Baba Sehgal chose Anaida as his partner in Fun on the Run

Contiloe Films brings India’s first celebrity hunt to your TV screens. No props. No dialogues. No rehearsals. No make-up. No studio. Just eight celebrities battling each other on mental and physical skills as they make their way across nine Indian cities to find the hidden treasure — prize money of Rs 25 lakh!

We are going to see our favourite celebrities doing everything from digging their fingers into cowdung to pushing a wheelbarrow up a stone quarry. And no, all the tasks aren’t purely physical. The stars will also be quizzed on their knowledge of India (or lack of it!). The show in question is Fun on the Run, touted as India’s first celebrity treasure hunt, on Zee TV.

Monisha Jaising Vaid, the director of Fun on the Run, explains: “When Tata Indicom approached us, they were looking for a unique way to showcase their product, in a show that would involve celebrities. Since India has such a rich and diverse culture, we decided to capitalise on it.”

The show has tapped in the distinct flavour of different regions in India and viewers will be taken from the north right down to the south.

Bakhtiyar and Tanaaz Irani, seen in the dance show Nach Baliye, also participate in Fun on the Run

The tasks too have been drawn up with a cultural basis with a lot of opulent palaces and forts on the show. Reveals Preeti Desai, senior episode producer: “The nine cities that Fun on the Run will take you across are Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Pondicherry, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Delhi, Varanasi and Mumbai.”

Who exactly are these celebrity pairs? Real-life couples Delnaaz and Rajiv Paul, Rajesh Kumar (Rosesh of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai) and his actor wife Madhavi, soap star Ayub and his wife Niharika Khan, Bakhtiyar and Tanaaz Irani along with the vivacious Viva girls Anushka Manchanda and Pratichee Mahapatra, singer duo Baba Sehgal and Anaida, hunky Mukul Dev and geeky Gaurav Gera, and lastly bad boy Chetan Hansraj with Kushal Punjabi. Witty VJ Gaurav Kapur hosts the show.

Says Monisha: “When we zeroed in on the celebrities, we wanted to move away from the usual soap demographics and didn’t want to restrict ourselves to real-life couples alone. Our main criteria was people who share a great rapport and those with a sense of adventure.”

Some celebrities were even given the opportunity to choose their own partner and that’s how rapper Baba Sehgal decided to pair up with Anaida.

“Each and every one of these celebrity couples is passionate about the game and not just the money. Each of them has suffered cuts, nicks and bruises from the tasks we placed before them, but they are all amazingly sporting,” gushes Preeti.

Adds Monisha: ‘This is a really real reality show. Here you’ll catch a glimpse of the celebs in their purest form, with no war paint and no makeup.”

Emotions also run high as you get to see the actors’ off-screen personality. In fact even husband-wife duos have surprised each other with their competitive streaks.

States Rajesh’s wife Madhavi Kumar: “I learned so much about Rajesh; I must admit that this show was a real eye-opener in our relationship.”

Quips Rajiv Paul: “Even if someone pays me a whole lot of money, I don’t want to work with my wife again, atleast not for a while!”

Wife Delnaaz Paul echoes his views and also goes on to describe a task where she was blindfolded, when the difficulties faced by the blind really hit home: “As I tried to perform that task, both Rajiv and I were losing our patience and I realised the hardships the blind face on a daily basis.”

But Tanaaz has the last word: “I realised how intelligent Bakhtiyar was and he realised just how talented I was!”