Fitness on a plate

Spontaneous duo

It’s their explosive chemistry akin to that of a firecracker that makes them so adorable. India’s biggest foodies, corporate trainers, authors and hosts of ‘Highway On My Plate’ — Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma — have recently come up with a new show in which, they will be showing a different avatar of themselves.

   ‘Get Fit’ see the two mischievous men go from flab to fab. So, Rocky, the archetypal ‘macho’ man and Mayur, the lanky, serious-faced chocolate boy will lose 10-15 kilos and will be seen giving a new spin on fitness and health.

   The duo talk to ‘Metrolife’ about their new show and what keeps them going.  

How did the idea of launching such a show come up and what are some of its highlights?
Rocky - Mayur and I have been eating a lot for ages now and have always been passionate about fitness and food. We went for a check-up recently and found a lot of interesting things about ourselves. So we decided to launch a show to share with our viewers the health and nutritional aspect of food.

     The idea behind this show is to understand how healthy and tasty traditional Indian food can be.

      People in India spend a lot of money on a variety of things but lack good health. We believe that the healthier people are, the better they can enjoy their food.

The viewers are used to seeing you funny boys globetrotting around the world, eating street food and enjoying some crazy moments. How do you think the public will react to this new ‘fit’ image of yours?

Rocky - I’m sure it’s going to be a great hit among viewers. I’ve always found people on two ends of a spectrum — those who eat like us and those who diet. Here, we are trying to look for a common ground. The best part about this show is that we aren’t asking people to cut down on their favourite items but substitute them with healthier options or reduce the quantity of their intake. I’m sure mothers will love this show and the rest remains to be seen.

What’s your comfort food?

Rocky - Lots of food. Food is my answer to everything.
Mayur - ‘Rajma chaawal’ with fresh onions.

Can you go for more than a day without food?

Mayur - Absolutely. I can go without food for more than 20 days but Rocky is sardonically smiling so he can’t, I’m assuming.

Do you enjoy South Indian cuisine?

Rocky - I love it. ‘Idli’, ‘dosa’, ‘chutney’, ‘ragi mudde’ and mutton curry are my favourites. The vegetables in Bengaluru are lovely and not overcooked.

Any favourite restaurants in Bengaluru?

Mayur - Loads of them. A combination of Vidyarthi Bhavan and CTR, Corner House, Meghana’s Biryani, Rajdhani and Karavalli.
Rocky - ‘Dosas’ from Vidyarthi Bhavan for breakfast, a few juices, Brahmin’s for a little snack, Military Hotel for lunch, Mexican food from Chinita, Toit and ice creams from Corner House.  

Food that you would like to be served at your funeral?

Mayur-Cold food and lots of ice cream.
Rocky - First, spicy curries so that people cry and then ice cream so that they go out
smiling.

What is your greatest fear?

Rocky - Stranded in a desert without any dessert.
Mayur - Skies and aliens falling on my head.

Wouldn’t you like cooking as chefs?

Mayur - Rocky loves cooking Thai and North Indian cuisines and I like to bake. However, becoming a chef is not an option for us. We like being out there in front, on the road, eating from the streets and having fun rather than being in the back of the kitchen and cooking for someone else. If we cook food, we’d rather eat it ourselves than feed others. So we won’t become chefs as we will soon be out of business.

You both have been best friends for a long time now. Can you imagine a life without each other?

Mayur - We are always together and spend more time with each other than any married couple.

    When we come back home, we see that our wives and children actually have a life. We don’t understand concepts like ‘bromance’ and we are past that stage.

    We haven’t ended up killing each other so far and definitely can’t imagine life without each other.

Is there anyone who can take Rocky’s place?

Mayur - Nobody! Nobody else can understand the level of ‘abuse’ we subject each other to.

You are getting paid to travel and eat. Can I take your job?

Mayur - Of course, if you can pry it out from my fingers.

(As told to Anushka Sivakumar)