'I'm losing my eight-pack abs for my next film'

Aamir Khan's Ghajini has finally been released in the UAE and the actor is very optimistic. Despite a series of issues plaguing the film, including lawsuits against it by KBC pictures and the producer of its earlier Tamil version, the film is on track for the biggest opening ever for a Bollywood production.

Earlier, the film was delayed when Khan broke his leg twice while shooting. But all that's in the past and Emirates Business gets the scoop from the man himself:



We've heard Ghajini is a remake of the Tamil movie based on Christopher Nolan's Memento. What's the truth?

If you've not seen them, you might as well wait. Memento and (the Tamil language) Ghajini are totally different. You will not find any similarities between the two films. This is a remake of the Tamil film. The only similarity between (the Hindi language) Ghajini and Memento is that there is a case of short-term memory loss in both the films.

The marketing for Ghajini has been extremely aggressive, with you coming across as an excited teenager.

I definitely am, because this is my first action movie in the true sense of the word. The way the action sequences have been captured in this film are quite special. Also, Ghajini is my first out and out mainstream entertainer in a long time. I hope people like it as I have worked really hard on this one.

Why are you promoting the film alone?

It is a one-man film. It is about a guy and the circumstances he is in. So he is promoting the film alone.

How hard did you work on your body, especially those eight-pack abs?

It wasn't easy. I was working out for about three hours every single day and at times even close to four hours. Developing my abs was the hardest part of the job. I worked on them for over 55 minutes every day. Then I would do weights for almost an hour and 40 minutes, followed by a cardiovascular workout. All this began on March 15 when I was working on the post-production work on my film, Taare Zameen Par. It was tough for me because post-production by itself is a very tiring and all-consuming job, especially since I was directing that project. But I worked hard and pushed myself to the limit to stick to my daily routine. I made a rule for myself that without completing my daily workout I will not leave home.

Is it true you suffered quite a bit?

Honestly, it has been a bit too painful. I had to really push myself. Only after two or three weeks of training did I understand what I had got myself into. Doing it for a couple of weeks is fine but doing it for more than a year was a different ballgame altogether. It was gruelling. I also realised along the way that it's not just a physical fitness game you're playing. It's also about your mind. Your mind tells you to let it go because you end up losing out on your sleep. But you have to rebel against your own mind and do what is required.

The main tenet of bodybuilding is that you have to do what your body cannot do. If you can lift 25kg then you have to try to lift 30kg. When you make the body do things it cannot, it starts adapting. And that's when the muscles start growing.

What made you do a Salman Khan and bare your chest in the trailer of the film? How often have you dropped clothes in the whole film?

One less than Salman Khan. (Laughs) Oh, by the way, he liked my body. He even talked about it to you guys [press]. I think that means my efforts have borne fruit.

How does it feel to be the newest guy in the multi-pack abs club?

The abdomen actually has eight muscles. So no matter how hard you try, you can't have more than eight-pack abs. And I think you can safely call mine an eight-pack. But then the abs will not stay. I am losing them for my next film with Rajkumar Hirani.

After all this hard work you're not going to stay fit?

Unfortunately, I have to lose my abs for Raju's Three Idiots. In that film, I have to look completely non-muscular. It's based on Chetan Bhagat's book, Five Point Someone. I don't know which character I will play. But I think Raju has taken the basic idea from the book and then moved on. He has worked on a totally different story. At least, that is what I have been told. I have not read the book.

Critics say that a lot of directors who work with you, like Ashutosh Gowariker in Lagaan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in Rang De Basanti, John Mathew Mathan in Sarfarosh and Farhan Akhtar in Dil Chahta Hai, do not manage to do as well when working with other actors. What do you have to say?

Is that so? But that it is about the medium of cinema. It is a creative job. That is how it functions. I can work with them only when I like the story. I have not liked some other films offered to me by the same directors.

What about your future projects?

I'm currently working on Dhobi Ghaat and Delhi Belly.


PROFILE: Aamir Khan, actor, producer, director

Aamir Hussain Khan made his debut as a child artist in the 1970s hit Yaadon Ki Baraat and acted in films produced by his filmmaker father Tahir Hussain. He then worked in films like Holi by Ketan Mehta before foraying into mainstream movies with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, which made him the rage of Bollywood.

A slew of forgettable movies, including Love Love Love, Awwal Number and Tum Mere Ho, before he came into his element in award-winning films like Dil, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander and Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin, among others. By the time he did Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, directed by Mahesh Bhatt, he had grown smart enough to direct parts of the movie in the absence of the director.

He later turned producer with Lagaan, which was nominated for the Oscars. Direction was the next step and 2007's Taare Zameen Par won the hearts of critics and audiences.

Known for changing his hairstyle for every film, Khan has done it again by shaving his head for Ghajini.