Hiring bouncers turns into a craze in coast

MANGALURU: Earlier, it was the police who used to surround celebrities. But, things have changed in the coast.
Now, it is almost impossible to miss half-a-dozen strongmen guarding the celebrity, watching from the edges of the eyes for any signs of trouble. Look closely, it becomes clear they are the bouncers. And providing bouncers and personal bodyguards to large corporate houses, event management companies, shopping malls, pubs, is Suraksha Bouncers.
Contrary to a general perception that it's an easy life and an opportunity to get up close and personal to celebrities, Madhu Shetty, who runs Suraksha Bouncers, says they have to do more than just flaunting their muscled body. The intimidating physique, bulging muscles and the glare in their eyes, is just to warn troublemakers, notes Madhu.
Though physique perhaps is the main attribute for a bouncer or a personal bodyguard, they should also be good with communication skills. “It is a wrong notion that being a bouncer is to throw people off the premises or hit at fans who mob a celebrity. They are told never to use force on any person, but convince them with proper communication that the person who behaves unruly is not required to be there. A bouncer should be able to negotiate situations and avoid violence,'' notes Madhu.
Madhu, who was into recruiting security guards, got into providing bouncers’ service after he found security personnel business a tad risky with his hired personnel, mainly from Assam, taking leave for months together. “I started providing the services of bouncers about five years back and the personal body guards about six months back,'' he said.
So far, Suraksha has provided services to numerous celebrities be it actors, politicians and public figures like Muthappa Rai, John Abraham, Rohit Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, Irfan Pathan, Mohammad Azharuddin, Chris Gayle (in Bengaluru), Sunil Shetty, Udit Narayan, Vivek Oberoi, Ajay Devgn among others.
So is there anything that qualifies to be a bouncer? ``Intimidating physique naturally,'' he says adding they have to weigh a minimum of 70 kilos so that they are not pushed around. Most of the bouncers in his team are personal trainers or youth who have taken to muscle building. ``I have about 15 permanent staff and I hire more if required,'' he adds.
What happens when personal bodyguards get awed by a celebrity? ``We give them adequate training not to drop their guard at all times while on duty. But once they are at the back end of the business, they do get opportunities for interaction and selfies,'' says Madhu.