From losing 32 kgs with aerobics to running away from home for acting; Parth Samthaan gets candid about his initial days in the showbiz world

Parth Samthaan has been a heartthrob and has a dedicated fan base. The actor not only wins hearts with his charm but also with his acting chops. In a candid chat with Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa, the actor opened up about his drastic weight loss, his acting dream and more.

I used to weigh 110 kilos as a kid and was like that. Remember the movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham? Rohit, played by Hrithik Roshan? That’s basically me, proper chubby. Someone might say, "What are you talking about? You’re Hrithik Roshan!" But no, that’s exactly the transformation I went through. I lost 32 kilos, proper weight loss, in just four months. So yeah, 32 kilos in four months.

Back in my day, aerobics was the thing. I did a lot of aerobics, no gym or anything fancy, just running, dieting, all that stuff. And wow, my height shot up because of it. I went from 5 feet straight up to 6'1" in just four or five months. It was around the age of 15 to 18. I actually motivate a lot of people to do tons of cardio like cycling, swimming, all of it, because, according to my family's average, I should’ve been like 5'9" or 5'10". But the fact that I reached 6'1" and a half is all because of that.

Well, as soon as I decided I wanted to become an actor, that was the time when I lost weight; I had already made up my mind. But my parents discouraged me, saying there’s no one we know in the industry, nothing going for us, and that everything happens through connections. They said it’s really tough. So, I gave up, thinking, okay, fine.

Then I moved to Mumbai and started studying architecture. I was in my second and third years when I started getting projects. That’s when I realised, maybe destiny is calling me somewhere else. I felt like maybe my luck lies somewhere else. So, why not? Let’s give it a shot.

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But the thing with architecture was that you can’t just do it side by side like that. This isn’t some B.Com or a regular field. It’s a really serious field. There were days when we went without sleeping, without brushing, without even bathing, just went to the classroom and the shots, and got our submissions done—the thesis was super hectic. So I knew that if I wanted to try this, to pursue theatre, I’d have to leave all that behind. I’d have to take a break for now. So that’s what I did.

And at that time, my parents just couldn’t digest it. Their dreams were basically way bigger, and you were young. You were a teenager. Right. At 18 or 19, you know how it is, hot-blooded, a bit rebellious, feeling like you have to prove yourself, thinking you know everything.

So, I just left home. I walked out and went somewhere, and ended up sitting at Marine Drive. Then from there, I came to Pune without telling anyone or doing anything, just disappeared. Like, I was gone for the next three or four days. My dad was really worried, called around a lot, tried everything, you know how it goes. And obviously, then they called the police and all, they said your son must be somewhere nearby. That’s all that happened.

Then one day, on the third day, I called my brother. He scolded me and said, “Why didn’t you call Mom and Dad? If not, I would’ve called.” I said, “No, no, no, I’m the one who’s calling.” He asked, “Where are you?” I said, “I’m at a friend’s farmhouse, somewhere near Lonavala.” I was just sitting there with no network, no phone signal. I had even thrown my phone away before leaving the house. So, there was no way to contact anyone. That’s it.