Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls: Karan Kapadia and Ranveer’s fun dynamic is the saving grace of this adventure ride

If you plan on watching Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls expecting it to be a clever rekindling of Black Mirror’s 2018 interactive Bandersnatch, then your expectations might not be met. While Bandersnatch kept us on the edge of our seat and a single wrong choice could cause the main character to die and make things go horribly wrong, Ranveer vs Wild fails to keep the viewer hooked or engaged. We don’t see Ranveer or Bear go missing or be in grave danger even for a single moment. We do see them getting attacked by a bear and walking through snakes in a dark cave, but for some reason, it doesn’t worry us, probably because it seems that they are in the Serbian forest with about a dozen crew members, complete with vanity vans and plenty of food choices. It does become apparent at multiple points that Bear and Ranveer are not really alone and are probably helped by a dozen crew members.

This is probably why viewers struggle to believe that Ranveer Singh and Bear really are on an adventure where anything, literally anything could go wrong. The stakes, therefore, are not as high and the adventurous ride is just not as thrilling. While Bandersnatch had multiple endings depending on the choices that the user makes (the main character even died in a bunch of endings), in Ranveer vs Wild, everything seems to go the right way. There are hardly any consequences for the wrong choices and literally no repercussions for Bear and Ranveer which is why the viewer interest also wanes off towards the end of the adventurous ride. The premise of the show - Ranveer going on an adventure through Serbia to get Ramonda Serbica, a flower that can regenerate itself and bloom despite no sunlight - for his ladylove, Deepika Padukone.

Ranveer’s journey to reach the flower is just not as enthralling as it was expected. Another thing which is worth noting is the lack of chemistry, banter and camaraderie between Bear Grylls and Ranveer Singh which was blatant and almost jarring sometimes. Bear, who has been into the wild with Bollywood stars like Akshay Kumar, South star Rajinikanth did not share the same warmth and fun banter with Ranveer. At some points, it almost seemed as if the two were just doing their jobs separately. There was a clear lack of group and collective effort. The saving grace of Ranveer vs Wild is the fun dynamic between Ranveer Singh and his friend Karan Kapadia (aka KK). The duo are seen roasting each other, taking jibes and having a gala time. At one point, I couldn’t help but wish Ranveer and Bear shared the same chemistry and dynamic as Ranveer and KK.

At one instance, Bear gives the viewers a choice to ask Ranveer Singh a personal question which is unlike what we have seen in other interactive specials. Ranveer vs Wild also lacks informative tricks which would help one survive in the wild. The original Man vs Wild was full of such hacks. We do, however, see Bear teach Ranveer how to make a compass with a needle, leaf, water and moss. Towards the end, we see Ranveer struggle to reach the flowers as he climbs up a hill. His over-the-top expressions in this particular sequence are an overkill and will frankly make you cringe. While we have all come to know Ranveer as an over-enthusiastic, over-the-top and eccentric actor who is always running high on energy, surviving in the wild, at times, requires one to be focused and calm which is probably why Ranveer looks out of the place as he jumps on top of the hill, gives random hugs and plants multiple kisses on Bear. His humour, however, is on-point and gives the much-needed comic relief in the middle of intense hiking sessions. When the adventure ride comes to an end, you are left yearning for more and can’t help but wish the adventure was not so synthetic and heavily rehearsed and planned.

Ranveer Vs Wild is no Bandersnatch fails to recreate the thrill and horror of the Black Mirror feature film and struggles with a lack of chemistry between Bear and Ranveer but is a good one-time-watch.

Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls is streaming on Netflix.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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