Wiping it Clean

“It’s not your regular reality game show.” Television actor Bakhtyaar Irani chose to introduce the television game show,Zor Ka Jhatka,the Indian version of the television series Wipeout ,with these words. In the city for an interaction,Irani,along with fellow grand finalist Kushal Punjabi and contestant Priyadarshani Singh,spoke in detail about the show. Keeping with the American format,the show has been shot at a location in Argentina.

“It definitely wasn’t easy. I mean it’s one thing to see it on TV and a whole different thing to perform it in reality. You never know how you are going to fall or if you are going to get hit. The first couple of episodes were not easy. As we got accustomed to the constant falling and hitting,we began to understand where to expect what. It helped us navigate the course better.”

The contestants however do feel that it is a starkly different game show. “There really is no drama involved. Unlike the regular reality shows with the judges going overboard or with the contestants acting out more than necessary,Zor Ka Jhatka is all about completing an obstacle course whilst making it look funny. But for us it was more painful than funny,” Irani adds.

Singh,who is still hoping to make it to the grand finale that will be aired on February 25,says that the show challenged her physical fitness to its limits. “You see the course and expect to breeze through it. But the next thing you know is that you are wheezing and panting your way out of knee deep slush,and getting kicked around or punched about by the giant machines.”