Bharat Raj is an Indian bodybuilder, celebrity lifestyle coach, and actor. He is an International Men’s Physique athlete who won the Prestigious International Federation of Body Building and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Card in 2019. He runs the fitness center Bratzlife Fitness Studio.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Bharat Raj was born on Friday, 26 October 1990 (age 33 years; as of 2023) in Chennai, Tamil Naidu. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He did his primary schooling at SBOA School & Junior College, Chennai.
Thereafter, he attended Hindu Senior Secondary School in Chennai, before enrolling in St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai. [1]The Times of India Athletic since childhood, he became a member of the national basketball team in 2005. He was a part of the Tamil Naidu Basket Ball Under 17 team in 2006.
A sports accident in 2007 forced Bharat Raj to quit basketball following which chose bodybuilding as an outlet for his overflowing energy. In an interview, while talking about the same he said,
I was always into sports. After the accident, I was restless. I had to get back to fitness and bodybuilding was the best option. It strengthened my ankle that was injured in the accident, and peaked my fitness enthusiasm.”
Bharat Raj started his career by competing in bodybuilding and men’s physique competitions. He met with a road accident in 2009, while in his first year at St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, he met with a bike accident that fractured his collar bone. Thereafter, an 8 cm plate was inserted alongside his left collarbone. Although it seemed like the end of his weight training journey, he did not give up. He recovered in 3 weeks to compete in a competition.
Physical Appearance
Weight (approx.): 85 kgs
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest:54″, Waist: 30″, Bicep:18″
Family
He belongs to a Tamil Christian family. [3]Bharat Raj – Instagram
Parents & Siblings
Not much is known about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
On 23 August 2020, he got married to Swaathi Bharat.
Others
His grandfather, Vivekananda Raj, is the former Deputy Commissioner of Police.
Career
Bodybuilding and Modelling
At 19, he was among the top four at the Mr Chennai event in 2009. Thereafter, he started getting offers to walk the ramp as a model. As a model, he has walked the ramp for the fashion brand Anjalee And Arjun Kapoor and the clothing store House Of Chase in Chennai.
Alongside modelling, he also started working as a fitness trainer. He freelanced as a fitness trainer from 2013 to 2014. In 2014, he established the gym The Body Studio at Besant Nagar, Chennai. He is skilled in providing cross-circuit training. Soon, he became a prominent celebrity trainer with clients like actor Vikram, R. Sarathkumar, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Bindu Madhavi, Nivetha Pethuraj, Vishal, and S. Shankar. Bharat trained Vikram for his special weight loss and weight gain routine for the Tamil film I (2015). Bharat came into the limelight when he became the second runner-up title in Provogue MensXP Mr India World 2014.
At the beginning of his career, he was sponsored by Evolution Sports Nutrition (ESN). Another milestone he achieved in his career was when he won the Musclemania India Model Universe title and 3rd place in the Fitness Universe category in 2015. He trained under Saveen, head coach of FITT Club Bangalore for the competition.
Thereafter, he participated in various Men’s Physique competitions. He went on to win the title of Fitfactor Physique Model Champion in 2016. Thereafter, he participated in IBBF Mr. South India 2016, where he won the title of Mr. South India Mens Physique 2016. He represented India at the Arnold Classics Asia 2016 in Hong Kong, where he was placed 8th and participated in the Wawan Classic 2017. In 2019, he won the prestigious International Federation of Body Building and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Card, which gave him the ticket to compete in Pro Shows across the world including the IFBB professional bodybuilding competition Mr. Olympia. He won the Pro Card surpaasing around 1000+ participants from 42 Countries. He was the first from Tamil Nadu and the fourth in India to have secured the card.
In 2022, he established the gym Bratzlife Fitness Studio.
Titles Won/Accolades
- Secured 3rd place at the 2019 PCA British Championship in London, United Kingdom
- Won a gold medal at the 2018 PCA World Championship in Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Won the title of Overall Novice Physique Champion at NPC USA Garden State Championship 2016, New Jersey in the tall category
- Recognised as Overall champion and winner in tall class at IBBF Mr South India 2016
- Won the title of Bodypower India Fit Factor Physique Model Champion 2016
- Won the title of Musclemania India Model Universe 2015
- Secured the position of 2nd Runner-Up at Musclemania India Fitness Universe 2015
- Secured the position of 2nd Runner-Up at Provogue MensXP Mr. India World 2014, organized by the Times Of India
- Won the title of Mr. Perfect Body at VIVEL Chennai Man 2009
Acting
In 2014, he appeared in the Tamil film Poojai.
In 2016, he appeared in the Telugu short film Sattvam in which he played the lead role of an ambulance driver named Ratan. In 2017, he appeared in the Telugu short film Prakshalana. In the same year, he also appeared in the Tamil film Mersal as Sesha, Daniel Arokiyaraj’s nephew. He appeared in the Tamil action thriller film Adanga Maru (2018), starring Jayam Ravi, in which he played the role of Abhijit.
In 2019, he starred in the TV mini-series Ekkadiki Ee Parugu in which he played the role of Raj. In 2022, he starred in the Tamil science fiction monster film Captain on ZEE5 in which he played the role of Sheikh, Vetri’s teammate.
He played the role of Karka, the Rashtrakuta prince, in the Tamil historical action drama film series Ponniyin Selvan.
In 2023, he made his Bollywood debut with the action thriller film Jawan in which he played the role of Irai Anbu.
Others
In 2018, he opened a restaurant Love At First Bite, which serves healthy meals. It is located right above Bharat’s gym The Body Studio.
Car Collection
He owns a Mercedes-Benz.
Favourites
- Actress: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone
- Actor: Hrithik Roshan
- Film: Dasavathaaram (2008)
Facts/Trivia
- He was around 80kgs during the Musclemania 2015 competition and bulked up to 94kgs later. In an interview, he talked about the same and said,
For two days after Muscle Mania 2015, I gorged on chocolates and ice creams. I was 80 kg on stage and three days later, I was overweight by 10 kilos.”
However, he dropped to 85-87 kgs during the Fitfactor India competition in 2016.
- He was included in the list of 25 Most Desirable Men 2014 Tamil by The Times of India in which he was ranked 25. He was included in the Chennai Times 25 Most Desirable Men of 2016 list in which he ranked number 9. He was ranked number 14 in the 30 Most Desirable Men of 2018 in the Chennai Times.
- He is an avid dog lover and has had pets since his school days. He has five dogs, a Rottweiler, a Husky, a Chow Chow, and two mongrels. His Rottweiler is named Rexy and his Husky is named Thor. He named the dog Rexy from the word T. Rex, owing to his obsession with dinosaurs. He also has a pet cat.
- He has a black band-like tattoo inked on his right arm and an infinity tattoo on his right leg.
- When asked “What’s the craziest thing a girl has ever done for you to impress you?” in an interview, he replied,
The love of my life made a tattoo of my name on her” [4]The Times of India
- He uses the name “Mohan” on his Facebook profile. [5]Bharat Raj – Instagram
- He was a part of the State Bank of India Basketball team (2012-2015).
References