Manushi Chhillar’s career has never followed a straight line — from medical student to Miss World, then to the film industry. Now, the 27-year-old is stepping into another evolving space: wellness. This month, she co-founded a wellness centre in Mumbai with her father, physician Dr. Mitra Basu Chhillar, positioning the centre within the still-nascent field of functional and regenerative medicine in India.
Unlike celebrity-led beauty lines or lifestyle apps, SOMA reflects Manushi Chhillar’s academic training in medicine. “This has been a passion project for me,” she says, adding that she plans to remain closely involved in shaping the centre.
Regenerative medicine — which looks beyond symptom control to address the root causes of health problems — is relatively new to the Indian market. SOMA’s offerings include programmes for managing chronic conditions, hormonal balancing, anti-inflammatory regimes, and holistic rejuvenation spanning mental, nutritional, and spiritual health. Clients undergo detailed health evaluations, from blood profiles to lifestyle mapping, before receiving tailored plans.
The venture taps into a wider shift: Indian patients who once sought such services abroad are now looking for them at home. Chhillar frames the centre as part of that transition. “India deserves world-class, evidence-based wellness care that looks at the whole person,” she says.
Still, the project arrives at a time when “celebrity wellness” is both booming and contested. From Hollywood names marketing supplements to Indian stars investing in yoga retreats, the field is crowded — and often criticised for blurring the line between science and lifestyle branding. SOMA’s pitch of “evidence-based protocols” may resonate with an audience that has grown wary of quick fixes and Instagram fads.
{{/usCountry}}Still, the project arrives at a time when “celebrity wellness” is both booming and contested. From Hollywood names marketing supplements to Indian stars investing in yoga retreats, the field is crowded — and often criticised for blurring the line between science and lifestyle branding. SOMA’s pitch of “evidence-based protocols” may resonate with an audience that has grown wary of quick fixes and Instagram fads.
{{/usCountry}}Whether SOMA becomes a benchmark or simply another celebrity venture remains to be seen. But Chhillar’s move underlines how wellness has become the latest stage for reinvention — where glamour meets science, and personal health becomes both a business and a statement.