It’s been a while since the Harlem Shakes and Kiki Challenges swamped the Internet, so of course 2019 has birthed a new one: the Bottle Cap Challenge. From Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities to MMA fighters and your neighbourhood school kid, everyone seems to be taking it up — even though it’s not quite as easy as jumping outside a running car and dancing on the streets...
So what does it entail? A bottle is placed on a tall surface with the cap loosely twisted shut. The goal of the challenge is to untwist the cap with a spin (or roundhouse) kick that leaves the cap flying off — without moving the bottle. A slow-motion effect is added to give the video a sense of suspense.
The video or ‘challenge’ was first started by taekwondo instructor and fighter Farabi Davletchin on Instagram, after which it was picked up by reigning UFC Featherweight champ Max Holloway that really made it viral. Holloway then challenged music artist John Mayer, who surprised the Internet with a kick that would make any athelete proud.
As more and more people watched the videos on Instagram and Twitter, it was the turn of Fast and Furious Hollywood star Jason Statham to give it a shot, and it was his video that really woke India upto the challenge.
On Wednesday morning, it was India’s ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar who aced the Bottle Cup Challenge, saying that he was inspired by his ‘action idol’ Statham and that he “couldn’t resist” taking on the challenge. The actor is known for his strict fitness regime and dedication to working out — no wonder he had to come on board. Akshay even asked his followers to try it too, and that he would repost and retweet the best videos he saw.
Meanwhile, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film star 'Action King' Arjun Sarja was among the first south Indian actors to try it as well, dedicating his attempt to Bruce Lee and his fans.
Gully Boy actor Siddhant Chaturvedi also participated in the challenge, and then challenged actor Ishaan Khatter to try the same. American DJ Diplo, Irish boxer and MMA champ Conor McGregor and English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding are some of the other popular names to have tried out the challenge so far.
