Francois Grobbelaar, has been in the movie industry for over 14 years and has also worked in TV series and commercials as stunt coordinator, stunt performer and stunt rigger. He has been associated with Khatron Ke Khiladi for the last 3 seasons and also worked on season 1 of the show. Francois has also done several Bollywood movies such as Commando , Acid Factory , Prince , Luck , Go Goa Gone and most recently Jagga Jasoos . He has worked on Hollywood movies like, Kite,Blood Diamond , Expendables 2 , Chronicle , Dredd and Safe House . Even though he mostly works as a stunt coordinator these days, he still enjoys being a stuntman and performing on camera.
Excerpts from an interview:
How did you get into the field of stunt direction?
I was a paratrooper in the South African Defence Force. After completing my military service, I became an outdoor adventure guide. This gave me a good foundation for stunts. My first ever job as a stuntman was getting my legs set on fire for a local TV series, I was hooked ever since. I like the physical challenge of doing stunts and the pressure of having to perform in front of camera. I became a stunt coordinator because it was the next step and it came natural to me. I love coordinating and it is a challenge which I relish. I started my career in the industry in 2001 as a stunt performer and stunt rigger.
Tell us about your association with ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and how different it is from the international format?
I have coordinated the last three seasons of ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and was also involved in season 1 of the show. Indian Reality TV is very different as the audience is unique and their demands are different. The Indian format uses celebrities where other formats and countries don’t. The talking and questioning sessions therefore becomes important as the celebs show their real life personalities there.
This allows the viewers to relate to them as people. As this is the 6th season of the show, we had to design a lot of new stunts and bring new elements to show in order to keep the audience entertained. Some of the stunts of this season have never been done anywhere in the world.
How many stunts have been designed for the current season of ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’?
For the current season we have designed altogether 60 stunts. There are about 12 brand new stunts in this season. These stunts have been designed specifically for the Indian format by Endemol Shine India. Some of the stunts are re-designed to make them look different from what has been seen on US TV. All stunts are designed and chosen specifically for the Indian market.
Rohit Shetty is known for the stunts portrayed in his movies, did he give his inputs for the stunts?
It was my 2nd season with Rohit Shetty and I enjoy working with him. Rohit trusts my judgement and went with most of my ideas. We always discuss everything and ensure we are both happy with the plan. We get along very well and there is a mutual respect. We might be doing movies together soon who knows? Haha.
