Empowerment is a gift women need to give themselves: Milind

As you sit for a conversation with 51-year-old Milind Soman, you can’t help but notice how he still looks remarkably young for his age, even as a hint of wisdom, perhaps, marks his brows. He doesn’t look very different from the boy who had the whole country swooning over him in Alisha Chinai’s blockbuster music video, Made in India, that became India’s unofficial anthem in the 90s. We ask him the question everyone has, every time one encounters him — just how does he manage to do it? “It’s been very easy. I’ve been committed to fitness and health since I was 9, when I started swimming at the nationals. I represented India till the age of 23. Those years, shaped the kind of person I am and the way my body is. They have also prepared me for the all the runs I’ve been doing for 15 years now. Running has become addictive. Having said that, I don’t train every day. I just do what is required. You just need to be regular, consistent and disciplined, while also making it a way of life, rather than doing something for a limited period,” says Milind, who was in town to announce Pinkathon’s fourth edition in the city at hotel Green Park. 

The latest edition of Pinkathon, India’s biggest women’s run, that had over 85,000 women of all ages across different walks of life running in 2016, will be held on July 2 at Island Grounds. However, it’s more than a marathon and seen as a movement carried forward by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women. “Women often put their well-being behind amid giving their all to multiple responsibilities. But they need to understand that to do the same, they need to be healthy and empowered. Also, there is this misconception that you need to wear certain clothes, be of a certain age to take part in marathons or fitness events. Our attempt is to change this thought and make it inclusive for anyone who wants to get out there and feel liberated and empowered. The first step in empowerment is taking control of your own health, respecting yourself and understanding and celebrating the value you bring to your family and society. Empowerment is not a gift of society; it is a gift women need to give themselves irrespective of age or the kind of clothes they wear. You could be 25 or 65, wearing a saree, salwar or hijab, all you need to do is get out and celebrate yourself,” adds Milind. 

Milind’s mother is testimony to this very fact. The 78-year-old went viral last year when she joined Milind for a leg of The Great India Run, matching her son step for step, in a saree. More recently, a video of her doing a plank for 80 seconds was widely shared on social media. Speaking about his mother’s newfound stardom, he says with a smile, “She hides every time I show her a post or comment. She’s not very social,” adding, “But she understands that it’s inspiring for women her age and younger to see what she does and we need more women who do this. Because, it’s never too late.” 

The movement also strives to drive social change. The medals have braille script and have been created by underprivileged women, while there will be 50 visually impaired girls participating in different categories of the run including 3, 5, 10 and 21-km distances. There will also be free gynaec consultations for women above 45 years of age.

Fitness, social work and modelling apart, Milind has also been part of films, a space he has been very selective about. Other than Hindi films, he has also appeared in popular Tamil films like Pachaikili Muthucharam, Paiyaa and Alex Pandian. Milind, who was last seen in Bajirao Mastani, says, “I wouldn’t say I’ve been selective. I don’t get that many offers. Having said that, I love acting, although I never wanted a career in films. Because, there are so many other things that I’ve wanted to do and being this famous and not more has given me the freedom and helped me do justice to other convictions. Because, if I were to become a superstar actor, I would be restricted in so many ways. I believe with everything in life there is a too-much and too-less. It’s important to maintain the balance. It’s the same, be it fame or fitness, and I’m glad I found that.”