Taking The Centre Stage

For television actor Karan Tacker, fitness operates on a large spectrum. It is not just physical but spiritual too. Thanks to this philosophy, he navigates well in a cut-throat industry.

- Mehul Reuben Das

The heart wants what it wants. This is the motto that Karan Tacker lives by. This is evident from the fact that when most people prepare for the cover shoot, they go on all sorts of diets, just to shed those extra grams for our camera, but not Karan. In a candid conversation after the shoot, he admitted that he had gorged on a plate of biryani the evening before. “I believe that if you deny yourself the trivial pleasures of life, such as a plate of biryani, or pani puri, it becomes morbid. You cannot snub your desires to achieve something, that’s not how the world works.”

An interesting idea, we thought as we started the interview. Here’s what one of India’s most recognised television actors had to say:

Working in the television industry is harder than working in Bollywood, simply because of the number of hours that you shoot. How do you find the time to work out regularly?

It is indeed a lot harder for people working in the television industry. You are shooting every day, sometimes for 18 straight hours. You need to get creative and manoeuvre around your schedule smartly. I generally try to join a gym that is closer to the set that I will be shooting regularly at. I wait for my portion to be shot, and if there is ample time before the next scene, I quickly get to the gym, finish my workout and get back to work. There also have been times, when I would get up earlier and then go to the gym, or out for a run. There was once a time when I used to drive myself to work, and on the way, while driving, would have my breakfast. I have done all this because I knew I couldn’t afford to give up on my goals.

Being a Punjabi, it can be safely assumed that you grew up on lots of butter, curd, and ghee. Was it difficult for you to give all that up?