KEEPING IT REAL

His abs are a national obsession, but it is Aditya Roy Kapur’s attitude that makes him a star. THE MAN talks girlfriends and glamour, guitars and rock stars in this freewheeling exchange with the actor

- Sonali Velinker Kamat

I AM USED to being objectified,” says Aditya Roy Kapur with a chuckle. He has only just finished flexing his biceps for a circle of waiting photographers and now we are debating whether the pose will end up as a meme on social media. “I probably shouldn’t have. That was an aberration,” he says, shrugging it off almost as soon as the thought occurs to him.

His introduction to an adoring audience as a Channel V video jockey came with a shot of him shirtless on a beach in Goa. Cut to Malang — over a decade later. Everything has changed and nothing has changed. Aditya jokes about his “bikini body,” while simultaneously refusing to embrace the ‘male sex symbol’ tag. “It’s not like I’m uncomfortable with the idea. Either way, I don’t take these tags seriously.”

As we discover, the 34-year-old Aashiqui 2 actor doesn’t take stardom too seriously either — and it’s a quality that is more attractive than those enviable abdominal muscles. After all, abs may come and go, but attitude is forever.

That said, Aditya’s fit frame is still a big talking point. As I shoot questions at him, he is chowing down on an oats and egg concoction; redeemed by a few glossy strawberries. It looks entirely unappetising, but he insists it isn’t. “This is all I eat for breakfast. I’m not tortured by it at all. I do feel like I’m on a constant diet though. I have found that trying to be consistent with it is the main challenge for me. I used to keep yo-yoing; from being extremely fit to literally putting on eight kilos overnight. That can be mentally draining, especially when you have to keep pulling yourself back and making amends.”