Arjun Mathur: Ate whatever came my way during the first lockdown
Actor Arjun Mathur, says the lockdown led him to his unhealthiest point wherein he weighed his heaviest at about 82 kgs.
The ongoing pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions across the country have been mentally and physically taxing for many. The Made in Heaven actor, who weighed 82kg, his heaviest, by the end of the first lockdown says: “I was eating whatever came my way. I reached the unhealthiest point I have hit in many years. Since it was a mentally and emotionally tough phase, I did whatever it took to feel good. I drank a lot of alcohol and ate fast food through the first lockdown. I became quite unfit.”
The actor who now weighs 72kg, credits his transformation to celebrity trainer Sameer Jaura. Talking about shedding the extra flab, he says: “I sacrificed everything I liked — fried food, sweets, alcohol, or white rice or refined flour. Before the second lockdown, I weighed 77kg as a lot of the fat was converted into muscle. When the second lockdown happened, I stopped working out as the gyms were shut. I lost muscle mass and came at about 71kg. Now I have been working to build muscle on that 71 kg body, and currently stand at 72 kg,” he says.
Mathur enjoys sharing his workout videos on Instagram, but he is “fed up” of other social media platforms. “I like to put out things that need to be spoken about. But social media has changed a lot. It used to be lot more personal. Now it’s a lot more public.I tried to share more of work rather then anything else. I am quite fed up of social media actually. Instagram is the only one I stay active on as it’s pictures and not too much noise. But now it is. By just scrolling, I see dance challenge reels, and they get on my nerves,” he shares.
The actor’s enjoying the new phase of his life by being busy with various projects . Ask him how he has been keeping up mentally, and he says: “As long as I stay on top of my fitness routine, that really keeps me mentally stable. When I am being irregular, I have that affects my mental stability in a negative manner. The only thing that is in our control, we might as well take care of that.”
The Emmy nominated actor admits that he has had a “long journey”, and doesn’t wish to get carried away with the highs and lows of it all. “I have had enough dejection and heartbreak also along that. I feel that all of it is cyclical. All of it is temporary. And the praise is as temporary as the low point. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow. But, I try to not get carried away with low as well as high points,” he shares.
With cinema’s fully functioning and big releases lined up, Mathur feels there’s a massive audience for OTT as well. “I personally think there’s a far greater audience for OTT, and streaming shows and for work that is of international calibre. I don’t have anything to lose. I have never been so dependent on theatre, box office, or the masses. I feel I am in a very good place. Finally the tide has turned to accommodate actors such as myself into the mainstream almost. These shows are the mainstream now. What we know is mainstream is [what] I will call some form of regressive caricature now. It’s terrible.I am sure there’s a lot of people suffering because of closure of theatre. Also, undeniably it’s kind of brought in democracy into in our industry and levelled the playing field,” he adds.
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