Actor Arjun Bijlani finally lifted the Khatron Ke Khiladi 11 trophy after proving his grit with daredevil stunts in Cape Town, South Africa. Despite having a disturbed shoulder, Bijlani outperfor med his two strong opponents — Vishal Aditya Singh and Divyanka Tripathy — in the grand finale and earned the coveted title in the reality show hosted by Rohit Shetty. “The last stunt really mattered. And people are appreciating me more for my performance in that and I feel really happy as I gave my 100 per cent in that task,” reflects Arjun. Post his win, we caught up with Mumbai-based Bijlani who wants to take up action-packed projects in the future. Excerpts:
Did you expect to win the title when you enrolled for it?
Honestly speaking, I did not go with any preconceived notion or with any agenda in mind. I just wanted to take each day as it comes and give my best. I kept pushing myself in each of the tasks that I performed. I t w o u l d n ’ t have been possible without the strong support of Rohit Shetty and my f r i e n d s a n d family. The final challenge was between Vishal, Divyanka and you.
Tell us what was on your mind?
ll three of us had a great journey in the show. The final challenge was the longest and extremely challenging and it did not give me scope to think about how my opponents would perform. When Vishal aborted, I knew I was next and it was just me and Divyanka. However, I just wanted to do the task to the best of my abilities and I am glad I did that with all honesty. My shoulder wasn’t in good shape that day and in fact, one of the ropes of the boat had also snapped. But as they say, when you get into that headspace you just focus on the target and that’s what I did.
Which task was the most challenging?
The final task was the toughest; it was dynamic. Also, the underwater stunt where we had to remove the mannequins tested my skills.
Which fears or phobia have you overcome through the show?
First is, I never thought that I could step in cold water, which I can do now without any fear. Also, I never thought I had a fear of getting electrocuted but now I have one.
Where do we see you next?
I am shooting for an OTT project at the moment and I think post KKK I can take up action-oriented projects with ease.