Santosh is back in town in a lean avatar – all thanks to Salman Khan Actor Santosh Shukla, who was last seen in Bigg Boss, is on cloud nine these days. “Aur hoon bhi kyun na, I am getting training for my next film directly under the Khan of all Khans – Salman Khan for Sohail Khan’s Mental,” he gushes.
Adding further, he says, “I trained for the action sequences with a special trainer but Salman bhai was not happy with my training and looks. So, he decided to train me with the help of his personal trainer Rakesh. All three of us go to bhai’s farmhouse in Mumbai and then he runs with me for 10 kms. Once we are done with that, he makes me do 400 push-ups of 25 sets each and 300 crunches. He has made me lose 15 kgs! And finally, after so much training, he is happy with my new lean avatar.”
And Santosh seems to be reaping the benefits of his newfound friendship with Salman Khan. “After Mental, I have signed another movie with Bhai, Kick, to be directed by Sajid Nadiadwala. Salman bhai’s company has proved really lucky for me,” he smiles.
Talking of TV, we ask if Santosh has bid goodbye to the medium. “I was offered Jhalak Dikhlaja and Maharana Pratap on TV, which I refused. As of now, I am not interested in doing anything on TV. My focus is to make a place for myself in Bollywood,” he says.
Back to his hometown, Lucknow, Santosh is happy to be with his friends and family. “Sohail bhai (Khan) gave us a 10-day break from shooting and I immediately came down to Lucknow to be with my family and friends. I am the kind of a person who gets homesick very soon,” he says. And he sure is having fun back home. “I am spending time partying with friends every night. They keep asking me to tell them stories about Bollywood and my movie. More than me, they are excited about the release of Mental. On Wednesday, I rode around in Hazratganj on my bike and it was an awesome experience. It was fun with everyone staring at me and trying to place who I am.”