Milind Soman: Inspiring to see them overcome challenges

Not many would associate fitness enthusiast Milind Soman with a vice that takes a toll on health Fifteen years after the avid smoker kicked the butt to adopt a healthier lifestyle he took six individuals still struggling with the addiction on a journey to remember The actorturnedphilanthropist 52 talks to midday about the web show I Can You Can which follows six smokers as they trek to the Everest base camp Soman leads this pack of individuals who despite their addiction are relatively fitWhat convinced you to work on the showI jumped at the opportunity to shoot a trekbased show when BBC Worldwide offered it to me They stated it would follow six people who had or continue to battle the addiction of smoking Three of them want to give it up while the others had quit a while ago It chronicles their journey to the Everest base camp I thought it would be interesting And I was right it was brilliant seeing them overcome challengesHow was your journey of travelling with themFirst we went to Kathmandu and then took a flight to Lukla We made our journey to the Everest base camp in about 14 days We climbed over 18000 feet There was a crew that helped us through the obstacles and psychological challenges When you cross 14000 feet the lack of oxygen can get disconcerting It was great to experience that with the participants The journey wasnt tough it was spiritualHow did they deal with it They wanted to quit several times but did not because they had conviction They were committed for various reasons and that took them right to the endWhat message does this show attempt to spreadThe awareness of the illeffects of smoking is there Every cigarette will kill you you dont need anyone to emphasise that The show hopes to inspire people If this lot can transform they should inspire others to follow suitHow would you chronicle your battle with smokingI would smoke almost 30 cigarettes a day But I stopped it 15 years ago It was tough to rid myself of the addiction It took me almost two years to give it up completely Cigarettes are addictive and easily available That makes the effort to quit smoking harder So I could sympathise with the participants understand the trauma of enduring withdrawal symptoms and mood swingsWhat convinced you to kick the buttI always knew it was a stupid thing to do As a sportsman I was foolish to even start I started smoking at 30 without any trigger I was simply waiting for a shot and decided to try it Then there was one cigarette after another I just let it happen to me I decided to give it up when I realised my addiction was becoming a concernThere was a fair amount of discussion about your relationship with 18yearold Ankita Konwar How did you handle thatIt did not bother me especially because she was not a minor when we started dating It was amusing to see people go crazy over nothing I was travelling when the news came out and it was fun to read what was being written about us We have a simple story We met at a nightclub in Chennai and fell in loveCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go