Mumbai: Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who feels his smile is the facial feature that works best for him, says bad breath is a major put off for him.
"Bad breath is generally a put off... I've said it many times in interviews that I'm not judgmental about people, I don't discriminate... Even body odour, I'm fine with, you know, I feel like that's a person's natural smell, so be it.
"But if there is one thing that I cannot bear, is bad breath, I just... I can't do it," Ranveer, a Colgate Maxfresh brand ambassador, told IANS in an interview.
Naturally then, he is very conscious of his own breath.
"I make sure that I am and that my breath is fresh at all times when interacting with people. I'm very aware of it and I make it a point to have fresh breath."
Having launched Colgate Maxfresh PowerFreeze here earlier this week, Ranveer hopes to be able to spread the good word about having fresh breath.
"I hope a lot more, many people, men and women of all ages, be conscious and aware of their breath and make sure it's smelling nice and attractive," he said.
Personally, he ensures he brushes his pearly whites after every meal. He even finds it energising.
All smiles to be complimented for his "sparkling smile", Ranveer told IANS: "A lot of females that I have the good fortune to interact with, tell me that I have very small eyes, that I have a very big nose, that I don't have the greatest facial features in the world, certainly not something that would immediately qualify you for the silver screen. But they do compliment me on my smile.
"If there's anything about my face that works for me, it's my smile."
The "Band Baaja Baaraat" actor brushes his teeth "diligently at least four times a day".
"The thing is, I've got mild OCD (Obsessive-compulsive Disorder), so it's not just waking up in the morning, it's pretty much after every meal, sometimes when I need a boost of energy, even when I'm shooting films on a set, you'll literally find me in the corner of a set with a bottle of water, brushing my teeth.
"It really energises me, revitalises me," said Ranveer, who is a livewire on stage and lights up the screen with his exuberance.
He says he may come across as a powerhouse of energy, but he is quite lazy.
"I have trouble waking up in the morning, so I wake up almost like a dead body, I'm almost sleep walking till I brush my teeth... I wake up in the morning all groggy and like I hate everyone, I don't want to go to work. And then I brush my teeth and suddenly I'm awake and alive," he quipped.
This is also a wake-up formula he uses on sets sometimes.
"When things are getting a bit dreary, sometimes on a film set, you know, if the energy is low, you can't afford to -- as the leading artiste -- let your energy drop, in fact you have to lead the charge in terms of being that dynamo, that source of energy, and a leader on set, and never let the energy dip.
"But I'm only human, so when mine (my energy) dips, one of the things I do is brush my teeth and then I'm back in action."