'Akshay Kumar Doesn't Age,' Says Devendra Fadnavis, Seeks Fitness Tips

Mumbai: Actor and martial arts expert Akshay Kumar's fitness quotient, billed as the highest in the film industry, has inspired much of Bollywood. Now, the man with the top job in Maharashtra wants to know his secret. On Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis joined 5000 students at an event of Transform Maharashtra in asking the actor for fitness tips.

Mr Fadnavis became a fitness convert after he took charge as Chief Minister in 2015. His office says he has lost nearly 20 kg with help from Jayashree Todkar, a metabolism and bariatric consultant. From weighing nearly 122 kg, Mr Fadnavis is now down to 100 kg. He follows a strict diet and walks briskly to burn calories even in working hours.

But yesterday at Transform India -- where he shared stage Akshay Kumar and industrialist Ratan Tata -- Mr Fadnavis turned to the burning question before the official business could begin.

"People admire one thing about Akshay -- that he looks just as he looked 20 years ago. He doesn't age," Mr Fadnavis said and asked him to pass on his fitness mantra.

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The 49-year-old actor, who is three years older than Mr Fadnavis, did not disappoint. What works wonders for him is not eating after sundown, the actor said. Metabolism, he told students, slows down when one is asleep.

With yoga being a big area of focus for the Narendra Modi government, several BJP ministers have hit the gym. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajyavardhan Rathore appear to work out together and the former posts photographs of the sessions on Twitter.

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Last month, Mr Rijiju said Mr Rathore has inspired him to stick to a fitness regime. While sports minister Vijay Goel applauded the two, Union minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted saying he wished he could be a bit like them.