Roy put himself on a gruelling exercise-and-diet regimen that saw him lose the extra kilos in three months.

It was a pep talk from Salman Khan that got Rohit Roy back on the road to fitness after being on a self-confessed “downward spiral” a year ago. Work offers had dried up for the Roy boy and he had let go. A meeting with Khan changed that. Roy put himself on a gruelling exercise-and-diet regimen that saw him lose the extra kilos in three months. The actor, who plays a negative role in the upcoming Kaabil, narrates how it went down…

Not just inspiration
“I was playing cricket for Salman Khan’s team Mumbai Heroes when we met in Ahmedabad. Post the match, he was shocked to see the weight I had put on. I was in his room when he lectured me about my ballooning weight. More than inspiration, that pep talk was an amazing kick-in-the-rear and I love him more for that!

Focus, he said
I told him I was going through some strife. I had no work that year at all and had just shot for 15 days in the whole year. I guess it played on my mind and I had let myself go. I had never spoken about it before. But Salman gave me a piece of his mind that night with so much love and I will never forget it.

He gave me his own example of how five of his movies had tanked during the Chandramukhi phase and how re-invented himself. It was Bhai’s way of telling me to focus, so I chose to do that.

The change
I was 86 kgs when I met Salman and then I came down to 76 kgs all thanks to him. I lost 10 kgs in three months. After I got back from the game, I put myself on a strict diet regimen and hardcore routine, pumping iron and doing cardio six days a week, come what may. I started the six-day circuit routine with an hour of cardio every day, plus six protein-rich meals a day.

Positivity worked
When I look back on that incident, I feel, actually more than the fitness tips, it was Salman’s positivity which pushed me into getting my fitness and life back on track. It’s also good that he gave me the lecture right before I started shooting for Kaabil. Salman is totally responsible for pushing me to do what I am doing now. It’s not about a three-month crash course to lose weight. I’m losing weight and putting on muscle — today, it’s become a lifestyle thanks to him.”

Credits: DNA India