How Tridev star Sonam lost 30 kilos to gear up for a second innings

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For those who came in later, Sonam, niece to Farah and Raza Murad and wife of 1990s hotshot director Rajiv Rai who ruled hearts in the 1990s, celebrated her milestone 50^th birthday last September with a gift to herself. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” she smiles, as a result of that move.

Introduced by the late Yash Chopra in Vijay (1988), Sonam (not to be confused with Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor’s daughter) made her first box-office mark in Tridev (1989) and was known as the Tirchhi topiwale girl after the famous chartbuster she enacted along with Naseeruddin Shah in this film. She later did successes like Kroadh, Naakabandi and Vishwatma, while her last release was Do Fantoosh in 1994, when she quit films following her marriage. Her leading men included Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Raj Babbar, Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and others.

To get back to fitness as she now plans to try for a second innings in cinema, Sonam has been making small lifestyle changes. Through the pandemic and even after the lockdown was lifted, the actor spent more time in the reserve forest areas of Ooty, which led her to establish a connection with nature, eat clean and in moderation. “In the midst of nature, I became cognizant about my lifestyle. I started making changes one day at a time, and that’s how it all started,” recollects the star.

She started going on nature trails, and worked just as hard on her diet, sticking to vegetarian meals and a fixed number of calories a day. Says Sonam, “I was mindful about everything I consumed. I would binge on chocolates only once a week and maintain my dietary discipline through the rest of the six days. I managed to lose 30 kilos with dedication and discipline.”

How does she stay motivated? “I want to remind everyone that life doesn’t end at 50. Transformation can begin at any given time,” she explains.