"I never had a paunch. But regrettably I never had a six-pack either. Hopefully with my son's help, I'll get there too. In the meanwhile, I've lost a lot more weight recently for (TV show) '24'. I am more agile and flexible and leaner. I've lost six kgs," said Anil, who celebrated his birthday Monday.
He is content that he has spent many years of life working hard.
"I try my best to do the right thing. Age is just a number. Staying healthy and fit is just a matter of discipline. Recently, I had the good fortune of meeting the Dalai Lama. I felt so cleansed! Just listening to him is such an enriching experience.
"What he said was, 'how you feel and choose to live are all up to you. If you lie to yourself and to others, you're bound to be unhealthy'. Look how radiant the Dalai Lama looks. I'd love to look as radiant when I reach his age. Positivity has always been my mantra for existence," added the actor.
Anil, who has three children - daughters Sonam and Rhea, and son Harshvardhan, is careful about his eating habits.
"I never touch the samosas. But I love the upper-crust. I don't have the filling. People say I look like a samosa without the filling. I've worked to stay slim. I've never been a red meat eater. I eat frugally and carefully. But I do indulge myself.
"There's nothing I haven't done in my life. I can gorge on forbidden food any time.But I admit I make a lot of culinary sacrifices. One has to give up some pleasures to achieve what one wants to," he said.
Anil, who started his Bollywood career in 1979 with a supporting role in "Humare Tumhare", went on to make his mark in films with projects like "Mashaal", "Karma", "Chameli Ki Shaadi", "Tezaab", "Ram Lakhan", "Mr.India" and "Lamhe".
He has also featured in international projects like TV series "24" and had a role to play in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". Anil is also into film production.
He admits he has never shied away from hard work.
"It seems like I've been working all my life. And that's the way I like it. I've always gone by instinct. For example,. I was offered television in the west, with big money. But I seriously wasn't tempted. Come to think of it, I've always wondered why others get big money, while I've to work my a** off to make a decent living.
"Nothing has come easy to me. I've slogged for everything I've got. And that's the way I want it," he added.
Anil welcomed the struggle that comes with success.
"I never wanted anything to come easily to me. It's not hard work. It's working to my optimum capacity. When I see people like Tom Cruise and Amitabh Bachchan saheb, I feel I don't work hard at all.
"When I see Salman Khan and how hard he works on his body, I want to work harder on my body. Look at how hard Hrithik (Roshan) and Ranbir (Kapoor) work," he said.
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