Rohit Shetty on Khatron Ke Khiladi 11, indefinite delay on Sooryavanshi, and reuniting with Ranveer Singh on Cirkus

Popular stunt-based television series Khatron Ke Khiladi is back, and Rohit Shetty, who has hosted seven seasons of the reality show, says that the 11th edition which was recently shot in Cape Town, South Africa, is a wholesome entertainer and not just an action show. “Of course, it is an action-based show but there is also humour, emotion that you find in movies and all that comes naturally here and that is the show’s charm. Also, Khatron has now become a family show rather than just an action show. The audience has widened, we also have children and as a result, family watching it,” says Shetty.

The previous season of the reality show was halted mid-way while it was being shot in Bulgaria due to COVID restrictions and as a result, the host says, more efforts were put in to make the current show special. “This season we have done stunts that have never been done before. We had started the show in Cape Town and after many years we went back there and I consider Cape Town to be the hub of Fear Factor. We have our old team out there and also the kind of animals that we get in South Africa is rare. Given it’s an action show, the team in Cape Town was also equally overwhelmed and excited. Also, I found a lot of excitement among the contestants which helped us take this season to another level. Generally, one is scared before the release but this time I am confident and looking forward to it,” Shetty further adds.

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Like every season, the contestants include film and television actors, VJs, and singers. Rahul Vaidya, Nikki Tamboli, Abhinav Shukla, Arjun Bijlani, Divyanka Tripathi, Aastha Gill, Saurabh Raj Jain, Mahekk Chahal, Shweta Tiwari, Sana Makbul, Vishal Aditya Singh, Varun Sood and Anushka Sen are the 13 participants and according to the host, they were good team-players despite many of them being new to action and stunts. “We always try to bring new stunts but unless we get good team players we can’t make a good show. I found all the contestants quite brave but Divyanka was a surprise element. Vishal, Rahul, Arjun.. were also good. Initially, there is always that fear but they reach a point when all of them get into that josh to perform. They need to be motivated time and again, and when it comes to action it is important to have a little bit of fear because only then do you take precautions to avoid accidents,” says Shetty.

He further adds, “When I am working in movies with actors like Akshay (Kumar) or Ajay (Devgn) you know that they are trained professionals and they have been doing action for many years but when you are working with those who have never performed stunts you have to be careful so that they don’t get physically harmed.” Incidentally, Shetty has been trained by Devgn’s father, Late Veeru Devgn, who was one of the top action directors in Bollywood. “I have learnt a lot of action and safety measures from Veeru Sir and I apply those lessons in action even today. It is not that the techniques have changed…whatever I learnt from him I use that in films and on this show as well,” he reveals.

Shetty says that helping contestants overcome phobia (through this show) has become his responsibility. “Many a time they overcome the phobia of say, height, water, or animals by the time the show has ended and that brings respect to the show. It has happened in this season many times that the contestants have refused to do a task out of fear or phobia and I had to pursue them. Actually, we design only those stunts that I can do myself. All the stunts that you see are first rehearsed twice with the stuntman before the contestants do it. Whatever stunts the contestants perform has been done earlier, only that they are not aware of it. We keep it as a surprise for them. It is during the tests that we get to know where things are going wrong and need to be worked on. We only perform stunts that we are certain we can pull off, else we skip it,” he explains.

However, the show comes with its own set of challenges. “For me, it is completely different from any other show. When we do other reality shows, we know it’s a once-a-week deal that has a set format to it but this one comes up with new challenges every day. In fact, I keep telling my team that this is a very tedious show for me because you are on your toes for 15 hours every day for 45 days straight. The preparations and planning begin six months before going on the field. There are times when I have to stay at a particular place for five to six hours to ensure that the stunt is doable, sometimes instruct, and sometimes try it on my own,” says Shetty.

But this season it was not just about the tasks but the whole set-up was difficult as the team had to work following the protocols due to the pandemic. “It gets difficult to execute such a big show with all the restrictions in place. The whole team from India, and Cape Town comprises 150-200 people and that is a big challenge. Then we took it to a new level this time which we planned here in India itself, so planning, budgets, rehearsals, permissions everything was a challenge. We start working on the show six months in advance. Also, it was double the hard work for the contestants with a COVID test every five days, sanitisation…and in the midst of all that doing stunts was difficult. They were on their toes constantly but it went off well. ” says the host.

Two of the stunts that television actor Arjun Bijlani says he felt sceptical about were performing stunts in the middle of the air surrounded by equipment having electric currents, and performing stunts in freezing cold water. “That is because in cold water you usually get back spasms and your muscles cramp up. But when you are in the midst of doing a stunt you just forget all the pain and later on you realise how difficult it was. When I came back people thought that the electric shock wasn’t real and I told them that I won’t be flown to South Africa for fake stunts. All my friends who have done the show earlier told me that I must do it for the experience of it,” says Bijlani.

However, singer-composer and runner-up of the previous season of Bigg Boss, Rahul Vaidya, was prepared mentally. “In our regular life we are not required to do stunts, you have never encountered snakes on your neck, or being thrown into the water. But this is the most adventurous fun game show which I have really enjoyed being part of. There was not a single stunt where I told Rohit that I won’t be able to do it but obviously I was scared big time doing a lot of stunts. I remember in the very first stunt I had to walk on the top of a building which was very scary. But I have realised that every fear can be controlled if your mind empowers you to do that. It is all in the mind. Also, I am glad I was able to change the perception of singers,” says Vaidya.

Drawing comparisons between directing movies and the action reality show, Shetty is of the opinion that the same amount of hard work goes into the show like in movies. “It is not that for Khatron I have to get ready, sit on a chair and just give my comments as a judge and then go home in the night. We have to be emotionally connected, we are away in another country for 50 to 60 days and work 17 to 18 hours per day. It is the same kind of effort that I put into my films, or maybe more because these days we use computer graphics and CGI (computer-generated imagery) for movies whereas in this show everything is real,” he says.

This brings us to Shetty’s big-budget film Akshay Kumar-Ajay Devgn-Katrina Kaif-Ranveer Singh-starrer S_ooryavanshi_ that has got indefinitely pushed due to covid. The film was supposed to release in March 2020. “We are not thinking about it. The situation is such that none of us have an answer to it. We do not know when the theatres will open and now there is a prediction of a third wave. So, we don’t know whether it will come and the severity of it. We can only wait and watch and then we will see what needs to be done. There is no answer as of now, nothing is certain,” says Shetty, who, however, is ready with his film Cirkus his third collaboration with Ranveer Singh. “We are in the midst of editing the film. It is a hilarious film. Nothing that is out of the blue, or path-breaking, but we have made it keeping in mind the current times. You will feel happy once you watch the film and will go home with a happy heart. It is more important to keep working and then we will see what needs to be done,” says Shetty.

Lastly, when asked where he gets innovative ideas for the daredevil stunts year after year, Shetty says as he signs off, “You have to keep watching what is happening in the world around you. Sometimes it is the team that works with you, or it is the youngsters who get new and fresh ideas and then we work on it. Innovation is important and must be done as you progress.”

Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 will premiere on 17 July on Colors, and will air every Saturday and Sunday at 9.30 pm.