Desperate rush for memberships at gyms frequented by celebrities
Desperate rush for memberships at gyms frequented by celebrities
See and be seen the reason residents of Lokhandwala, Oshiwara and Bandra have taken to gyming with a zeal that comes nowhere close to their South Mumbai or Mulund counterparts.
All the three pockets in the western suburbs are known to be celeb-infested and in turn, so are the gyms.
Gym owners, while refusing to give out numbers, say rise in memberships have been directly proportional
to the number of celeb members.
Andheri resident and homemaker Monisha Manghnani, 44, plans to return to an abandoned career in modelling. A membership at what she calls a happening gym will guide her to fitness.
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Eye candy: Kaliyon Ka Chaman girl Meghna Naidu says she's at ease being the centre of attention in her yoga class. |
"But I'm also there to see the beautiful people. Ambience and crowd make or break a gym. It's wonderful to rub shoulders with a celebrity while you work out. Who doesn't want it?" she shrugs matter-of-factly.
Celeb a dayAnd each day brings a different celeb. For instance, if on Monday, a gym has Raima Sen sweating it out at a hot yoga class, Tuesday brings the opportunity of staring at Rakhi Sawant's surfboard belly or a Ria Sen, while regular members try a backbend.
"When celebrities work out at the same gym as you, it's a huge motivation. And a professional atmosphere ensures that celebrity members get to work out without being accosted or harassed," says Raj Rao, senior VP of True Fitness, a gym that prides itself in being the only one to offer Bikkram Yoga, a form performed in 45u00b0C heat, that Hollywood celebs like Goldie Hawn have popularised.
Although homemaker Shilpa Pal insists it wasn't the celeb quotient that encouraged her to join her neighbourhood gym, she confesses, "Most people wonder which celeb they might bump into today.
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I take spinning classes with Sagarika Ghatgeu00a0 (of Chak De fame), and now we chat occasionally."
In fact, film and TV stars don't fancy being larger-than-life like those from two decades ago.
They want to be seen at clubs, heard on blogs, tracked on Twitter. So if you want a glimpse of Bipasha Basu gymming, drop in at Gold's, Bandra's fitness haunt.
Kaliyon Ka Chaman girl Meghna Naidu seems at ease with being the centre of attention at a Bikkram yoga class, and has bonded with many.
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"This year, during Ganpati puja at home, my guest list included more gym friends, than celebrities," she laughs.
Leena Mogre, who runs a fitness centre at Bandra frequented by actresses Kangana Ranaut and Sameera Reddy admits, "Of course, people join a gym depending on which celeb visits it and membership fees are a giveaway.
A Bandra branch of a gym will cost you far more than one elsewhere, even if it offers similar amenities."
NetworkingNatasha Singh, who played a teenager in the Seth household in the hit TV show, Dekh Bhai Dekh, admits that celebs are offered free membership to help draw in crowds.
"I joined a dance class at a Bandra gym frequented by celebs when it had just started. But then it got so crowded, I had to quit," she says.
But sometimes, the perks outweigh the problems. Singh landed her first movie role because she was spotted by a model while gymming at au00a0 Bandra fitness center.
In fact, models and aspiring actors use the gym as a networking hub. Rayo Bakhirta, an upcoming model, says the relaxed vibe at a gym allows talent hunters to approach newbies without hesitation.
Model Shoaib Jaffrey, 25, who is trying to break into Bollywood confesses, "Most strugglers join a gym just to make contacts. And some do it to brag about who they walked the treadmill with that day."
Who Goes WhereGold's gym, BandraBipasha Basu, John Abraham and Sohail Khan
Membership fee: Rs 30,600 u00a0a year
Leena Mogre's Fitness, Bandra
Kangana Ranaut, Sameera Reddy and Mugdha Godse
Membership fee: Rs 18,000 a year just to use gym (Treadmill and weight training only)
True Fitness, Andheri
Manisha Koirala, Raima and Riya Sen and Sonu Sood
Membership fee: Rs 3,000 for a month (approx)
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Fitness First, Oshiwara
Minisha Lamba
Membership fee: Rs 3,250 a month (approx)
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Sykz, Lokhandwala and Bandra
Ameesha Patel
Membership fee: Rs 22,500 u00a0a year
