Think Rannvijay Singha and the first image that pops into your mind is of MTV Roadies. The actor recently announced his separation from the show but is now the host of Safari India—Welcome to the Wild on Zee Zest.
The nine-episode show that travels between national parks in India is already on air and adds to a strong repertoire of adventure-based shows that Rannvijay has come to be known for. We caught up with the actor, host and VJ as he talks about the new show, his experiences filming across India’s most exotic national parks and more.
Excerpts...
You always seem to associate yourself with adventure, the outdoors, and similar shows…
Because that’s the kind of person I am. I think now I’m in a position where I can enjoy doing the things I love so you will see that most of the time I end up doing things that I’m passionate about such as sports, basketball, travelling, bikes, the outdoors. Growing up, I played many sports and I come from an army background so I was always exposed to such things as my parents have been very adventurous. I believe this is why when Zee Zest was looking for a host through whom they wanted to tell these stories, they thought of me because they knew I’d be interested in it.
How was your experience filming this show?
The shooting experience was unreal. These are the kind of things that dreams are made of. I’m truly blessed and grateful for having such experiences. I couldn’t have even imagined these things—that one day I’d be going to different national parks and get the kind of access that I got, interacting with the locals who have been living there, senior officers, rangers, people who are part of the ecosystem, doctors, biologists, etc. It was amazing! Now that I have done it once, I want to do it again and get into the depth of these things. I feel if you follow your passion and the kind of things you want to do, they come to you and Safari India is just proof of that.
What are your most memorable experiences from shooting the series?
I was deep in the Pakke Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh) were bear cubs were getting re-wilded, the cubs were playing around and we were told not to touch them at all, even if they try to have some physical contact and one of the bears (Kaali), she came and gave me a hug. That was unreal.
What is your message to other wildlife enthusiasts and adventure junkies?
All we can do as travellers is be responsible as tourists and not litter anywhere. During my journey with Safari India, many safari operators mentioned to me that people would come to see animals and try to interact or disturb animals and that’s not how you observe wildlife. To observe wildlife, you need to just stay there, be quiet, take it all in and let the animals be. And if you do that, you get to observe them for a longer period in their habitat and natural behaviour.
What else are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on a transformation series about being fit in a fun way where I actually put on a lot of weight on purpose to show people that at any age, with the right intent, by having a healthy lifestyle, you can transform and change. I’m also in the middle of spending more time with my family and settling them in a new place.
What can we see you in, next?
By the time Safari India finishes, the second season of a series that I did for Netflix (Mismatched) will release.
Every Monday at 8 pm, on Zee Zest.