Mumbai: Milestone celebrations have begun for Salman Khan as he prepares to turn 60 on December 27. Fans are counting down to the superstar’s birthday
in full force. The buzz grew after Salman shared post-workout photos on social media. The images highlighted his sculpted physique and a caption many read as a subtle message to critics.
The images, taken inside a gym, showed Salman maintaining peak fitness weeks ahead of his birthday. Online reactions poured in almost instantly, with fans praising his discipline and longevity in the industry.
Ali Abbas Zafar talks about Salman Khan’s Sultan
Amid the renewed chatter, a fresh perspective was offered by Ali Abbas Zafar, who reflected on Salman Khan’s dedication while working on Sultan. Speaking exclusively to News9Live, the filmmaker highlighted the intense transformation the actor underwent for the role.
“In recent years, the kind of love Sultan has for the performance of Salman bhai has been phenomenal. I think he gave his heart and soul to that character, from learning the language and getting physically fit and looking like a desi pahalwan and then like an MMA wrestler. It was phenomenal,” Ali Abbas Zafar said.
Further details were shared about the physical and emotional demands of the film. “This film was emotionally very challenging for him. To prepare for the role of a desi pahalwan, he used to train with the real pahalwans from Haryana. There were real coaches who were training players for the Olympics and the Asian Games. He ate the Indian diet of doodh, dahi, ghee and everything to look a certain way,” he added.
The filmmaker also recalled the dramatic weight fluctuations required for the character. “And then when he puts on weight, he goes into an extreme regime of bulking up so that he can look like a wrestler who has put on weight. So, he does not look unhealthy when he looks overweight in that mirror scene. Then he again dropped the weight to look like an MMA fighter, which was trained by a Hollywood studio from Los Angeles,” he said.
Summing up Salman Khan’s current form, the director concluded, “Salman at 60 is a dream for any man to look like that. I think he’s just warming up. The best of bhai is yet to come.”
