Breakthrough Talent

From subtly dapper to a downright fitness enthusiast, no matter what life dictates, Sooraj Pancholi is a classic match.

- Mrinalini Singh

Beginning your career on the back of father’s reputation is going to get you a lot of spiteful enemies. But being born into a Bollywood family isn’t the free ride you think it is; it takes a lot of hard work to make it look this easy. Sooraj Pancholi shows just exactly how it’s done. Edited excerpts from the interview.

What is your earliest and fondest memory of watching a film?

I am actually a very emotional person in real life but when I watch films, I watch it like an actor. I view the content technically and see how the performances are. I have never cried in a film until I watched a film named Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. Since I am a dog lover, the depth of emotions really touched me.

The entertainment industry comprises of hectic schedules with unending working hours, how are you so dedicated to working out?

I work out six times a week, sometimes even on Sundays. But when I am busy shooting, I control my diet because I feel it is the main thing and exercising is secondary.

Does the craze to be fit put too much pressure on you? In your father Aditya Pancholi’s time, there was no such pressure on heroes.

Fitness for me is very natural. Even if I wasn’t an actor, I would still work out for myself. It’s a passion for me, it is not just for the looks or to entertain the audience, it is for my own satisfaction.

Are there more expectations from you because you are a star kid?

Performance-wise in the industry, it is in fact much, much tougher than a newcomer because people tend to compare you with your parent’s last film and not their first film.

Salman Khan has been a big influencer in your professional as well as personal life. Was it him who brushed off his fitness streak on you?