Vanity vans are easily one of the most intimate spaces for an artiste, reflecting their personal aesthetics and necessities. For Ranveer Singh, his vanity van needed to address his foremost requirement — that of a specialised gym so that he could adhere to his fitness regimen even when shooting. Of course, like everything associated with Singh, it had to come with a hint of zaniness. So, the actor requested celebrity interior designer Rupin Suchak to design a dedicated gym van with the Batman theme.

Suchak, who previously designed Alia Bhatt’s residence and office, Neetu Kapoor’s office and Sonakshi Sinha’s pad, had a tight deadline to meet. With Singh scheduled to head to Delhi for the shoot of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani in March this year, the interior designer had only a month to understand the actor’s needs and realise them. While Ajay Devgn had famously converted his van into a gym during the shoot of Singham Returns (2014), Suchak says Singh’s bespoke van has a more focused approach.

“A gym van has never been done before the way we did it. Minimalistic was the one-word brief. Ranveer was more than happy to adapt to my experiments as long as the utility was taken care of. The project had a practical approach. We only had 30 days as he had to travel with the van to Delhi. It would be pointless had he not got the gym van in time.”

Keeping in mind the dark palette of Batman, Suchak chose achromatic colour scheme. The emphasis was on two factors — to have a fuss-free space that could house different equipment, and to play with light to enhance the actor’s workout experience.

“The van is lit to highlight the workouts. The light catches each muscle and definition. The colour palette and design are balanced by the Barrisol light,” explains the designer.

Singh is thrilled about his state-of-the-art gym van. It took only a half-hour meeting with Suchak for the actor to be convinced about his vision. “He came in with such conviction that I knew my pet project would be in good hands. When I saw the final result, I was floored,” says the actor.