Bollywood Khiladi Akshay Kumar is reckoned to be in a newer, stricter and meaner avatar this second season of the dangerous reality show.
And, if you think he’s putting on an act for the benefit of the 13 gorgeous women who are ready to do-or-die for him, the sometimes provoking, often inspiring host says, “No, no, no... there is one thing I absolutely adore about this show, and that is there is no acting. This is as free and as untamed as I can get in front of camera. When I am enthusiastic — I mean it; when I get angry that I don’t think they are trying hard enough for me, or their prestige — I damn well mean it. These ladies are fighting to survive. If they get lazy, they’ll get hurt. This is real, and if they needed that extra kick up the whistle... I gave it to them.”
Before putting his contestants through hell, Akshay attempted every stunt himself, and once convinced that they were all achievable... and by women, he invited the contestants to give it their best shot.
But, after wrestling crocodiles, jumping from one plane to another and eating snakes... did he think they would stop screaming at a cockroach, lizard or rat? “These women have learned there’s nothing they can’t handle anymore. Men aren’t such a necessity, I’m afraid, us guys are going have to work a lot harder to impress our women now for sure.
When all those housewives see these young pretty models dipping there heads into a box of screaming cockroaches and swimming with crocodiles, and coming out alive and feeling proud and amazed at their bravery, I know it will make them think twice before they scream for their husbands. It’s all about spreading the awareness that even if it scares you... try and conquer one thing a day that frightens you.”
And he is right, contestants of the first season have told Akshay that, yes, by appearing on Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi last year and facing their fears... they are now better women.
“Once you’ve been on the show, there’s no going back into your shells. I’ve met many of my last year’s contestants at functions, on aeroplanes, in films. Their lives are hectic, but they’ll never forget how hard and how cold and how life-changing their experience was with me. It’s something you’ll never loose...
The rest of their lives is going to be easy compared to what they endured on last year’s show.” But in his book, action is not all about conquering fears.
“Some people love it, they live off danger, fear is like food for some of them. For me there are some stunts I’d love to do everyday, but there are some I would never wish to do again no matter how much you wanted to pay me. Action is an ‘art’ it’s not a fear.
If we were all taught to jump out of planes as children, we wouldn’t be scared to do it now, would we? But like this show proves, there is nothing to fear in life apart from fear itself...”
And, there’s one little secret of Akshay’s that Bruna Abdullah, Sushma Reddy, Carol Gracias, Jesse Randhawa, Mandira Bedi, Nauheed Cyrusi, Rosa Catalano, Rupali Ganguly, Sonika Kaliraman, Shonali Nagrani, Pia Trivedi, Shveta Salve and Anoushka Manchanda — his 13 lovely women on the show, ought to know.
The fear that the Action King of Bollywood has not been able to overcome. “I can’t stand the Merry-Go-Round or the Spinning Tea Cups at a fun fair,” revealed Akshay. “I know it sounds lame, but hey, I never said I was ‘SuperMan’. My whole life I’ve made sure I’m the one standing with the bags so everyone else in my family can go on that ride (even my son doesn’t know this about me yet).
But I just can’t stand spinning round and round and round, I don’t understand the excitement of that ride, it makes me cringe!” Well, there you are...
No comments:
Post a Comment