One of the most sought-after celebrity trainer in the Telugu Film Industry, Eswar Gerao interacts with Teja Kovvali.
Initial steps
“Right from childhood, I was always into fitness. A penchant for boxing made me train vigoursly. My ambition was to be a professional boxer. “
While training for a national level boxing championship, Eswar had to undergo strength training to gain efficiency. It was during this process that he met his coach, Appala Raju, who fostered interest and inspired him to take up bodybuilding seriously.
The Build-up
“Following his advice, I started training vigorously and within a year, bagged the Mr. Andhra title. Next was the Mr. India competition held in Goa, where I won a bronze.”
A few days later, Eswar got recruited into the Indian Navy and was sent to Odisha for training. Unfortunately, he couldn’t adapt to the climatic conditions there and his health took a major beating. Consequently, he returned home on a sick leave and started rebuilding his body.
After a gap of a year, of recuperation, he got the opportunity of serving the Indian Army as a Radio Communications Engineer, where he worked for ten years.
The road to celebrity fitness trainer
“My long-time dream, of studying the science of bodybuilding, was still at the back of my mind, and I wanted to become a celebrity fitness trainer.”
He completed several fitness courses and specialised in celebrity training from reputed institutes in Thailand and Malaysia. Eventually, his first call came from actor Venkatesh Daggubati and he trained him for ‘Aadavari Matalaku Ardhale Verule’ and ‘Chintakayala Ravi’.
The rise to fame
“Soon after that, I was asked to train Rana Daggubati for his debut film, ‘Leader’. In the interim, I even worked with Allu Arjun for ‘Parugu’ before joining hands with Prabhas for ‘Billa’.”
Impressed with the transformation seen during the film, Prabhas hired him for five straight years, during which they worked together for films such as ‘Mr. Perfect’, ‘Rebel’, and ‘Mirchi’, among others.
Ace director Ram Gopal Varma and Bollywood stars Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut too called him to work for a few of their films.
What next?
“I am currently working with Venkatesh Daggubati for his upcoming film.”
Apart from continuing to do what he has been passionate about all these years, he plans to set up a military training school in Vizag. The school would help in grooming youngsters towards securing a job in the Indian Armed Forces and ultimately serve the nation.
Love for Vizag
“Vizag holds a special spot in my heart. I relish sitting by the beach and spending time with my family and loved ones. The city is truly magical and even though I have travelled to numerous countries across the globe, I genuinely feel that nothing can beat Vizag in terms of its sheer serenity.”
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