As soon as I saw Agneepath, I made a resolution to myself as I walked out of the theater. “Kal se Gym pakka”(Will hit the gym from tomorrow). Probably it is because of undisclosed man crush for HritikhRoshan or just the desire to transform into a body shape that doesn’t look like a seal choking on nachos.
In one regard, United States is completely different from India. Here poor people are fat and rich people are slim (both in numbers and size, thank you capitalism). I see people running everywhere, in the night in groups. Heck, I even see magazines for running. I wonder how could they write beyond Bend, wear shoes, uhmmm run?
Tired of the joblessness my friend once joked that we should probably tone up as there was some flyer which was asking for male dancers at a gay club. After all the patrons couldn’t care about the orientation of the dancers could they? But I couldn’t apply as you know- I am terrible at dancing.
But hey, I have been working out for years now. Without any improvement, ranging from gyms Vyayamshala’s which resembled Hitler’s youth army rather than a sane work out place to up-end Talwalkars where they play Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer lopez on the loop and think it is Raacking music. I feel my weight should replace 3.14 as the universal constant. Now there are several things which I am wary of which comes in my way of looking good fit and I really cannot get a solution to overcome them.
1. Heavily Armed
Movies like Rambo, Predator, Terminator, Commandoes have immortalized the macho guys with meganotronic biceps. But after consuming unwholesome variety of steroids and compromising the size of my biceps to my ahem ahem (I am Asian after all), is it really worth the risk? Plus also I have to defend my brawny brothers on this one. How it is cheap if a guy poses like hanuman on his display pic, but if a girl squeezes her shoulders and clicks one it is considered “classy”? Double standards. No?
2. Clothe maketh the man
Naturally when you tone up, it is likely that one would want to flaunt it. You know tight tees, crotch huggers and other stuff which screams that you do work out. I apologize for being fashion challenged, but aren’t such second skin attires well awfully difficult to wear? Why should the upper wear be so tight which crushes your nipple and ends up looking like a CBI seal outside kalmadi’s gate? And I am tired of the age old cinematic cliché which goes like “Oooh actress xyz has done a bold role in the movie”. To the uninitiated in Indian movies, wearing a swim suit at a pool or a beach is considered as bold and the justification that the lame actresses give to the Freudian question of
Q: Would you do a bold scene?
Actress: (After a pout) well I believe in cinema which is sensuous and not vulgar. But if the script demands it, I would surely consider it?
(6 months later the movie screens and there is a scene, the script reads like)
The hero is preparing for his IIT exam and thinks about the girl and they dance in a beach.
Script justified?
And how in the name of peter is the scene Bold? How exactly is it bold apart from having to kiss the actor who is as old as her kindergarten teacher? (Telugu movies, take a note). Its everything to do with fitness, I am sure if Katrina kaif bulks up by thirty pounds she won’t even show her earlobes or as Indian censor board would call it “Movie with family values”.
3. Of lies and lenses
There is some unexplained relationship with body building and wearing I-wanted-to-be-an-Astronaut-but-my-I.Q-came-in-the-way type glasses. Why is there a rage amongst the youth of India to wear giant assed cooling glasses? Is SajidNadiadwala hiring for an extra?
I could ask such clusterfucks for the reason behind it but I am 5’6” and I preach non-violence so if I do, I might end up getting punched and end up with a black eye. And I would have to wear the same things to cover my bruise. I think wearing shades just because I have a good body belies the original reason why they were invented. I quote my high school senior for this gem of a quote “Beta we wear cooling glasses not to protect from sun, because It is considered rude to stare at girls “name badges””
4. Attention de Facebook
I have seen some folks who have shed a lot of weight and putting the pictures on Facebook as an achievement. As they say don’t confuse habits with achievements, losing weight isn’t such a big thing. Heck, I have done it. If you really want many likes on your picture and have people say “You look so good”. Get married or kidnap a cute kid for candies and take a picture with it.
5. “Pow” goes your self-esteem:
Generally before beginning any exercise routine, a general advice which is given is to weigh oneself. You get on the machine and your face will be caught in disbelief, you will blame everything from the faulty machine to the “heavy” jeans you are wearing. Secretly you will try to weigh again dressed up as a Russian gymnast. And what do you know; you are just 200-300 grams lighter.
Feel better?
So in summary even if you think it is really important to bust guts and get into shape, remember Round is still a shape and I am going to be happy with it. Sorry Hritik you won’t have a competition in me anytime soon.
My philosophy is No pain, well no gain pain.
Ciao