‘Kya paagalpan hai ye’: Contestants tortured with rubber bullets on Khatron Ke Khiladi, internet calls it unacceptable

On Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, four contestants faced rubber bullets as part of a ‘pain auction’. The internet had strong reactions to the task.

The most recent episode of Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 saw four contestants face a firing squad, quite literally. Shagun Sharma, Gaurav Khanna, Vishal Aditya, and Karan Wahi were hit by rubber bullets as part of a ‘Pain Auction’ stunt, which left them injured. The internet questioned why the contestants were being ‘tortured’ for entertainment on the Indian show, that was shot in Cape Town, South Africa.

What happened during the Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 task?

Shagun Sharma and Gaurav Khanna were the first to drop out of the task after being hit by rubber bullets.

After two groups selected Shagun, Karan, Vishal and Gaurav to perform the task, a man dressed in camouflage walked out with a gun in his hand. Host Rohit Shetty stated that the four will stand with their backs faced to the man, and he will keep firing all day long, or until two contestants drop out and will perform the elimination stunt. He also later revealed that all four of them took around ‘40 pellets’ during the stunt.

The contestants were given spine protectors for the stunt as they faced gunfire while wearing only those and a sleeveless vest. All the contestants visibly showed pain as the man kept firing at them from a decreasing distance, sometimes with multiple bullets being fired at once, as Rohit smiled. Shagun was the first to break down and drop out, and Gaurav followed her, leaving Vishal and Karan standing. Rohit warned the contestants that they would have to face more pain throughout the show.

Shagun Sharma and Gaurav Khanna react to the injuries

Gaurav stated on the show that his neck ache seemed pale in comparison to the pain he felt all over his body in the moment. He posted a glimpse of his injuries on his Instagram Stories after the show aired, writing, “Thanks @orry for making this. I cud still feel this pain watching it on tv. Most painful experience ever. All 4 of us went through this guys..still hav these marks #darrkanayadaur #kkk15.”

The internet wonders why KKK15 contestants wre being tortured

Clips from the stunt featuring the four circulated widely, with many expressing shock at the stunt leaving the contestants so injured. Some even mistook the rubber bullets for pellets, possibly due to what Rohit later said on the show.

“Isn't it torture rather than a task,” questioned one on Instagram, while another wrote, “Kya paagalpan hai ye (What is this insanity?)” One pointed out, “I never seen stunt like that before, how can they injure them badly.. this is tourture.. they should not be physically injured purposely.. if its done by accident that's different thing.” Some even claimed that they cried while watching the stunt, with one adding, “the wounds are so deep it will take so much time to recover.” Others even questioned if it was even legal.

The discourse on X (formerly Twitter) didn’t seem much different. “Disgusting task!! How can they put ppls life in danger. Anything for trps!” slammed one X user, while another wrote, “This is pathetic tbh. On the name of games, you can't hurt someone so badly.” Numerous others also pointed out that it was ‘not cool’ on the makers' part to physically injure their contestants on purpose.

Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 is broadcast on Colors TV and streams digitally on JioHotstar, with new episodes airing every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM.