan.
It's
been
power
yoga
and
some
crazy
amount
of
crunches
for
the
look
we
are
told
but
more
of
that
later.
This
newfound
obsession
with
losing
and
gaining
inches,
muscle
and
adipose,
unlike
what
you
may
imagine
gentle
reader
is
Bollywood's
recent
trend
in
method
acting.
First
it
was
the
costume
and
the
make-up-recall
the
deglamourized
look
phase?
Dil
Chahta
Hai
set
the
tone
for
a
hirsute
approach
and
now
the
fitting-into
your-role-approach.
Sonam
Kapoor
who
reportedly
shed
30
kgs
to
slip
her
role
is
an
example
as
is
Darshan
Jariwala
who
managed
the
scales
to
the
lower
extremes.
The
most
difficult
question
is
how
do
they
do
it?
With
their
crazy
traveling
schedules,
film
shoots
in
different
locations
across
the
world,
shows
and
performances
and
a
zillion
other
commitments,
it
could
either
be
that
actors
just
don't
find
time
to
eat
or
that
they
are
just
amazingly
disciplined.
A
few
of
course
would
beg
to
differ
and
inform
you
righteously
that
it's
all
thanks
to
their
magical
genes,
bless
them,
or
better
still
a
very
high
metabolic
rate.
Of
course,
when
not
claiming
such
magical
powers
as
their
very
own
they
deign
to
confess
that
they
spend
grueling
hours
working
on
their
body.
Lesser
beings
out
of
sheer
envy,
however,
may
attribute
other
factors
for
their
body
beautiful
-
the
surgeon's
knife
for
one.
Hollywood
of
course
has
been
rather
blase
about
their
fitness
measures
be
it
an
eat-round-the-clock
diet
or
the
eat-it-raw
concept
currently
being
popularized
by
David
Wolfe.
Demi
Moore
and
Sting
are
supposed
to
swear
by
it.
South
Beach
and
Zone
have
had
their
share
of
fans
too
but
surprisingly
not
too
many
Bollywood
inspired
diets
yet.
It
could
be
because
most
will
tell
you
that
the
regular
rice
and
dal
with
lots
of
vegetables
and
salads
does
the
trick
for
them.
Alternatively
it
could
be
just
be
a
protein
packed
meal
(you
get
a
lot
of
that
from
the
guys).
The
male
of
the
species
hitherto
has
been
partial
to
the
power
of
the
gym
where
they
spend
hours
together
with
protein
supplement
and
diet
pills
for
the
cutting
edge.
Women,
however,
with
a
few
exceptions
are
happier
visiting
the
surgeon
followed
by
Kundalini
yoga,
pilates,
Kruv
maga,
Tai
chi
and
an
assortment
of
suchlike
exotic
exertions
for
stellar
roles.
Whatever
the
modus
operandi,
fitness
and
diet
fads
could
be
serious
money
spinners
for
our
stars.
Shilpa
Shetty
about
to
launch
a
yoga
video
is
clearly
on
to
a
good
thing.
John
Abraham
would
also
make
a
good
candidate
for
fitness-he
does
not
smoke,
drink
or
give
in
to
sinful
excesses.
Ditto
for
Hrithik
or
Akshay
Kumar
for
that
matter.
Malaika
Arora
Khan
is
yet
another
who's
diet
secrets
would
go
down
well
with
aam
junta.
A
few
get-in-shape
clinics
have
flourished
under
starry
patronage
as
have
countless
fitness
instructors-Rama
Bans
and
Snehlata
Pandey
were
among
the
pioneers
followed
by
Mickey
Mehta,
Anjali
Mukherjee,
Shikha
Sharma
and
a
dozen
others
have
helped
beautiful
people
with
weighty
matters.
Strangely
enough,
few
movies
even
those
based
on
real
life
incidents
demand
that
actors
put
on
weight
for
a
role.
I
can't,
for
instance,
think
of
a
leading
actress
who
has
done
what
Renee
Zellweger
did
for
Bridget
Jones
Diary.
My
vote
for
the
perfect
fit
in
recent
times
would
go
to
Abhishek
Bachchan
for
his
weighty
act
in
Guru!