Sonu Sood reveals his fitness routine, healthy diet: 'People like to party, I like to exercise'

Promising to present an action spectacle in his directorial debut Fateh, Sonu Sood says devoting two non-negotiable hours in his day to fitness enables him to pull off high-octane films at 51

For as long as he can remember, Sonu Sood has curtailed the hours in his day to 22. The remaining two, he says, have always been devoted to fitness—no negotiation. This implies that whether a shooting stint commences early in the morning, or runs past midnight, or his film commitments have him travel across the world, Sood’s day doesn’t conclude unless he has hit the gym. It isn’t an ordeal that he puts himself through, but rather a part of his day that he looks forward to. “People like to party, or try a new restaurant. I like to exercise. When I’m away on a vacation, if the hotel gym opens late, I get restless and wonder how I will pass my time. I’m usually alone at the gym, and that’s good, because it helps me focus on my routine,” he says, matter-of-factly. 

While filming the upcoming Friday release Fateh, which had him take on duties as actor, director, and producer, he recalls waking up at 3.30 am to hit the gym for about two hours before shooting commenced at 5.30. Often, he’d conduct meetings with the team while running on the treadmill, because “taking on so many duties for this film left me with limited time”. Fateh, easily among Sood’s most ambitious projects, will be “one of the most special action films” India has seen, he promises. It’s easy to see that the actor is putting his might behind his directorial debut that plays to his strengths. If he has roped in music mavericks like Hans Zimmer and Loire Cotler for the soundtrack, his action team isn’t behind, with Lee Whittaker, the man behind films like Fast and Furious, and Jurassic Park 3, taking charge of the action sequences in this offering. 

“I’ve been doing action for the past 20 years and have worked with all the action directors of the country. Yet, my friends and family would ask me why our action [choreography] doesn’t match that of Hollywood films. So, I wanted to make something that could set a bar. Lee is one of the world’s best action directors. I spoke to him about something I had in mind, which is a single-shot action scene, without any cuts. It would involve 70 fighters. He told me he found it ambitious because India lacked the kind of fighters who could pull it off. So, I said we could get people from Mexico and South Africa for it.” The scene in discussion was filmed following a two-month prep, given that if “the 69th person made a mistake, we’d have to shoot the whole sequence again”. “It’s one of the best action sequences I’ve ever shot in my life.” 

Having adhered to a structured regimen throughout his life, Sood’s fitness journal may look fairly typical. Yet, while prepping for an action film, he says he could take the liberty to limit the cardiovascular component in his regimen. “When you’re doing a lot of action, a lot of cardio is involved anyway. Filming action for eight hours a day is fairly tiring because [you’re using] guns and running around. There’s hand-to-hand combat involved, so it was physically draining. It is owing to the routine that I have been following all these years that I had the stamina to survive this,” says Sood, 51, asserting that age has dampened neither his physical prowess nor his mental ability to stay fighting fit. Ask him if there’s a fitness format he adheres to, and pat comes his reply. “Callisthenics, which involves using body weight, has helped me do what I do. Everyone should try it.” His sons do too, he shares, adding that the duo enjoys exercising. “If you need to be pushed to head to the gym, that’s [a problem]. But if you have that drive, half the job is done. You have to be motivated. My kids have grown up watching me be disciplined; they know that there has not been a single day that I’ve given up. That also keeps them on their toes.” 

70
Number of fighters involved in the single-shot action scene

Sood’s diet

Sood emphasises the importance of a healthy diet and says that while he is vegetarian, he consumes eggs. He also has salads, avocados, besan chillas, and fruits, albeit in moderation, given that “they have a lot of fructose sugar”. “Because you need to have a balanced diet, I may, at times, have a small katori of rice and dal. But usually, egg omelettes, salad, and sautéed veggies are what I survive on. I enjoy eating this.” 

The Cheats: Amyra Dastur

What’s your cheat meal: 
Chilli cheese naan and dal makhani.

Cheat meal Vs cheat day: 
More often than not, it is once in a week, and usually on Sundays.

Cheat meal Vs cheat day: 
It is a single portion. I would feel too guilty to [indulge] all day.

Do you compensate for it:
I usually do not train on the day I have a cheat meal. I will only do 15 minutes of cardiovascular work before the meal. The next day, I will train a bit harder.

On Mouni Roy's Gym Playlist

Bleeding love
Attention
I knew you were trouble
Taki taki

Fitiness Tip That Works For Anusha Dandekar

Your body responds to things that make you happy. Do that and you will see your body change. For me, running on a beach or playing tennis is libera-ting.

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