FOX life launched the new season of life Mein Ek Baar in Hong Kong with four markedly different participants. By Devi Singh
All geared up to take on an adventurous journey with electrifying escapades and some good old camaraderie, Sana Saeed, Karan Kundra, Natalie Di luccio and Himarsha Venkatsamy are the new talents to take the road less travelled in the fourth season of FOX life’s reality adventure show life Mein Ek Baar.
They shed their inhibitions with a gamut of adrenaline pumping activities such as, boat racing with the locals, taking Tai Chi Class, bungee jumping, car racing and much more. The viewers will get to watch the cast taking it all head on with exotic Hong Kong as the backdrop.
FOX life also celebrated its first anniversary being the undisputed leader in the travel and lifestyle genre. Swati Mohan, business head, FOX life told us, “It’s been an interesting year for us. Very few channels have been able to maintain the number 1 position in their category but we have managed to maintain our leadership consistently even after launching FOX life.”
For Natalie, who is a western classical singer and has been comfortable with the stage all her life, this opportunity came as a life changing experience. She reasons her participation on the show, “This show gave me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. I had never bungee jumped in my life before but in the show I got to bungee jump for the first time and that too from the highest tower in Hong Kong.”
Mohan says the reason celebrity-based reality shows do well is because the celebrities are opinion shapers for people who follow them. “I don’t think it’s much about celebrities as it is about them becoming key opinion holders of thoughts and messages which people believe in and today especially online people like to follow people who believe in a certain ideology. So viewers look out for celebs who believe in what they do rather than just looking at glam faces.”
Speaking on how different the show is from other reality-based adventure shows Natalie says, “The show has a very positive vibe to it. Other reality shows believe in grabbing eyeballs by showing negative drama but this show is all about friendship, travelling and exploring places.”
Talking about the rise of reality TV on Indian television and what differentiates FOX life from the rest of the brigade, Mohan elaborates, “We look at shows with experiences that are real and are all about people in the middle of some action whether it’s bungee jumping or trying a new cuisine. That’s something that goes across all our verticals of food, style, adventure et al. And incidentally, it falls into the format of a reality show. Even the talents we select have to believe in the concept and should have that kind of punch and willingness to live life to the fullest.”
Having done a number of dance-based reality shows, Sana Saeed wants to break into a different genre of reality shows. “This was very different from what I had done before and I think if not now then when. I’m not going to jump off the cliff at 40,” quipped Saeed.
last two seasons the show had an all-girl cast. This time they decided to throw in a guy to see how it works. Karan Kundra known for his soap opera image said, “I’m a shy person and this is one of the reasons I said yes to the show. I said no to another big channel for this show. I bonded with all three girls pretty well. We had a blast.”
Talking about what’s unique about the show Mohan says, “It’s about fulfilling your bucket list. People have a mundane life which they look to escape from and live to the fullest so we inspire them to step out and go for it which is the philosophy of the show.”
“I don’t really agree with people saying guys are more adventurous than girls. I think women know how to have fun better than the boys. But the element of one guy and a couple of girls adds a different dimension to the entire situation. The show is the ultimate holiday destination which people want to see even if they can’t experience it themselves.” said Himarsha.
(life Mein Ek Baar premieres on 20th October 2015 and will air every Monday and Tuesday at 10 pm on FOX life)