Angira Dhar may not be a face viewers are familiar with but being a part of the reality show Beg, Borrow, Steal on UTV Bindaas, may set that right. She speaks with SHIBAJI ROYCHOUDHURY about her adventurous journey on the show so far
It was a regular day at the Sakrigarh vegetable market in Katni, a small town, 92.2 km from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Popular for women selling vegetables, handmade baskets and many other things, the people and the shopkeepers were astounded when they saw an uptown girl in a white dhoti-kurta and a gamcha round her neck, steering in a vegetable cart full of vegetables, fruit, clothes, brooms and other household products. People instantly crowded around her in curiosity. Soon, they realised that she wasn’t actually a vegetable seller but an actress shooting for a reality show and performing a task that to get to the second round.
Angira Dhar, the new host and participant of Beg, Borrow, Steal (Season 9), on UTV Bindass, was assigned this as her fourth task. With the crowd milling around her, she pitched her products for sale. She had to sell as many items as she could and was competing against a local man selling the same products who has been in the trade for years. “Sabzi lelo, kapde lelo, jhaadu lelo” she chanted in her bid to sell the stuff as she steered the cart and took it around the market and she is followed by a huge crowd.
The idea of this show is survival under uncomfortable, tough and challenging conditions. The tasks are always a surprise, revealed to her on the spot. Also, there are no props to make it easy for her.
Every time she travels from one place to another, she has to hitch a ride. For overnight stays, she has to request some family living in that area to let her spend the night there. If she completes a task, she gets a reward and if she loses, there are penalties.
At Katni, each task required her to compete with a local boy/girl for the reward. If she failed, she was to work for two hours in the fields — ploughing, sowing, collecting dung and then halt for the night. However, if she won, she would get a three-course meal at a local dhaba,” show producer Kevin Couto revealed.
This entire season is being shot in Madhya Pradesh. Some of the tasks will are slated to be tougher. Here is a glimpse of what the contestant will have to do:
Task: Both contestants will have to descend into a 70-foot well to retrieve a laathi. They will have to dangle fodder in front of a buffalo to lure it into their berth in the tabela — a distance of 500 metres.
Punishment: Travel backwards for 25 km before the contestant can call it a night.
Reward: A 25-km lift in the crew car (otherwise hitch-hike).
Task: Two contestants will be given a bow and an arrow on fire. They must shoot a dummy target so that it falls and causes two other targets to catch fire.
Punishment: Angira will have to carry a bucket of chaachh (buttermilk) and drink only that and share it with her fellow travellers. She can’t waste a drop and it must be empty by the time she reaches her night halt.
Reward: The crew will give her a wake her up at 4 am for a surprise task which will help her earn reward points.
If Angira wishes to not do a certain task, she has an alternative, but, that might just turn worse for her. “Angira must go up against a local boy/girl in a proverb-based task daily. If she loses, she faces a punishment. She can waive her punishment by attempting an embarrassing/ridiculous dare from the Evil Crew. If she emerges victorious, she gets the chance to double her reward by attempting a mini-task,” Couto says.