Adventure sports was a big NO for Nethra Raghuraman, but it was her “year of change” and she wanted to do those very things that she would normally say no to. Thus Fear Factor (FF)-Khatron Ke Khiladi happened and the experience, she says, is something that she will not trade for anything in the world.

“After entering FF, I have registered with adventure clubs!” she adds. Nethra won the Fear Factor challenge after performing another brave stunt in the final round.

“I can’t swim, but as part of FF, did that and more. I jumped off the cliff,  walked on glass walls, even put my face into a tank full of snakes. You are petrified at times, but you know there is no other way but to finish what you have started.

I have cried, got really dirty (She shows the scars that she has got from the cockroach stunt) ... I feel really yuck, but I’m not a quitter. The saving grace is that when I was really in a tight spot, I had gone to call the name of Saibaba and not shit into the mike, like another contestant!”

FF just didn’t make her an adventure sports enthusiast but also helped her handle stress better, she says. “FF has made me realise that it is all about willpower. Even though I didn’t know swimming, I went underwater and got the glow stick!”

It was also tough to see friends being eliminated, she adds. “Shooting was difficult too. It was so cold in South Africa, raining at times and we had to perform the dares then also, imagine!”

 Did comedy king Akshay Kumar hosting the show come as a relief in any way? “In fact, everytime Akshay laughed, everyone went aaj toh yeh hamse kuch gandaa karvayega... or ‘we will die today’. That apart, some thought that he was harsh. But he was just doing his job.”

Nethra seems to be liking each and every moment of her TV show, so will we see her in more? “If it is anything to do with adventure, or something for which I don’t have to think of make-up before appearing on screen, then it’s yes!”  That’s odd coming from a model. ”But I have always been a rebel. Fashion comes and goes, then Nethra enters!”

Tell her that this non-conformist image is not good for her Bollywood dreams and she says, ”I don’t see myself being a part of mainstream cinema. While Thakshak and Bhopal Express were great experiences, there were a few mistakes I made. I took a complete break from movies, to the point that I changed my cell number. But now I may consider international or crossover movies.”

The conversation shifts to the Indian fashion scene. “My favourite designers are Anamika Khanna, Shantanu and Nikhil, Raghuvendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap and my friend Reshma Bombaywalla. I must add that some models from Bangalore are also fantastic.”

Tell her she looks fit and she says,” I workout. I wish there were loopholes in exercises, but there is no substitute.” Meditations keep her calm, she adds. “I also read a lot and am very possessive about the ‘me’ space, and these things keep me contented,” signs off Nethra.