'This is as naked as I'll get'

Perfect physique, bulging biceps, bronzed, almost gladiatorial —windblown hair, et al.

And with the unveiling of the new, 'flexy' Khan, he keeps a promise to yet another Khan buddy, his ace director —Farah Khan. 'He'd promised me that if he ever pumped up and took his shirt off for the cameras, the first time would be for me. Of course, 'conditions applied' and he had to be in shape, etc. But thanks to his trainer Prashant, he's kept his word. Here's presenting the latest Greek god of Indian cinema check him out. He's a regular 'model',' gushes the lady who's expecting triplets to add to her magnum opus 'baby' due at Diwali.

Shah Rukh was a lot more modest when was quizzed about 'Raju ban gaya muscleman'.

'Well, that's one way of looking at it. The thing is, I've worked with such strong set parameters for myself that anything that is seen as a departure from 'my normal' makes news. Chak De for example. I played the role differently; I mean I was as good, or bad, as any other, but because of the 'difference', its being spoken about, differently, so positively. And Mashallah, it's doing so well. In Farah's movie, I play a movie star of today. And with all respect, today's stars are so physically fit, that I had to work on myself harder. Especially in the second half, I play this really cool guy. I take my shirt off as the first character too, but as the second hero, I went all out.' Meaning, at the rate India was taking over the world, would he possibly do a 'full frontal' in a Hollywood film if offered? He blushed a deep beetroot.

No! No! Never! I don't do kissing scenes. I don't do love-making scenes and I will not do a full frontal scene. I'm too shy for any of that. I just can't. And because I can't, I've set certain rules for myself. I can't dance either, but that's something I can work at. And this is as 'naked' as I'll get. Frankly, it was just Farah for whom I did this. I'd promised her that the first time I bared onscreen it would be for her. And even though all my directors —Yashji, Adi, Karan, Aziz, Abbas-Mustan, etc. love me, Farah is my only lady director. And I'd rather take my clothes off for a girl.'

But with girls finding him sexy even with shirt on, why step on the testosterone now? He grinned, 'I decided to get 'sexy' for a boy; my son. He kept telling me to go get a six-pack. He'd say that Salman, Hrithik, John were the 'good physiques'. And even though I've always been fit, never fat, he wanted me to get abs, so I did. This one's for him.

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