‘Everything is based around strength’

Suhana Khan performs unassisted chin-ups at Anti Gravity Studio

Week after week, Bollywood’s young actresses have put their athletic prowess on display. If Suhana Khan shared visuals of executing unassisted chin-ups, Sharvari had the fittest individuals attempting the push-up variations she learnt as part of her prep for an upcoming actioner. Shanaya Kapoor kicked off the year with 50-kilo deadlifts, while Ananya Panday flaunted her strength by sharing a video that showed her performing 120-kilo hip thrusts. Social media platforms may be peppered with fitness-related myths—like the claim that lifting heavy weights makes women ‘bulky’—but the industry’s “informed” actresses are having none of it. Unwilling to settle for ineffective and uninspiring routines, they’re hitting the gym with the intention of developing functional strength. Strength, says trainer Sahil Rasheed, is the crux that fitness science is based around.