'Khatron ke Khiladi' stunt director Francois Grobbelaar was disappointed with Iqbal

Stunt director of Endemol’s Khatron Ke Khiladi Darr Ka Blockbuster Returns, Francois Grobbelaar has been in the movie business for over 14 years. He has been associated with Khatron Ke Khiladi for the last three seasons apart from Bollywood and Hollywood films. In an exclusive chat, he opens up about his work, the contestants who disappointed him, surprised him or made him proud. 

How different is KKK from the international format? Tell us about the innovation for the season.

FG:  Indian reality TV is very different as the audience is unique and their demands are different. The Indian format uses celebrities whereas other countries don’t. The talking sessions therefore become important as the celebs show their real life personalities there. Some of the stunts this season have never been done anywhere in the world.

Who is the most sporting contestant this season and performs the given task very effortlessly?

FG: According to me among the male contestants, Hussain is a good sport and never complained. And amongst the female contestants Natalia was very strong. Rashmi was a handful and asked hundreds of questions before every stunt. Sana was scared of everything and I found her extremely funny even though I couldn’t understand her much when she spoke in Hindi. I keep my distance from the contestants. This way I remain fair towards everyone. 

Which contestant surprised and who left you disappointed? 

FG:  I was very surprised by Meiyang Chang. He was very competitive and more physical than I expected him to be. Iqbal disappointed me even though he is an athletic guy because he failed at some easy physical challenges. 

Did Rohit Shetty give his inputs for the stunts?

FG: Rohit trusts my judgment and went with most of my ideas. We always discuss everything before and ensure we are both happy with the plan. We get on well and there is a mutual respect. We might be doing movies together soon who knows? (laughs).

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