Vomiting up milk, suffocating under water and trying to free your head from a box full of cockroaches. And seeing models without their make-up! Reality TV seriously doesn’t get better than this.
After Rakhi Ka Swayamwar and an upcoming show called Lux Perfect Bride, it seemed Indian reality TV shows could not be redeemed. Until, that is, the second season of Akshay Kumar’s Khatron Ke Khiladi started airing on Colors this week.
When the show was first launched over a year ago, it was a hit. I was glued to it every weeknight, watching female models and actors, and their partners perform stunts to try and win the grand prize. Even though it was nowhere close to the original Fear Factor when it came to insect and other creepy crawly consumption, it was like nothing we had seen on Indian TV before.
This one promises to be as riveting, with models/actors/singers such as, Sushama Reddy, Jesse Randhawa, Carol Gracias, Bruna Abdullah, Mandira Bedi, Nauheed Cyrusi, Rosa Catalano, Pia Trivedi, Rupali Ganguly, Shonali Nagrani, Shweta Salve and Anushkha Manchanda. And there’s Sonika Kaliraman, a pro wrestler.
The show is quite a revalation into the personalities of these models. Last season, Pooja Bedi wouldn’t stop talking, but you had to admire her guts when it came to doing the stunts. Vidya Malvade was so cowardly that one wondered, as did Akshay on many occasions, why she had taken part in an adventure show at all.
This season’s girls seem stronger. Nauheed’s proved herself to be a good swimmer, Carol’s competent and Bruna and Shweta are good sports. Maybe it’s too soon to say, but I expected more from Sushama. She’s supposed to be athletic and an avid trekker, so a bit more staying power in the stunts would be appreciated. Unlike last season, many of them are not petrified of the water, so we are thankfully spared simpering women when the water stunts come on. Not that women vomiting milk like they were last night is any better, but I couldn’t find fault with the girls for that one. I don’t think I would have been able to down four glasses of milk and then be hung by my heels and spun around at high speed, while trying to grasp a slippery rope, only to crash into cold water when I let go. Thinking about four glasses of milk alone makes me borderline nauseous.
I have my favourites, like last season (that was Yana). I adore Jesse—she’s a tigress on the ramp, but even with dripping hair and no make-up, she’s stunning. Thankfully she’s got guts as well. I also like Sonika the wrestler. I think her partner Janice is a bit of a drama queen, but Sonika, with her North Indian accent is fun to watch. She shows her vulnerabilities despite being a pro wrestler, and that makes her endearing. And she has a beautiful face, better than many of the models.
Maybe for a model, being on the show itself is a huge leap, because, you’re bared on national television without pancake. For some of the girls such as Jesse and Bruna, a superb bone structure and sharp features make up for the lack of make-up, but some of them look washed out. Yana lost a fan last season, when one of my friends who though she was the hottest thing since freshly baked bread was shocked at how “ordinary” she looked. When natural, even the Yana Gupta level of natural disappoints, it just proves how much Photoshopped images have changed our perception of beauty. But that’s a discussion for another post.
Akshay, as a host, is brilliant. It’s not his title as Bollywood’s top action star that makes him a perfect host for this show, but his humour. He is stern with or makes fun of the girls when they’re being squeamish or silly, gives pep talks when needed the most, often breaks out in song and is rather free with his hugs. And he’s not afraid to show he has a heart. I thought his little speech to Bruna’s crying partner was rather touching, but then again, I’m a bit of a sucker for good drama. Even if it is on the Indian version of Fear Factor.
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