Idolise and work out

The right balance of eating, exercise and sleep makes a person healthy, says director Rohit Shetty

BEHIND CAMERA Director Rohit Shetty, one of the fittest in the industry, believes humour and laughter add to a healthy life PHOTO AFP

Rohit Shetty is arguably the fittest director the Indian film fraternity has seen. Tell him that, and he says simply that he has been working out for 20 years and is thankful that the habit has kept him fit enough to be referred to this way.

“When I was 16, I was like any other boy at that age who dreams of having a good physique,” he says and believes that having an idol always helps give you that extra push to work towards the goal of being as fit as him/her. The man he idolised back then for his physique was Sylvester Stallone, and he feels that today’s generation can follow someone like Salman Khan the same way and get inspired to work out.

“Working out is a healthy habit, it helps you stay light and energetic. At least that is how it works for me and over the years it has been one of my greatest passions,” says the director. It isn’t enough just to be a gym-regular, however, nor is it sufficient to simply watch what you eat to be healthy. Shetty strongly advocates the right amount of sleep to maintain balance: “The body needs its rest and sleep is extremely important in any health regimen. There should be three main things: eating, exercise and sleep. All three together in the right balance make for a truly healthy lifestyle.”

The director is at present preparing himself for his next project on television, where he will don the garb of host on Colors’

Khatron Ke Khiladi . “Just imagine me doing a dance reality show,” he laughs as he points out that he took up Khatron Ke Khiladi as a show he felt he could do full justice to. “I’m really into physical fitness, have done action in my films and love incorporating car stunts in them too, so I thought that this is one show that I would fit into and actually really enjoy doing, also because I have knowledge of stunts as well as an avid interest in them. I thought the Fear Factor team and I could do some great work together and I’m working with them on some of the stunts we will do on the show as well, apart from just anchoring,” he says.

Action aside, the director who has also made the superbly successful Golmaal trilogy believes that humour and laughter can be a great addition to a healthy life: “I feel that laughter is also great when it comes to making you feel light and energetic, and you should try and laugh as much as possible because it can do wonders for your health and well being,” he signs off.