Hrithik Roshan has signed on youth and fitness icon Tiger Shroff as his lifestyle brand HRX’s first celebrity ambassador. t2 caught up with Tiger for a chat on HRX, Hrithik and... ice cream!
What’s been the biggest high of being named HRX’s first celebrity brand ambassador?
The biggest high for me is that I am associated with a brand that I believe in… empowering people with fitness and health, motivating the youth to live a healthy life…. But what’s been an even bigger high is that Hrithik Roshan is the one who started it and he is someone who has always been my inspiration in the industry. I have always looked up to him in terms of his fitness, his art on screen, his dancing… it’s just such a high to be able to help share his vision and to try and make a small difference.
I was over the moon when I was asked to be a part of HRX. I was told that Hrithik Sir and the people associated with HRX had seen a video of mine called Zindagi aa raha hoon main (sung by Atif Aslam) and they had liked not only my work in it, but also the message… how to inspire the youth and celebrate life. Hrithik Sir also knows that I am pretty much into health and he probably felt I would be a good fit with the brand. Also, we had a moment to share on the IIFA stage (in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and that was great chemistry, I felt. I feel very comfortable around him.
How do you plan to take the brand forward?
I would like to represent the youth and spread this message to the youth through different mediums. For instance, Hrithik Sir had done this video called ‘Defeat defeat’ and that was all about being motivated by fear and defeating it. I want to inspire people through innovative ways. If you show some sort of a spectacle, you can always capture the youth. For instance, we may end up shooting a music video together where both of us are dancing. It’s not just about the dance but what the message behind it is, how we are using dance as a means of fitness. So there has to be a message behind the movement.
What does fitness essentially mean to you and have you always been so conscious about being fit?
Fitness for me is being happy. I don’t just believe in physical fitness… it’s also about being mentally and emotionally healthy. Being physically fit, I think, is a state of mind. So if you look good, you feel happy about it and, therefore, you are mentally happy. It’s a culmination of all three.
I’ve always been practising martial arts and dancing and playing a lot of sports. I don’t think I have been very conscious about it… but subconsciously, this has been my high and it still is. I’ve just been very active all my life.
In an age where young people often take short cuts to fitness, what would your message to them be?
I don’t want to preach to anybody, but fitness is all about having fun. If you find some sort of a hobby that you like that can keep you physically fit, then go for it. It’s about awareness and researching on the activities through which you would like to achieve your fitness. If you don’t want to spend hours running on the treadmill then you can dance or play a sport with your friends. It’s about being innovative and finding a way to exercise in which you don’t feel like you are exercising.
Your fitness levels and dance skills are talked about much more than that of your contemporaries. Is there anything you do differently?
I give my body a lot of variation… I focus on flexibility, strength, acrobatics, dancing, martial arts… so there’s a mix of different things just to keep myself from not getting bored while exercising. It’s all about keeping it interesting.
It seems unlikely, but does Tiger Shroff also have cheat days?
Oh yes… every Sunday! I can’t live without a cheat day. Ice cream is my cheat food…I love it!
Launched in: 2013
Tagline: Push Your Extreme
Brand portfolio: Fitness and casual wear. Includes footwear, accessories and deodorants
Inspiration: Manifests Hrithik’s struggles and achievements and is a direct extension of his personality
Available exclusively on: Myntra app and Flipkart
Hrithik-Tiger is the ideal guru-shishya combo in Bollywood because.... Tell t2@abp.in
HRITHIK ROSHAN ON HRX
What’s the inspiration for HRX?
The journey of HRX started five years ago over a conversation on how we constantly face obstacles in our life and keep pushing ourselves to overcome them. Everyone, including me, has been through difficulties, anxieties and fears in life. However I always believe that success comes to those who rise above them and understand how to deal with it. This thought of reaching and impacting a billion people and inspiring them took life through a fitness and lifestyle brand, HRX, which we launched in 2013.
Through HRX I wish to create a platform to inspire, to share with the world and give back what I have learnt through the journey. I want to spread the belief that it is possible to look adversity in the face and emerge victorious by overcoming it. For me HRX is not just a brand, it’s a service, a mission, an enabler.
What’s the road ahead and the plan to reach out to HRX’s target audience even more now than in the past?
HRX has always been disruptive in its business model. Currently, the clothing category is being sold online on Myntra and Flipkart. By next year, you will be seeing the brand in offline stores as well. We launched deodorants a few months back and there are a couple of other categories that the HRX business team is evaluating. In terms of our marketing tie-ups, we associated with the mountain bike race MTB Himalaya Challenge, we are a co-sponsor of the Indian Super League franchise FC Pune City, and we are planning a property in the television space. Recently, HRX took on the responsibility of supporting India’s four Paralympians in their endeavour to go for gold at the 2016 Paralympics.
With you spearheading HRX, what was the need to sign Tiger Shroff as a celebrity ambassador?
I am inspired by Tiger. He is hardworking, committed and one of the most disciplined artistes in this country. I was amazed to see his dedication to his craft and passion for fitness. He represents the ideology of the brand HRX and hence we decided to bring him on board as a brand ambassador. To spread our message to the widest audience, it is important to have as many people and platforms who embody the HRX ideology to become a part of the journey.
