Deepika Padukone to Alia Bhatt: Celebrity Fitness Experts Explain How Bollywood Stars Navigate This Festive Season

The festive season brings with it joy, good tidings, bright lights, red carpets, late-night parties, and constant photo ops — which means celebrities really can’t afford to skip their fitness routines. Celebrities, they’re just like us. But behind those enviable physiques are four trainers who’ve mastered the art of keeping these stars glowing through hectic schedules, shoots, and endless indulgences. The Hollywood Reporter India spoke to Anshuka Parwani, Karan Sawhney, Namrata Purohit, and Deanne Panday to discover how they adapt workouts for party season — and what the rest of us can learn from their A-list playbooks.

Deanne Panday

Celebrity Clients: Bipasha Basu, Abhay Deol

Core Workouts: Strength training, yoga and walking

Back to Basics

While she may have now swapped one-on-one celebrity training for workshops, talks, and authoring books, Panday’s philosophy hasn’t changed: moderation, patience, and an old-school approach. She advises against fat burners and protein shakes in favour of simple, clean eating and has always maintained that quick fixes and fads will never work. “Workouts and your diet are as individual as your fingerprint,” she says. “You can’t look at a celebrity and expect to replicate their body. Genetics, lifestyle, stress, medical history — everything comes into play. You’re unique, your body is unique.”

THR India: How can you avoid bloating during the festive season?

DP: Eat your soup, salad or meal before you head out. Once you’re out, the dinners are late, drinks are flowing — it’s easy to throw your body off. If you do have a drink, pick a zero-calorie option. Then, the next day, focus on good protein intake and stay thoroughly hydrated.

Anshuka Parwani

Celebrity Clients: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday, Rani Mukerji

Core Workout: Yoga

Aim for the Stars

Parwani approaches yoga as a lifestyle, not just a set of exercises. The routines she makes her clients do are easy to replicate. Viparita Karani — legs up against the wall — is a morning ritual Padukone swears by. Then there’s Kapalabhati, the “skull-shining” breath that cleanses, detoxifies, and fires up the cardiovascular system. Kapoor Khan kicks off her mornings with 200 to 300 reps on an empty stomach. Even on the move, the practice adapts seamlessly: Surya Namaskars in a hotel room, seated stretches on a plane, Pranayama wherever there’s space to breathe.

But physical practice is only half the story; Parwani stresses that yoga’s benefits are amplified when paired with mindful nutrition. She views gut health, skin, and energy as a connected system, emphasising anti-inflammatory foods and proper hydration “Your practice works best when what you consume actually supports it,” she says.

THR India: With festival season comes late nights, and heavy make-up. How can yoga help combat dullness and skin breakouts?

AP: When your gut is balanced and your body is grounded, your skin naturally follows. Twists like Ardha Matsyendrasana help stimulate digestion and detox, while Kapalabhati and a few rounds of Surya Namaskars boost circulation and metabolism. Backbends combat lethargy from late nights, and inversions increase blood flow.

Namrata Purohit

Celebrity Clients: Sara Ali Khan, Illeana D’Cruz, Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav

Core Workout: Pilates

Pure Performance

Endless parties, late nights, and more laddoos than lunges — even the most disciplined slip-up during Diwali and wedding season. That’s where Purohit comes in. Her approach is one of duality. “Pilates, being a mind and body form of exercise, while it really works the body, also helps calm the mind,” she says. Every workout is custom-built. For actors, that might mean prepping for dance-heavy sequences; for cricketers, rotational power, stabiliser work, and hip strength take precedence. Travel doesn’t derail her regimen either. Online sessions, bodyweight exercises and portable props keep stars moving from hotel rooms to airports.

Most importantly for Purohit, Pilates is neither a side session nor an add-on. “It is all of these people’s core form of training. It’s strength training and resistance training,” she says.

THR India: What’s your quick-hit, anywhere workout to keep the body moving even during indulgent chaos?

NP: Even a 10-minute workout is better than nothing. Wake up, hydrate well, and do a short routine with five or six basic moves to get the blood flowing and the body pumping. Compound movements are ideal — sumo squats into push-ups, burpees, or even a continuous 10-minute Pilates flow where you move from one exercise to the next.

Karan Sawhney

Celebrity Clients: Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon

Core Workout: Structured training, sports

Straight Path

Sawhney, an Indian footballer, celebrity trainer, and co-founder of The Tribe India, has a simple ethos: No gimmicks, no extreme stunts, just intelligent, adaptable training that anyone can replicate.

He tailors sessions to the need of the hour. For Bhatt, simultaneously prepping for the action-heavy Alpha and the cabaret-led Love and War, the goals shift. “For Alpha, strength and power are the focus; for Love and War, endurance, core, and mobility take centre stage,” he says.

Sawhney recommends pairing structured training with a sport — football, tennis, swimming, or running. “It prevents monotony, challenges different muscles, and adds a real-world application to movement,” he says. The lesson is clear: celebrity fitness isn’t about privilege. It’s about purpose, planning, and showing up — even when the schedule is punishing. “Replicate the discipline, and the results follow.”

THR India: Festivals often mean late nights, dancing, and sore legs. What’s your quick fix to recover?

KS: The best hack is if you have access to an ice bath. Cold showers are incredible as well because they instantly wake you up. For sore legs, a 15-minute jog does wonders. The first five to seven minutes feel tough, but it flushes out built-up lactic acid and gets you feeling fresh.

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