It was a rainy Tuesday evening when SONUP SAHADEVAN reached The Sunny Super Sound in Juhu, the swanky studio owned by the original daredevil of Bollywood – Dharmendra, a superstar who had inspired many to take up action in films. While Dharam paaji inspired many actors to become action stars, rarely have we seen a director like ROHIT SHETTY emerging out from the shadows of action heroes he has directed to become a brand in himself as far as action goes.
Today , Rohit Shetty is not just an ace action director but also the go to man if you need someone with a charismatic action oriented persona to host a show. Of course it does help that Rohit is more than six feet tall and his broad shoulders, bulging biceps and good looks can give any top action star a run for his money. Precisely it is the main reason why Colors chose him as the host for their new season of Khatron Ke Khiladi featuring 12 new daredevils.
As I waited for Rohit Shetty to arrive and brief the press, I could not help but wonder at his rise and rise in the Hindi film industry. Son of the late famous stuntman cum actor M.B.Shetty, popularly known as Fighter Shetty, life was not exactly a bed of roses for Rohit after his father passed away while he was still a school going kid. His mother toiled to raise him and his three sisters. Once he passed his SSC, Rohit as a 15-year-old took it upon himself to earn money to support his family and since then there has been no looking back.
As his monstrous chauffeur- driven Range Rover rolled into the studio, my mind raced back to the times when he had to travel for about one and a half hour to reach his school in Santa Cruz all the way from Dahisar. From walking on his feet to reach his school and work place in his earlier days to now cruising in a SUV, life has indeed rewarded Rohit for his 27 years of hard work, sweat and blood. And it is his ‘never take things for granted’ philosophy that has held him in good stead all this while.
“I never take things for granted in my life,” says Rohit while wiping the sweat off his forehead. He is suffering from high fever and had to take an injection to be battle ready before meeting the press. “I could have called this meet off. I was having 104 degree temperature. So I visited my doctor, took an injection, felt a little better and here I am.”
While not taking things for granted did help, it was a lot more than that which helped him stay afloat and become successful in this cut throat world of Hindi showbiz. And Rohit believes having a positive attitude makes survival easy in tinsel town. “It is not difficult to survive in Bollywood. It is just hard work. I never feel negative about life. That is why I have been able to survive here. I don’t complain. You are in a business where you will be facing failure. You will have your highs and lows throughout your career. It is not going to change. It is part and parcel of this industry. This is a product making business. You are dealing with the audiences. Sometimes the audience will like your product but do not forget that sometimes they will be angry on you because they love you. So they have the right to be angry on you and to be disappointed,” reasons Rohit.
Fortunately, Rohit has not faced any huge disappointment career wise save for his debut film Zameen which flopped. Since then it has been a pretty smooth ride something that he plans to extend with his next action film starring Ranveer Singh whom he effusively praises. “Ranveer is a superstar. He is a complete actor. If you see his energy, it is not restricted. He is not thinking if I am performing this way or that way what this person or that person will be thinking. That is the quality of a superstar. It helps you connect with the masses instantly.”
For the moment, Rohit is gung ho about promoting Khatron Ke Khiladi and his new daredevils whom he has motivated and mentored. “All of them have performed really well. Every time you do the show there is a different challenge change of its own. These 12 people are not trained in stunts. You have to make them perform. In films you have cables, you can cut, you have safety and also you have the green screen. Here there is nothing. You have to motivate them.”
The show will give viewers a glimpse of the contestants sweating it out in the scenic locales of exotic Spain this time around. While like always we do see stunts with eerie reptiles, this time a majestic lion and a ferocious bear add on to the exciting adrenaline inducing spell binding drama. Rohit rates each of the 12 contestants as strong in terms of physical and mental fitness. While one will see celebs from TV and films this time, there is also wrestler Geeta Phogat as one of the contestants on the reality show. Rohit calls her a tough yet simple girl. The glam quotient of the show is provided by Shibani Dandekar, Monika Dogra, Lopamudra Raut and Hina Khan while Ravi Dubey, Karan Wahi etc are the pranksters. Ask Rohit who is the winner among the twelve dare devils-Manveer Gurjar, Ritvik Dhanjani,Nia Sharma, Karan Wahi, Shibani Dandekar, Monica Dogra, Lopamudra Raut, Shantanu Maheshwari, Shiny Doshi, Geeta Phogat, Hina Khan and Ravi Dubey and he guffaws with his own inimitable style, “Give me 10 to 15 lakhs and I will disclose the name.”
Nepotism may be the new buzz word in the industry but thankfully our discussion doesn’t veer towards the national word of Bollywood all thanks to Rohit’s desire to launch newcomers in the coming years through his production house. “I will launch newcomers. I own a production company now. So we can take that risk. It all depends on the script. I don’t believe in praising my work while others are in a loss and crying and me saying this is my passion. Nobody should be at a loss. I don’t believe in that. Everybody should earn and be happy.”
And will he ever launch himself as an actor? “Dhanda accha chal raha hai mera yaar and why do you want me to try acting?” asks Rohit before signing off with a smile.
