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Former actor Imran Khan has been actively interacting with his fans on social media. He often shares anecdotes from the films he did and writes about the difficulties he faced while working as an actor. In his latest post, Khan opened up about consuming steroids to bulk up his muscles, as he was too ‘skinny’ since always.
Sharing a couple of shirtless pictures of himself on Instagram, Khan shared, “I’ve always been skinny. I’m one of those hyper-metabolic people, my body just burns through whatever I consume. Oh no, what a terrible affliction! In my late teens, guys around me started joining gyms and working out. They started to expand, their biceps stretching the sleeves of their t-shirts. I wore a size S, and my sleeves were still loose.”
As he didn’t have bulked-up muscles during the shoot of his debut film, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na in 2008, Khan had to wear two layers of clothing. He added, “I didn’t need to be muscular to play Jai Singh Rathore… but I was convinced that I was too skinny, which is why Jai mostly wears two layers of clothing throughout Jaane Tu.”
But for his next film, Kidnap, Imran Khan hit the gym and started his journey of bodybuilding. Though he worked meticulously for the next few years to build his body, he would often be told by the filmmakers to ‘bulk up’ before starting the shoot of his films.
“Over the next few years, the sculpting and maintenance of my body became part of my lifestyle. I worked out regularly, but still I would hear “So… you’ll bulk up a bit before we start shooting, right?”; “You’re looking weak”, “You look like a little boy, not a man”, and “The heroine looks bigger than you” (ouch for both of us!),” wrote Khan.
He opened up about feeling “insecure” and wanting a “powerful, heroic physique.” So, he started trying “harder” and when the “good stuff” didn’t help, he took the help of steroids.
The I Hate Luv Storys actor added, “Exercise means nothing without nutrition; 6 meals a day, totalling 4000 calories. Chicken breast, egg whites, sweet potato, oats, flax seeds… all good stuff, but still not enough to make my biceps look like the heroes I saw onscreen. No, for that, I needed to supplement with whey protein, creatine, leucine, glutamine, L-carnitine… and ultimately, even anabolic steroids.”
He continued, “Shock and horror! We’re not supposed to admit that part out loud, it could totally ruin the illusion!”
However, in the last few years, the actor suffered from depression and once again became skinnier as he stopped working out. During the same time, he was photographed by the paparazzi, leading to speculations around his well-being. “When I was photographed, it sparked a media discussion about my wellbeing, and speculations of drug abuse! I felt deeply ashamed, embarrassed to be seen by anyone in this state. So I retreated further,” shared Khan.
Now, Khan has once again started exercising and is putting his health first. He concluded, “It’s been an uphill journey, but these days I’m doing better than ever; I exercise with my old friend @tokastraining who puts my health first and only feeds me supplements like walnuts and turmeric… seriously. And while I’m still a tad jealous of those dudes with superhero muscles… I don’t feel bad about myself.”
Through his social media posts, Imran Khan has also hinted about his probable return to the movies.
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