HYDERABAD: The list of experiences in Rithvik Dhanjani’s CV is steadily growing thanks to his latest stint on the small screen. The TV actor of Pavitra Rishta fame will soon be seen attempting 10 different jobs across the length and breadth of the country in History TV18’s new show, Man vs Job. And these aren’t ordinary tasks. In the last three weeks, he has tried collecting honey, wrestling, performing stunts, and guiding trekkers (in Himachal Pradesh). In the coming days, he will be seen criss-crossing Chennai and Coimbatore, racing cars and crocodile farming. Fire fighting is also on the cards.
Travel diaries
“I am so glad I was chosen for this show. I get to highlight lesser-known jobs, lead the lives of people involved in these jobs, and I am hoping I can change everybody’s perception about them. We often take these jobs and people for granted,” begins Dhanjani, who won the reality show, I Can Do That, last year, and is currently seen hosting the Indian version of So You Think You Can Dance.
He cites an example from his Sunderbans stint, “I ventured into a forest, lived with the family of a honey collector (he has a mentor for each job), learnt how to cut honeycombs, and sell honey. It’s a dangerous business because there are tigers in those jungles, but people still risk their lives for a few thousand rupees.” He adds, “My mentor has a family of six. He hosted me in his small hut because I was his guest. It was memorable.” In the village of Khanna, near Ludhiana, he took on the national wrestling champion, Rubal Jeet. “Of course, I wasn’t expected to win the kushti,” laughs the 27-year-old Sindhi actor, recollecting, “I was also pitted against a 17-year-old. I asked myself initially, ‘What if I hurt him?’ Trust me, exactly the opposite happened. He lifted me and threw me to the ground. That’s how strong these wrestlers are. Before working out, they make and consume a milkshake of 23 herbs, flower petals, syrup, elaichi, cashew nuts, almonds, mishri, and what not. They grind all this into a paste, for 30-45 minutes. I had to do the same. It was such a task.”
While he got down to these jobs without any preparation, the workout freak did pump up for his assignment as a stuntman in Mumbai. “Sunil Rodrigues aka Rod (action director of films like Dilwale, and Rocky Handsome) introduced me to his stuntmen who’ve met with accidents in the past and come back to do stunts again. They are the people who make our heroes look like heroes,” he says.
Sky’s the limit
Dhanjani tells us that as a young boy, he wanted to be a doctor, like his heart surgeon uncle. Then he realised the amount of studying that went into becoming one. The adventure freak is currently fascinated with the sport of wingsuit flying. “I don’t think I want to try it. It’s dangerous (he has a fear of heights). These people basically wear wingsuits, jump off cliffs, help others to fly like them or just capture videos of others while in the air. They are human drones!”
The young man, who we chased for two weeks for this interview, has obviously been busy travelling. And how does he unwind? “Luckily, my work allows me to travel a lot, and that’s fun I also watch a lot of TV,” he signs off.
Premieres June 30. 10 pm on History TV18