Sara Ali Khan on her skincare saviours, guilty pleasures and lockdown learning

Just as the pandemic has taught us to focus inward rather than outward, Sara Ali Khan believes that beauty resides in the mind before the body.

Chiselled abs, tiny waists, perfectly toned arms and thighs the glorification of picture-perfect ‘summer-ready’ bodies on platforms like Instagram highlights the toxic aspect of fitness culture propagated by social media. Even more so as we spend increasing amounts of time scrolling through our feeds and our dreams of beaches and bikinis are pushed further away by virtue of our work-from-home lives. When I present the conundrum to Sara Ali Khan, one of the most prominent celebrity fitness icons of her generation, whose weight loss journey has probably inspired umpteen fans, she explains what motivates her to hit the mat every morning. For Ali Khan, the superficial benefits are no more than positive by-products, far from the real goal. “Workouts or fitness for me have never been a means to an end,” she confesses. Instead, it’s primarily a source of positivity, above everything else. And it’s safe to say that we all can use an extra supply of that right now. Ali Khan’s radiant smile and chirpy persona are infectious and her words reverberate the same optimism she preaches when it comes to beauty and fitness. “For me, confidence, beauty, and just being proud of who you are have always been internal rather than external or physical things,” she opines. It all comes down to feeling more confident about who you are, what you believe in, and what you are on the inside. “If you look better, that’s just the cherry on the cake, and then you can also eat the cake,” the actor cheekily adds.

The 25-year-old has been fiercely outspoken about her body transformation from 96kg to 46kg, as well as her struggles with Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD). “There were moments where I would struggle and I couldn’t even do five crunches in a row. Now I can proudly say I’m pretty fit. The key is to realise that the confidence that you derive shouldn’t ever come from how you look, but from how you feel,” Ali Khan shares. Today, her staunch workout routine is as much about regulating her hormones and ensuring her peace of mind as it is about building strength and muscle or toning her body.

Although the Coolie No. 1 actor hasn’t been able to continue the group functional training sessions that she would thoroughly enjoy in a pre-pandemic world, she manages to keep the momentum strong with online Pilates classes (her base workout) as well as at-home functional circuits. But when the opportunity presents itself and travel protocols permit her to do so, this nature’s child would rather get her exercise through walking, swimming, skiing or trekking, as her recent expeditions to Gulmarg and Goa showed us.

With a stern focus on consistency, the star sure seems to have nailed down the physical fitness part of her daily routine. However, what she finds herself struggling with from time to time is mental health in yet another year of staying confined within our homes. The bubbly actor loves and misses the soaring energy levels on-set, she admits. So what keeps her ticking? A strong sense of gratitude. “I have a mother and a brother I live with that I love so much. I have food that I get to eat. I have coffee that I get to drink. There are so many people out there who have been hit so much harder than any of us can even dream of imagining—whether it’s the migrant workers or the people on my film set.”

Appreciating the simple joys of life along with a bird’s-eye perspective on the world helps Ali Khan stay sane and grounded, even in these unprecedented times. “I wait every morning to wake up, have that hot cup of co ee, go to mum’s room, talk to her, gossip and play Ludo with her. These are things that we all do, but I don’t think we realise how important they are and how thankful we are to be able to have them,” she reflects.

Despite her ardent advocacy for feeling your best versus looking your best, Ali Khan is a face to reckon with when one thinks of skincare and beauty. From her recent appointment as the first brand ambassador of Mama Earth’s haircare range, to endorsing online marketplace Purplle, and serving as the face of Garnier Skin Naturals Serum Sheet Masks, Maybelline, and Veet, amongst other brands, the young star has set a beauty standard for the country’s millennial and Gen-Z population—all in the mere span of two years since her Bollywood debut.

Here, she tells us about her top hacks.

BASIC BEAUTY

“Match the makeup on your neck to the makeup on your face. Otherwise you won’t match on-screen and it will look bad.”

COMFORT ZONE

“I like more neutral looks. I think the more dewy, nude and natural the face, the better, but I like big hair. I don’t personally love straight hair, maybe because my natural hair texture is straight, so I think a glam look is soft waves or even a nice big hairdo.”

BEAUTY BEACON

“I think it has to be my mother for one, and it would also be Deepika Padukone—I think she’s beauty personified.”

DIET PLAN

“My diet has also become my lifestyle. Eating foods that are not very oily, not very salty, not very sugary are things that I have now grown to enjoy, and it makes me feel lighter and fitter, so I continue doing that.”

GUILTY PLEASURE

“Because the pandemic has ensured that I don’t shoot as much as I used to, there are many more cheat meals than there used to be. They range from chole bhature to waffles, a packet of chips, and ice-cream.”

SKINCARE SAVIOUR

“Drink ample amounts of water, eat a lot of fruit, sleep for at least eight hours a day, think positive, and work out.”

HAIRCARE HACK

“I truly believe that we should believe in goodness inside when it comes to hair care, and use as many natural products as we can. Mamaearth is my go-to brand—whether it’s the onion shampoo or the amla hair oil. The more natural and kitchen-oriented stuff you use, the better it is for you.”

SECRET TO SANITY

“In times like this, the only thing that gives me the satisfaction that being on a film set gave me is to be able to reach out to those people that need that help—whether it’s in terms of hunger, education, or shelter. Just go out there and help those people because that’s the only way that you will feel better and be able to make a change. Ultimately, that little bit of boredom that one feels during these times is truly a first-world problem in what this pandemic has done to the world.”

LOCKDOWN LEARNING

“I think the biggest lockdown learning that I had was gratitude for the things that we do have, and in channelling inner positivity and motivating yourself even if things out there seem to be slowing down. We don’t know what tomorrow has in store for us. We just need to keep going and be the best versions of ourselves, because that’s all that you can do—take each day as it comes, and enjoy the smaller things in life.”

This article originally appeared in the July 2021 issue of Vogue India