A self-confessed adrenaline junkie, VJ-turned-actor Rannvijay Singh loves to live on the fast lane. In Hyderabad to shoot for MTV's forthcoming show Race to Fame and promote his film, Mod , he urges the need for youngsters to follow safety precautions while indulging in any form of adventure sports. “What's happened to Azharuddin's son is really sad,” says the VJ/actor, who spent the weekend shooting and go-karting at Kompally.
He says, “Wherever I travelled earlier to promote Stunt Mania , I'd tell youngsters that racing is for the circuit and to be done on city roads. All the stunts shown on Stunt Mania were shot with safety measures in place. No one was allowed to do stunts without proper gear, helmets and shoes. Even if you suffered a four-foot fall, there were boxes, mattresses, cushions, crash pads and harnesses for safety.”
Forget fast bikes, he doesn't approve of youngsters doing wheelies on city roads. The only way to prevent accidents, he feels, is to educate them on adventure sports. “You can't stop them from riding fast bikes. As the country develops and there's better income levels, people are bound to look at extreme sports for entertainment. Be selfish; follow safety precautions if you want to do adventure sports for a longer time. I'd like to ride bikes when I am 60, so I use safety gears. Life is important. Be negligent now and you'll never get a second chance,” he says.
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Owner of eight bikes, Rannvijay considers his Hero Moto Karizma his prized possession. “I am not a ‘rich' bike collector. I use different bikes for different reasons,” says the actor who also owns Kawasaki Ninja 750, Yamaha 900, Royal Enfield, two dirt bikes and a Suzuki 600.
Formerly in the army, Rannvijay shot to fame with television before he turned actor. He's done it all — from speed racing to bouldering. “Today, when everyone enjoyed a lunch break, I did 15 laps on the go-kart track. Recently, while shooting in Leh I got to do mountain biking. There's so much you can do with adventure sports. Beyond strength and stamina, it gives you confidence,” he says.
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He was part of big ticket films London Dreams and Action Replayy besides a Punjabi film but Nagesh Kukunoor's Mod, releasing on October 6, will be his first as a solo hero. His role in Mod is poles apart from his persona as a VJ. “In one way, it is risky to do a film like Mod considering the young fan base I have. But ever since the promos are out, I've been getting positive response. Mod is a beautiful love story. There was no pressure on me while promoting my earlier films since I was just part of films with big stars. Mod experience is different,” he says.
A new entrant into Nagesh's unit, he took his time to break ice with the crew. “Nagesh is a serious director and a disciplinarian. Discipline has never been an issue with me and I don't mind getting into a new classroom. It took me a week to connect with Nagesh; we stuck a fine balance between seriousness and fun. We connected at many levels. Having lived in the US, he is an outdoorsy person. I used to cycle for 20-22 kms after shoots. We played squash, table tennis, discuss movies and actors… Nagesh has an amazing knowledge about a lot of things including food,” says Rannvijay.