Actress Saiyami Kher, who was seen sharing the screen space with actor Harshvardhan Kapoor in Mirzya, has said that she finds actor Akshay Kumar inspirational.
While fitness is a way of life for Saiyami, who has played badminton and cricket professionally, she says it's not necessarily a decisive factor for a career as an actor in the entertainment industry.
"Looks and glamour are one part of the entertainment industry, but if you have a six-pack, it doesn't mean that you're a good actor. If you are doing an action film, you will need to physically look like an action hero. That's when the physicality comes in; but to be an actor, body type is not important.
"What's important is how you act and if the character requires you to have a particular kind of a body, then one has to work on that," Saiyami told IANS.
She cited the examples of Bhumi Pednekar who first gained weight for "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and then lost it for her subsequent projects, Randeep Hooda who went through drastic weight loss for "Sarbjit" and Aamir Khan who went through weight fluctuations for "Dangal".
"With regards to fitness, you definitely need to remain very fit because if you are fit, you will get to do more work. But in the entertainment industry, I don't think that's the only focus because obviously acting always remains the main focus.
"I really look up to Akshay Kumar. He is tremendously fit and an inspiration."
Saiyami, along with Anusha Dandekar, was in Lavasa, near Pune for the launch of adidas Ultra Boost X, attended by around 50 women from different walks of life last week. After a yoga session on day one, they indulged in a challenging 5K uphill run.
Running is Saiyami's go-to way of staying fit, but she believes "fitness is completely in your mind".
She hopes people, especially women, stop giving excuses to not workout.
"I understand that it's very difficult to run a family, to have children, but at the same time, there's always a way to find solutions. I urge all women to take out time for themselves and stay fit and make fitness an integral part of their life."
What's next on the work front?
"I am in talks for two very exciting projects and I'm just keeping my fingers really tightly crossed hoping that these take off soon."
(With IANS Inputs)
