Films to fitness

After foraying into film production, fashion and food, film actor Suniel Shetty is plunging into the health club business. The star of Bollywood blockbusters such as Main Hoon Na and Hera Pheri has sealed a deal with Delhi-based Powerhouse Health Club and Health Equipment to endorse the brand and infuse funds into itshealth clubs.

According to Raj Dhingra, proprietor of the Rs 25-crore Powerhouse chain, Shetty's clean image and business drive will give visibility to the brand.

"He's a star and he is a good businessman. He will be able to draw clients," feels Dhingra, who runs 15 Powerhouse healthclubs, including in Delhi, Agra and Kanpur.

But in true Bollywood style, the meaning of fitness mantra will take on an entirely new meaning when the new-look, 7,000 sq ft Powerhouse club opens in Gurgaon next year.

"The club will have a hair salon, spa, juice bar, dance floor and a DJ. We're investing Rs 2 crore in the project, " he says.

More such lifestyle clubs are being planned but Dhingra is tightlipped about the details. He however says the company's turnover will grow to Rs 50 crore by 2006.

Shetty's investment share is 30 per cent while Powerhouse will chip in the remaining 70 per cent, which includes the brand endorsement fee.

Shetty, a successful tinsel town businessman, runs an export house, a chain of Copper Chimney and Mischief restaurants as well as owns the Mischief clothesline His company Popcorn Entertainment is into film production.

Shetty, who signed the deal a fortnight ago, is presently shooting a sequel to Hera Pheri in Las Vegas, and could not be reached for comment.

But Dhingra says as part of the new deal with the actor, four retail outlets are expected to come up in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata with a plan outlay of Rs 10 crore.

Dhingra has made a successful business out of cheap fitness equipment imports from China and Taiwan as well.

"These machines are 70 per cent cheaper than their western counterparts," says Dhingra, who labels and sells them under his own Powerplus and Bodyline brand names. Last year, Powerhouse's equipment retail business generated sales worth Rs 7 crore.

Though Dhingra has supplied club equipment to Govindgarh and Khanna Mandi villages in Punjab, he's betting on real revenue to come from high-networth individuals and Bollywood clients.

But in times when neighbourhood gyms are multiplying, it's yet to be seen whether star power can pull clients to its doorstep.