Page 96 - October 2018 converted
P. 96
ali fazal:
Time for
indian cinema
To explode
inTo The
global STage
Bollywood. Ali is trained by Shivoham – a celebrity fitness
trainer and brand ambassador of SF Health Tech, which is
a new fitness equipment manufacturing brand founded by
Sancket Kamdar and Varun Rode along with Shivoham.
“A lot of my discipline came from CrossFit… by the man
who introduced CrossFit to India – Shivoham. According to
me, CrossFit uses a lot of your own body and equipment as
Actor Ali Fazal, who played one of the title roles in Stephen Frears’
directorial Victoria & Abdul with veteran actor Judi Dench, feels accessories,” he said.
that now is the time for Indian cinema to make its presence felt like But what does he have to say about this entire obsession
never before on global platforms. with fitness that is making stars look out for roles that make
Would he agree that this is the time in Bollywood when most of them look good? “It’s obsessive in all the wrong sense. Many
the “outsiders” are doing phenomenally well including the actors? people forget about the fitness part and jump to the perfect
“They segregated people from the outside but your question is cosmetic body. It’s empty. I can outrun a lot of eight pack
also typecasting the working class… there is no inside. It’s time for holders in Bollywood. Put them on the field or the court or the
Indian cinema to explode into the global stage. Talent will not be outdoor. An actor has to be ready to get into all shapes and
avoided,” Ali told, in an e-mail interview. sizes and be able to master the subject,” he said.
Ali, who impressed the audience with his roles in films like 3 Idiots, So how does he keep himself fit during tough schedules?
Fukrey and Happy Bhag Jayegi, made his Hollywood debut with “There are times I cannot, but somewhere you have to tell
Fast and Furious 7 featuring Hollywood stars like Vin Diesel and yourself that working out is or has to be like brushing your
Dwayne Johnson. teeth. You cannot have clean teeth after just one day. It’s part
Talking about doing diverse roles, he said, “Earlier it wasn’t of your life,” he said.
deliberate as I did what came my way. But yes, now I choose Ali is also the goodwill ambassador of Smile Train. The
unpredictability as that’s the key to my creative juices.” organisation helps children with cleft lips.
It’s not just his acting career, he is also one of the fittest actors in
96 |DALLAS | OCTOBER 2018 | VOL 157 www.thebmagazine.com

