Fear Factor to go desi by year end

Gobbling a plate of creepy crawlies neatly sandwiched in a roll or spending time in a sandpit with scorpions for company. A tightrope-walk between skyscrapers or a scramble through a tunnel full of rats. These daredevil, stomach-churning challenges are the mainstay of AXN's Fear Factor.

This popular adventure show now has a desi version – Fear Factor India, which will air on Sony by the year-end, with Mukul Dev as anchor. Besides the common man (selected through auditions), there will also be celeb participants and Rs one crore in prize money.

Fear Factor is a production of Endemol Entertainment, USA (the one on AXN is the original show). Sony remains the producer of the show, with Moving Pictures overseeing the India-end operations.

According to Tarun Katial, executive vice-president, Sony, "The channel has always been in the forefront of launching new initiatives. This is one of them. It is time for the Indian audience to watch an action reality on in numerous countries worldwide."

Fear Factor India will be shot in Malaysia next month. Why not in India? "That's because the logistics of the show are huge and Endemol is setting up the infrastructure in Malaysia especially for three countries — India, Indonesia and Malaysia — to shoot with participants from their home countries," adds Katial.

Incidentally, Fear Factor makes its Asia debut with a shoot in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The first season of Fear Factor India will play over 13 episodes, with three stunts being performed by participants.