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EXCLUSIVE: Karan Wahi on KKK Made In India, people crediting him for acting & not just good looks post Hundred
Karan Wahi is currently contestant in Khatron Ke Khiladi Made in India edition where he is showcasing some daredevil stunts. In an exclusive chat we discussed lockdown, performing stunts, working during pandemic and more. Read.
Karan Wahi first left everyone impressed with Remix, a youth based show and then went on to feature in several shows including Dill Mill Gayye. The actor then even turned host for several reality shows and also crossed the bridge to do films. He made his debut in films with Daawat-e-Ishq and went on to feature in Hate Story 4. Wahi also did a couple of web shows, with latest being Hundred. He is currently contestant in Khatron Ke Khiladi Made in India edition (airs Saturday and Sunday, 9 PM) where he is showcasing some daredevil stunts. In an exclusive chat we discussed lockdown, performing stunts, working during pandemic and more. Excerpts below:
How were the last few months for you? What was your biggest learning?
It is the same but we got to learn so much more and do so much more. We sat at home and tried to be better at what we do. Now, we are back to work but work isn’t the same for obvious reasons. But it is better that it doesn’t look the same because if it did, then I don’t feel we will get another chance to be better. 
Things must be different on sets of Khatron Ke Khiladi Made in India. Is keeping social distancing while shooting difficult?
Yes, everyone is aware that they have to maintain social distance. Two reasons for that because the production has reiterated clearly that if we don’t follow the protocols and fail to maintain social distancing as laid down by the team, then we will be sent off. Nobody is to jeopardise their own work, because eventually we are here to work and are getting paid for it. Most of us have said yes to the show because a) we have to work and b) we need to make money to survive. Maybe, that money might not be for basic necessities in our case but a lot of crew members need that for their daily routine. Technicians, work team from the production and channel and the artists themselves have been very strict about the protocols.
Even during stunts, if we have to remove masks, there are certain protocols laid out for that too. We have been given the leverage to keep our masks on if we are uncomfortable. That sort of camaraderie also helps us smoothen into action. I think hugs and kisses can be done once corona is over.
Did you have bouts of uncertainty in the last few months about work?
When the lockdown happened, uncertainty was there for all of us, everybody in the media fraternity knows about it, how things can change overnight. I think I am very lucky and blessed that I got the opportunity to host two shows on OTT platforms and there was a show (Hundred) of mine which released. So, I felt it was nice that people got to watch the show, and they could see my performance and react. Eventually as an actor, that is what we live for.
Personally, I feel I got shows on OTT platforms during the pandemic because I was not too fussy about the money that came with it
Karan Wahi
You had two shows to host and another show which released during lockdown...
Honestly, during the lockdown and after it, the question I had for myself was 'why do I want to work? Is it because I need to work or because I need to make more money?' Personally, I feel I got shows on OTT platforms during the pandemic because I was not too fussy about the money that came with it. Nobody knows how much money I made. I could have done things for free. People don’t understand that aspect that my want at that time was to work. I believe khaali dimag shaitaan ka ghar hota hai. I remember speaking to a friend of mine that it is going to be very difficult for a lot of us, I am glad that I am financially stable right now but if this continues long, I will get jacked too. I remember the very next day I got offer for my Hotstar show. I just asked myself till 'yesterday I wanted to work, so, today I can’t be worried about budget.'
I feel the lockdown has just taught me to be more realistic in life. The happiness and contentment I got after shooting in the pandemic, no monetary value can match that.
What Hundred has done for me, it has open up avenues where people find more things about me, other than my body or the way I look because coming from TV background, there is anyway a little less perspective given to the kind of talent we possess
Karan Wahi
Hundred received love. Do you think it opened avenues for you to take up better projects and experiment?
I feel every project that I have done in my life, which is acting oriented, has been something that I believed in. Whether it worked or not is not in my hand. Primarily, it is the audience who watches it, and unfortunately, a lot of content is not watched by the audience because of a perception in their mind. What the lockdown did for all of us that with people having so much time, and so much content to watch, everyone ended up watching everything. Before Hundred, my best work was Barcode, but if you didn’t watch it, you will never know it. I can’t force people to get the app just to watch one show.
I would rather have people say they did not like my work than I did not watch your work
Karan Wahi
I think the response that Hundred is giving me is overwhelming because a lot of people watched it. I keep posting on my Instagram as well that those people who tell us to do good work, please watch our work and if you don’t like it, tell us and if you like, let us know. Because, I would rather have people say they did not like my work than I did not watch your work. What Hundred has done for me, it has open up avenues where people find more things about me, other than my body or the way I look because coming from TV background, there is anyway a little less perspective given to the kind of talent we possess. Thanks to everyone who watched it and to those who made it because people got to see me in a character not many thought I would pull off. I am an actor, I get really happy when people find me good looking but I am the happiest when people comment on the work I did.
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