Janhvi and Sara have been training with me for 10 years: Namrata Purohit
Fitness expert Namrata Purohit reveals how Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan have mastered Pilates over a decade of training with her.
Fitness expert Namrata Purohit has opened up about her long-standing professional relationship with Bollywood stars Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan, revealing that the two actresses have been honing their fitness through Pilates under her guidance for over a decade.
From Students to Pros: The Evolution of Janhvi and Sara
The popularity of Pilates among India's film elite has skyrocketed in recent years, with Janhvi and Sara serving as prominent faces of the movement. However, Namrata Purohit notes that their proficiency is the result of years of dedicated practice.
"Both Janhvi and Sara have been training with me now for about 10 years or even more, actually. They are pro now," Namrata shared. She further revealed that Janhvi's understanding of the discipline is so profound that she could potentially transition into an instructor herself.
According to the trainer, Janhvi has developed such a deep connection with movement and breath work that she occasionally leads sessions for her friends while traveling. "She's got the knowledge; she understands movement... it's actually quite cool," Namrata remarked.
The Secret Ingredient: Celebrity Discipline
While Namrata focuses on teaching the technical aspects of the mind-body exercise—including core stability, controlled movement, and concentration—she admits that her celebrity clients have taught her just as much. The common thread among the stars she trains is an unparalleled level of grit.
"I would say in general all the celebrities teach you something, and the main thing that every celebrity will teach you is discipline," Namrata emphasized. "The kind of discipline and grit they have, I think nobody has. They're so focused, and they always work towards achieving their goal."
A Business Journey: Lessons from the Purohit Legacy
Pilates in India has seen a massive surge in popularity, a trend significantly driven by the work of Namrata and her father, Samir Purohit. The duo recently celebrated a massive milestone with the opening of their 50th Pilates studio.
However, the path to building a fitness empire was not without its hurdles. Namrata reflected on the early challenges of entrepreneurship, specifically recalling a difficult period where a breach of trust by a business partner forced her and her father to adapt their approach to commerce.
"I think one of the difficult parts was somewhere at the start itself when we were considering expanding our studios and we did partner with someone who we trusted by word and then we got a bit messed up in the whole process," she explained. This experience instilled a vital lesson in the Purohit business model: the necessity of written contracts.
"I think learning that lesson very early in my career and life taught me that when it comes to business, everything has to be written down in black and white... at the time, it was very hard because my father and I were both very trusting and naive about these things," she concluded.