Meet the fitness trainers of our B-Town stars

Perhaps the most important requisite of becoming a Bollywood actor/actress these days apart from knowing how to act, is possessing a fit and fab body. And more than one's own conviction, more often than not the credit goes to a performer's fitness trainer. From hounding stars to keeping up with their gruelling exercise schedules to barring them from eating their favourite snacks, their fitness trainers sometimes become the stars' most revered yet most feared folks in life.

Samir Jaura
Age: 42
Active since: 1999
Clients: Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukerji

Challenges: "Farhan is a highly motivated guy and before I was signed for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, I read the script and I told him that prepping for the film was not going to be a Sunday morning thing. He gave his 150 per cent and the result was out there. PC is playing a boxer in her next film so we concentrated on the basics first. She's highly professional but the only time she was trained for a film before was in Miami for Dostana. Rani Mukerji is getting ready to play a cop in her next. I call her she-Farhan for her dedication."

Amusing anecdotes: "Funny incidents happen when I start getting response from those who watch their favourite stars onscreen and believe that they too should have the same sort of body. What people don't know is it could be dangerous. No two body types are alike."

Mantra: "Like one prepares for an exam by studying, it's necessary to have an individualist pursuit when it comes to exercise."

Fittest body in the industry: "Hrithik, Salman Khan, SRK and Ajay Devgn."

Abbas Ali
Age: 37
Active since: 1999
Clients: Shahid Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha

Challenges: "Since Shahid is a pure vegetarian, nutrition is of utmost importance. Anyway, I keep changing diets although I make him follow a strict diet regime. We've been training for eight years now. He has an athletic body. Sonakshi's transformation has already started and you'll notice the change. When I take a celeb client, I understand their requirements even when they are travelling or shooting."

Amusing anecdotes: "It's funny when you catch them having food they aren't supposed to. It shows in the gym as their performance goes wrong indicating the obvious: something wrong happened outside the gym! And my idea of punishment is 60 burpees".

Mantra: "As a trainer, fitness is a lifestyle. Health can't be taken for granted. No mere coincidence that there's a rise in the number of gyms as well as hospitals."

Fittest body in the industry: "Hrithik Roshan and amongst actresses, Esha Koppikar is surprisingly superfit."

Ryan Fernandes
Age: 30
Active since: 2004
Clients: Ranveer Singh, Prateik

Challenges: "With Ranveer, the problem is his erratic shoot timings and his diet. When he's shooting, he finds it difficult to have proper meals on time. He has shown his bod in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl early and is all set to the same again in Ram Leela. You'll notice that his physique has changed dramatically over time. With Prateik, things are a bit different. He was already thin so I put him on a high-protein, rigorous diet plan. As of now, he has a ripped lean body."

Amusing anecdotes: "Ranveer has a sweet tooth and will do anything to sink his teeth into desserts. I recently caught him eating sweets and he had this ‘pakda gaya' look on his face. Fortunately he gives his 200 per cent inside the gym."

Mantra: "Eat clean, train hard and sleep well. If you sweat out in a gym and then don't rest appropriately at night, there's no point."

Fittest body in the industry: "Hrithik Roshan."

Mansoor Sayed
Age: 27
Active since: 2006
Clients: Ekta Kapoor, Vir Das

Challenges: "When Ekta approached me, her endurance level was very low. Besides, she was too busy with her office and work to take care of herself. But now, she's a different person altogether. She can run eight to 10 km at a stretch now."

Amusing Anecdotes: "Whenever I meet Vir, he says ‘Here comes the devil!' or ‘Save me from Mansoor' before working out. He keeps telling me that he doesn't want to ‘spoil' his face with too much workout."

Mantra: "I believe one should sincerely exercise 12-15 days a month and never wean away from carbs. Training builds your body and your confidence."
Fittest body in the industry: "Shahid."

Pradeep Bhatia
Age: 31
Active since: 2007
Clients: Ranbir Kapoor

Challenges: "Managing Ranbir's time, as he is occupied with several projects on his hands."

Amusing anecdotes: "He can be lazy at times and give you a tough time. I remember him once telling me, ‘Tu issi ke liye jeeta hai, main nahi' referring to the fitness regime I make him follow. Sometimes he'll run away from a particular workout. He behaves as a kid sometimes and that's what makes working with him such a fun experience."

Mantra: "Regular workout, uncompromising diet plan and never ever take shortcuts with your body."

Fittest body in the industry: "Neetu Kapoor, for her age, she's fabulously fit and healthy."u00a0