Imran Khan Recalls Weight Loss That Prompted Drug Abuse Rumours: “Felt Ashamed To Be Seen”

Image Instagrammed by Imran. (Courtesy: ImranKhan)

New Delhi:

Imran Khan’s journey through failure and depression is nothing short of an inspiration. The actor, who has been MIA since 2015, returned to social media in August this year. Lately, Imran has been sharing a slew of throwbacks from the sets of his films, and inspiring fans with his dedication, hard work and, above all, honesty. In a recent Instagram post, the actor opened up about his physical appearance. Imran admitted that he has “always been skinny” and is one of those “hyper-metabolic” people.

In his long note, Imran Khan wrote, “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. 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 […Ya Jaane Na]. For my next film, Kidnap, I hit the gym in earnest, and began my journey with body building.”

Imran Khan further shared how he wanted a “powerful, heroic physique” and always felt “insecure” of his body. He wrote, “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!). In hindsight, I think I looked fine… but at the time, I felt insecure. I wanted a powerful, heroic physique. So I tried harder.”

Imran Khan admitted that apart from the nutritious food, he took supplements as well as anabolic steroids to bulk up. “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 on-screen. No, for that I needed to supplement with whey protein, creatine, leucine, glutamine, L-carnitine… and ultimately, even anabolic steroids. Shock and horror! We’re not supposed to admit that part out loud, it could totally ruin the illusion,” Imran added.

Imran Khan also revealed that in recent years, as he battled depression and stopped working out, he became skinnier than he had ever been. Referring to his viral pictures which sparked concerns about his health, Imran said, “When I was photographed, it sparked a media discussion about my well-being, and speculations of drug abuse! I felt deeply ashamed and embarrassed to be seen by anyone in this state. So I retreated further.”

“It’s been an uphill journey, but these days I’m doing better than ever; I exercise with my old friend Praveen Tokas 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,” he added.