Bharat Raj

Some Lesser Known Facts About Bharat Raj

• Bharat Raj is an Indian actor, model, and celebrity lifestyle coach. He was the second runner-up at Provogue MensXP Mr. India World 2014. He is an international Pro Men’s Physique Athlete who won the Prestigious International Federation of Body Building and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Card in 2019.

• He grew up in Chennai, Tamil Naidu.

  

• He has been athletic since childhood. He became a part of the national basketball team in 2005 and was a member of the Tamil Naidu Basket Ball Under 17 team in 2006.

• In 2007, he had a sports accident following which he had to quit playing basketball. Consequently, he started bodybuilding to get his energy out. While talking about the same in an interview, 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 participating in bodybuilding and men’s physique contests. In 2009, during his first year at St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, he suffered a bike accident which resulted in a broken collarbone. To remedy this injury, a plate measuring 8 cm was surgically placed next to his left collarbone. It seemed like the end of his weight training journey. However, despite this setback, he managed to get back on track and compete in a competition.

  

• When he was 19 years old, he secured a spot in the top four contestants at the 2009 Mr. Chennai competition.

• Following Mr. Chennai competition, he began receiving invitations to work as a runway model. In his modelling career, he modelled various brands such as fashion label Anjalee And Arjun Kapoor and House Of Chase, a clothing store located in Chennai.

  

• He was a part of the State Bank of India Basketball team (2012-2015).

• Besides modelling, he also started working as a fitness trainer. He freelanced as a fitness trainer from 2013 to 2014. He is skilled at providing cross-circuit training.

• In 2014, he opened his own gym called The Body Studio in Besant Nagar, Chennai.

• Soon, he gained recognition as a 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 a special weight loss and weight gain routine for the Tamil film “I” in 2015.

• Bharat gained attention when he became the second runner-up in the Provogue MensXP Mr. India World 2014 competition.

  

• In the early stages of his career, he received sponsorship from Evolution Sports Nutrition (ESN).

• He started his career as an actor in the Tamil entertainment industry. He starred in the Tamil film Poojai (2014).

  

• Another significant accomplishment in his career occurred in 2015 when he clinched the Musclemania India Model Universe title and secured the third position in the Fitness Universe category. He underwent training for this competition under the guidance of Saveen, who served as the head coach at FITT Club Bangalore.

• In 2016, he claimed the title of Fitfactor Physique Model Champion.

  

• He took part in the IBBF Mr. South India 2016 competition, where he emerged victorious as Mr. South India Men’s Physique 2016.

• His journey led him to represent India at the 2016 Arnold Classics Asia in Hong Kong, where he secured the 8th position.

• In the same year, he participated in the NPC USA Garden State Championship 2016, where he won the title of Overall Novice Physique Champion New Jersey in the tall category.

  

• In 2016, he played the lead role of an ambulance driver named Ratan in the Telugu short film Sattvam.

• In 2017, he appeared in the Telugu short film Prakshalana and the Tamil film Mersal as Sesha, Daniel Arokiyaraj’s nephew.

• He also participated in the Wawan Classic in 2017.

  

• In 2018, he launched a restaurant named “Love At First Bite,” specializing in nutritious cuisine. The restaurant is situated directly above Bharat’s gym, The Body Studio.

• In 2018, he starred in the Tamil action thriller film Adanga Maru in which he played the role of Abhijit, alongside Jayam Ravi.

• A significant milestone in his career occurred in 2019 when he earned the prestigious International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Card. The achievement granted him the opportunity to compete in Pro Shows worldwide, including the renowned IFBB professional bodybuilding competition, Mr. Olympia. He earned the Pro Card by outperforming over 1,000 participants from 42 countries. He became the first from Tamil Nadu and the fourth in India to attain this prestigious card.

• He appeared in the TV mini-series Ekkadiki Ee Parugu (2019) in which he played the role of Raj.

• In 2022, he played the role of Sheikh, Vetri’s teammate, in the Tamil science fiction monster film Captain on ZEE5.

  

• He appeared in the Tamil historical action drama film series Ponniyin Selvan in which he played the role of Karka, the Rashtrakuta prince.

  

• In 2014, he made it to The Times of India’s list of the 25 Most Desirable Men in Tamil, where he held the 25th position. In 2016, he was featured in the Chennai Times’ list of the 25 Most Desirable Men and secured 9th place. His desirability continued in 2018, as he was ranked 14th in the Chennai Times’ list of the 30 Most Desirable Men.

• An avid dog lover, Bharat has had pet dogs since he was in school. He has five dogs: a Rottweiler, a Husky, a Chow Chow, and two mongrels. He calls his Rottweiler Rexy and his Husky Thor. He gave the name Rexy because he’s into dinosaurs, like the T. Rex. He also has a pet cat.

  

• During an interview, when questioned about the most extraordinary thing a girl had done to impress him, he responded,
  

  The love of my life made a tattoo of my name on her”  ^[4]The Times of India