Vikas Gupta is currently busy with Khatra Khatra Khatra. (Source: Vikas Gupta/Instagram)Vikas Gupta seems to be the flavour of the season on television. After becoming the finalist in Bigg Boss 11, the ‘Mastermind’, as he is fondly called, jumped on to host reality show Ace of Space. Post that he fought his fears in Khatron Ke Khiladi 9, and currently he has become a prankster on Khatra Khatra Khatra.
Apart from Vikas, the Colors show features Bharti Singh, Haarsh Limbachiyaa, Aditya Narayan, Aly Goni and Ridhima Pandit among others.
Talking about his strategies for the show, Vikas Gupta said, “I just don’t want to hurt anyone with my pranks. I should be able to sleep peacefully at night.” The creative mind recently sat down for an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com.
Excerpt from a conversation:
Fourth project in a row, what makes you so attracted towards reality shows?
I don’t think I am attracted but reality shows kind of like me too much (laughs). See, I am a very different personality. I don’t fall under the category of an actor yet I am not even a commoner, so I automatically become an interesting proposition on these shows.
You recently went back to production with Puncch Beat which has received rave reviews.
Oh, it has broken all records and completely blown off the roof. It is one of the most successful shows on ALTBalaji app. As a storyteller, that is a great achievement and inspires me to do more. I can’t help if people find me interesting on screen but I have a company to run. And if I stop making shows, I will incur huge losses like I did last year. Also, unlike the notion, we don’t really get paid much on reality shows (laughs).
Khatra Khatra Khatra seems quite a different project. What attracted you most about it?
Honestly, my biggest problem is that I can never be conventional. I take calculated risks and don’t just jump into anything. There are multiple reasons for doing the show but the biggest is the people involved. Bharti is amazing with comedy and competing with her in a show like this is an achievement in itself. Haarsh is a fabulous writer and I have always admired Aditya for the way he shaped up his career from such a young age.
You seem to always pick the right project. Is that calculated risk or intuition that works for you?
I have been working for 12 years now. And it is not just me but the team that helps in making a project successful. But yes, over the years, you understand the audience, what they want. And most importantly, you meet the people involved and sense their passion. I never take anything where I can’t learn anything. I need to evolve with every project. For me, money is the last reason to choose something.
While you have gained strong supporters on social media, you are also quite often the victim of trolling. How do you deal with all the bashing?
There are a couple of people who have helped me. The first among them is Parth Samthaan. He has trained me well on how not to react to social media comments. And most important I have my Lost Souls. Dare someone say anything against me, they will give it right back to them. I just listen to them and life is all sorted then.
Since you mention Parth, you have had a roller-coaster association with him. Do you feel friendship and relationships are genuine in the industry?
I believe in friendship and make sure that I watch out for my friends. There are so many people helping me and so I always do the same. I always recommend people to maintain strong relationships. Khatra Khatra Khatra is a good example. It has become bigger because so many more amazing people have joined us. And we are all doing it for fun and friendship.
We recently saw an Instagram story of you talking about a show with Karan Kundrra. Tell us more about it.
I have blackmailed him into taking it up (laughs). I can’t talk much about it but it is called Big Fish- Badi Machli. All I can say is that it will be the biggest show and just blow everyone’s mind. It is damn exciting, edgy and is based on what the world has become now.
