Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 took an unexpectedly personal turn when Gaurav Khanna opened up about a chapter of his career that still affects him. It all started with a lighthearted phone task on the Rohit Shetty hosted show which ended with the Anupamaa actor talking about being labelled “panauti” early in his television career and how that perception continues to play on his mind.
Rohit Shetty Finds More Than Just Chats On Gaurav Khanna’s Phone
The contestants were given a phone related task with Gaurav eventually having to hand his phone over to Rohit after losing a challenge. The interaction began on a lighter note as Gaurav showed the host his family group chat and joked about his supposed Bollywood connections.
He claimed that his father is Vinod Khanna and that Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor are among his relatives.
The conversation took a more serious turn when Rohit noticed Gaurav’s messages with actor Hussain Kuwajerwala. Gaurav explained that he had initially been unsure about joining Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 but Hussain had encouraged him to take part.
After completing one of the show’s difficult stunts, Gaurav had also messaged Hussain about the experience where he admitted that he was still frightened despite having successfully finished it.
That conversation led Rohit to ask Gaurav about the larger fears he carries when it comes to his career.
Gaurav Khanna Remembers The ‘Panauti’ Label
Gaurav then went back to the beginning of his television journey and spoke about the struggles that shaped his thinking as an actor.
“Mere career ki shuruaat mein, jab maine TV par kaam karna shuru kiya toh mujhe kaam toh milta raha, lekin kisi na kisi wajah se shows ek saal se zyada nahi chal paate the. Mujh par yeh thappa lag gaya tha ki Gaurav ke shows nahi chalte aur ek actor ke liye yeh bahut bhaari thappa hota hai (When I started working in television, I kept getting work, but for one reason or another, my shows could not run for more than a year. I got labelled as someone whose shows did not work, and that is a very heavy label for an actor),”he said.
According to Gaurav, the repeated failures created a perception that he was somehow unlucky for the projects he joined.
‘If This Show Doesn’t Work, They Will Say It Again’
The actor admitted that even while auditioning for new projects, he sometimes finds himself worrying about the same old perception returning.
“Jab bhi main audition deta hoon toh mujhe yahi darr satata hai ki agar yeh show nahi chala toh woh mujhe phir se wahi thappa de denge ki uske shows nahi chalte (Whenever I audition, I worry that if this show does not work, they will again give me the same label that his shows do not work).”
Rohit Shetty Reminds Gaurav Khanna Of His Recent Wins
Rohit pointed out that Gaurav’s career has come a long way since those early setbacks. His popularity grew substantially with Anupamaa, where he played Anuj Kapadia, while his reality television appearances further strengthened his public image.
Gaurav’s wins on Bigg Boss 19 and Celebrity MasterChef India also changed the picture considerably.
Where To Watch Khatron Ke Khiladi 15
Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, which carries the theme Darr Ka Naya Daur, premiered on August 1, 2026. The Rohit Shetty hosted reality show airs on Colors TV and streams on JioHotstar.
