JOIN USBollywood action star Akshay Kumar enlivened the launch event of the forthcoming reality show Dare 2 Dance by rapping the title song, which he has also penned himself. His rap was catchy, but Akshay thinks otherwise.
The actor, looking dapper started rapping like a professional with the audio of the song playing in the background. He did a little jig with two contestants of the show as well.
“I consider myself a bad singer. These guys (the channel officials) wanted someone with a besura awaaz (tuneless voice), so I had no choice but to do it,” he quipped.
Akshay, who is the host and mentor on the show, says he felt a strong connect with Dare 2 Dance as it mixes the two worlds of dance and adventure. That’s why he went out of his way to ensure that it had an edge over other reality shows.
Akshay said: “I didn’t want the stage to be on the floor. I wanted it to be in mid-air, underwater, on ice...I wanted to see how to make this show different.”
On Indian television, there are several reality shows that are adapted from international TV formats like Celebrity Big Brother and Dancing With The Stars. But Bollywood star Akshay Kumar hopes his new show turns the tables.
Known to push his limits on the big screen, Akshay has dared to take creative liberties with Dare 2 Dance. He says it’s the first-of-its-kind show in the world, and that he will be glad if it is ever adapted internationally.
“I'll be very proud if somebody from the international world calls up the channel's team to say ‘We want to buy the rights of this show’. I'll honestly be very proud,” Akshay told IANS at the show’s launch in the Capital.
Spread across 16 episodes, the show, to be aired on Life OK starting Saturday, mixes dance with adventurous dares. And Akshay, as the anchor and mentor dares them to groove mid-air, underwater, in the midst of fire and on ice among other rough and tough situations.
It has Indian as well as foreign contestants and has been shot in the picturesque Cape Town in South Africa.
For Dare 2 Dance, the actor has played roles other than just being the anchor. Akshay said he didn’t want to be a boring anchor. “It was boring to just stand and watch them doing the tasks, so I preferred enjoying with them and performing with them,” he said.
But where does he find the time to take up TV projects especially when he does three to four films in a year? “I am doing TV after a long time... but even that’s not acceptable,” Akshay, who has earlier hosted MasterChef India and multiple seasons of Fear Factor - Khatron Ke Khiladi, said in a jocular tone.
“There are 24 hours in a day. Sleep for eight hours, exercise for two hours and the rest of the hours you have with you to do what you want. There’s enough time for everything. There’s no rocket science to it,” he said.