The novelty of Bear Grylls’ famous show has been dwindling for us adventure enthusiasts since the British adventurer and television host took to cinema street. But it took a wild, weird and wacky turn with the latest episode with Bollywood star Ranveer Singh.
Sure, we knew our man — Ranveer — was going to emerge triumphant at the end of an hour-plus edit. But the momentum sets in only through kickass moves, hilarious commentary and soliloquies by Ranveer. His infectious energy is a big plus.
Ranveer is known for his outlandish clothes, eye popping shoes and blinding trinkets most of the time. There was none, this time around, as he had to conform to the demands of the primitive jungle. But his flamboyant personality (wiggling brows and wicked smile) and ‘desi tadka’ in spontaneity work wonders. The swept-up ponytail looked grunge, cool with khaki gear on his physique, as did the facial fuzz.
Just like a movie, here was a guy on a mission. He arrived in search of a rare, phoenix flower, the very peri Ramonda Serbica, for his wife, the stunning Deepika Padukone.
The Bollywoodesque quest set the mood. He played to the gallery with the ‘happy wife, happy life’ dialogue, gushing as always about her beauty.
The show threw us a gauntlet with interactive options at different points. Like whether he should take a grapple gun or a flare; pretend to be dead when the grizzly black bear lopes in, or simply bolt; or choose to eat maggots over boar testicles. There is a reactionary involvement that locks us in — in the cringe moment when Ranveer chomps unwillingly on the testicles or when he pretends to stop breathing as the mean bear sniffs around him.
His nonsensical banter nets in the guffaws. From smearing the “wolf ki tatti” when he sets off to “jaake rakho saayian, maar sake na koi” blurt as he cowers on seeing the steep fall at the edge of the mountain, to “Bear bhaiya” and dancing in front of the wolves to distract them from their dead prey, to later hugging Bear when it’s cold in the night — everything is absolutely entertaining.
It is one of its kind — the energy Ranveer brings to the screen with his full-hearted smile and antics. Bear Grylls certainly signed up for full-on, filmi histrionics when he decided to co-trek with the actor. We weren’t bored either.