Suniel Shetty paves way to democratise fitness in India

By Papri Das

He might have been missed from the silver screen off late, but actor and businessman Suniel Shetty is quite ?active?ly innovating on the country?s fitness front. Shetty has now joined the ranks of fitness enthusiastic celebrities who have materialised their passion for health and bodybuilding with novel initiatives.

Shetty will curate content for Tata Sky?s new value added service Actve Fitness, that brings expert fitness and wellness to everyone?s homes. The idea behind it is simple -- ?to enable the country to be self sufficient when it comes to their health and fitness.?

It is not new that a Bollywood biggie with a fit and fine image has enter the business of lifestyle and fitness. We saw model and actor Dino Morea launch his new line of open gyms earlier this year, and actress Bipasha Basu?s workout videos still adorn the shelves of the health and fitness section in a DVD store, as well as gets regular traction on YouTube. Shilpa Shetty Kundra has been wowing her fans with her yoga and exercise routine, and has often been heard giving young moms tips on regaining their figure after pregnancy.

Shetty acknowledges the sea change in the landscape of fitness after the information boom. People can easily Google any fitness routine and even try it out by following their tutorial videos online. But this new found accessibility is like a double edged sword.

In conversation with Indiantelevision.com's Exec Life, Shetty, who is also credited for launching a number of US based fitness studios by the name of Anytime Fitness in Nagpur and Pune, says, ?I often hear people googling work out sessions and diet plans at random based on the end result they want and go seriously wrong with it. Along with the many helpful advises, the internet is also full of clutter. So how does one differentiate one from the other? You need an expert, a guide, who can suggest what kind of training you need as per your body type, your purpose, your health history etc.?

A staunch believer in democratising fitness and bringing the concept down from its lofty elitist image to an everyday phenomenon, Shetty?s vision for fitness in India is beyond glamour and focuses more on everyday lifestyle.

Here?s hoping that more and more Indians get active on the fitness front taking a cue from him and his ilk.