Media365
Salman Khan recently made headlines after taking off his shirt during an episode of the ongoing reality show Bigg Boss and hitting back at trolls. The actor has now opened up about the moment on the latest season of Koffee With Karan, where he also reflected on how a series of health issues and injuries affected his fitness after 2016 film Sultan.
During the conversation, Karan Johar played a clip from Bigg Boss in which Salman removed his shirt. Looking at the actor’s abs, Karan asked, “How do you look like this at 61?” Salman replied, “A lot of hard work. A lot of sacrifices. I just added more of every good thing, and reduced every bad thing.” “I get it,” Karan responded.
‘Unfair for die-hard fans to see me like that’
Salman went on to explain why he felt the need to get back into shape, particularly for fans who have admired his fitness over the years.
“See, for the people who have been die-hard fans of the shirtless me, there was a phase in my life right now because of a lot of injuries and stuff like that. It was unfair on them. No matter how old you are, it is unfair on them to see me like that,” he said.
The actor then opened up about the health complications he had been dealing with, including injuries and neurological issues. “My head was broken. And then some hernia happened and also some stuff here. My shoulder was messed up. And all this came in from Sultan — knee and back and then the trigeminal neuralgia and then the aneurysm. But that is not any justification for how I was looking then,” Salman said.
ALSO READ | Inside Madhuri Dixit-Dr Nene’s sea-facing Mumbai home with over 30 MF Husain artworks
‘A lot of people get inspired by me’
He admitted that, despite the challenges, he felt he should not have allowed his fitness to slip, given the influence he has on generations of fans. “There is that thing that I shouldn’t have let go for that time. No matter what my struggle was with my own physicality, I shouldn’t have let go of that. Because there are a lot of people who get inspired by me. The older and the younger generation. People who have grown up with me, and they have got kids, and they see me like this at the age of 60. So they say, ‘Dad, if he is looking like this, why can’t you look like that?’” he said.
Story continues below this ad
Salman also revealed that he draws motivation from people who are fitter than him, explaining that watching them inspires him to return to the gym and push himself harder.
The actor then explained his decision to take off his shirt on Bigg Boss. “Their trolling doesn’t matter to me. How do they know what I am going to do next? So, I will take that energy, and I will convert it into positivity for me. And the ones who give me the positivity, I will make sure that when they see me next time, they will see me better than the last time,” he said.
Salman Khan on PR culture and paparazzi
During the conversation, Salman also spoke about the growing influence of public relations and paparazzi culture in the entertainment industry. He then criticised the way paparazzi clicks female artistes from objectionable angles.
“Since PR has come in, some people pay the PR for their sighting or whatever it is called. Their airport look. So there are some people who want to do that stuff. I was not speaking about those kind of people. I was speaking about those people who don’t want it,” he explained.
Story continues below this ad
“Girls are uncomfortable,” Salman remarked before joking about wanting to beat up the person who invented camera phones. “They have ruined our lives,” he said, referring to the fact that almost everyone now carries a phone with a camera.
The actor also took issue with social media posts that ask viewers to identify celebrities from photographs taken from behind. “How do you guess?” he asked. Karan agreed with him, adding, “They ask you to guess from the back. It is ridiculous.”
Salman Khan’s appearance on the show marks his third outing on Koffee With Karan. He previously appeared alongside his father, Salim Khan, and later with his brothers, Sohail and Arbaaz Khan. In the final season of the celebrity chat show, Salman was the first guest. He was later joined by his co-star in 13 films, Karisma Kapoor, who participated in the rapid-fire round alongside Salman and host Karan Johar. Salman ultimately emerged as the winner of the round.
Disclaimer: This article discusses personal fitness journeys, health struggles, and industry observations, presented for informational and entertainment purposes.
