Zor Ka Jhatka in Argentina: SRK is a long-distance host

Zor Ka Jhatka was shot in Argentina with contestants. Anchor Shah Rukh Khan, who is in Mumbai, will be shown as present on sets through use of special effects

Zor Ka Jhatka host Shah Rukh Khan wasn't present in Argentina, where major portions of the reality television show were recently shot.

However, he will appear in several sequences through chroma keying. The star anchor will be incorporated on the Imagine show through use of the technology.

As such, certain segments that have been shot at a studio in Mumbai to depict face-offs with the participants will have his physical presence.

Actress-anchor Soumya Tandon, who shot on location in Argentina will be seen goading contestants to complete physical tests of endurance.

Says a source close to the channel, "Zor Ka Jhatka is a reality competition featuring various obstacle courses that were shot on location in Argentina.

The participants spent considerable time in Buenos Aires, where various international versions (of Wipeout, the original show name) have also been filmed.

Shah Rukh wasn't present on location. However, the chroma key effect will incorporate SRK wherever needed."

However, the channel feels "it is okay for the host not to be present during the obstacle trails. Even in some international versions, the host does his job from a studio.

The show's format lends itself to it as the anchor has to link the show from the sidelines."

It may sound strange on paper but we'll only know when we see the show which begins February 1 on a primetime slot.

Interestingly, B-Town stars who anchor reality shows on the small screen spent time on location with participants.

The names include Akshay Kumar (first two seasons of Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi in South Africa) and Priyanka Chopra (third season in Brazil).

Bigg Boss has also had its various anchors (Arshad Warsi, Shilpa Shetty, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan) trudge every week to the Bigg Boss house in Lonavla.

Then again, Zor Ka Jhatka believes in being distinct!

Chroma Effect
The actor is filmed against a chroma key background and inserted into the background shot. The principal subject is filmed against a background consisting of a single colour or a relatively narrow range of colors, usually blue or green because these colours are considered to be the furthest away from skin tone. The portions of the video which match the preselected color are replaced by the alternate background video.

The original
Total Wipeout is a British game show hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram. It first aired in January 2009. Each week, 20 contestants compete in a series of challenges in an attempt to win the cash prize.

These challenges are based in large pools of water or mud and generally involve large assault courses that participants must cross. The show is a licensed version of Wipeout, the show that originated in the United States in 2008.

The Zor Ka Jhatka participants include...

Kushal Punjabi
Gaurav Chopra
Narayani Shastri
Karishma Tanna
Hanif Hilal
Payal Rohatgi
Raja Chaudhary
Vrajesh Hirjee
Dimpy Ganguly
Jennifer Winget
Vindoo Dara Singh
Bakhtyaar Irani

SRK's 175 crores film Ra.One needs some good luck.

A few weeks back, when Karan Johar was summoned by Shah Rukh Khan for the London shoot of his most ambitious film till date, 'Ra. 1', the superstar took a smart step.

He let the news go from him only rather than it reaching down to media through 'sources'. Tweets floated around and it was announced to the world that Shah Rukh had made a special request to Karan to direct a few scenes for 'Ra. 1'.

On his part, Shah Rukh did pre-empt the entire turn of events and promptly announced that Karan's arrival in London for the shooting of 'Ra. 1' was nothing more than just a good luck charm. In any case, Bollywood is known for its superstitions and when a film is rumoured to be carrying a price tag of 175 crores, it is but natural to have all the good luck charm to come in handy.

"This is the reason why even though many felt that (director) Anubhav (Sinha) may have been heartbroken due to someone else stepping in and calling the shots, despite for a short duration, the fact is that Karan's visit actually turned out to be short and sweet.

Eventually qualifying as a friendly gesture more than anything else, it did lead to a few reading between the words but none of it mapped to the kind of scale that would have led to any widespread controversy", comments an observer who has been closely following the turn of events.

Since Karan has been a close friend and associate for over a decade and a half now and has contributed to some of his biggest hits like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' and now 'My Name Is Khan' with him, it was imperative that he was there alongside him when 'Ra. 1' is being filmed. On his part, Karan doesn't deny the fact that he did eventually direct a brief portion of the film.

"There was nothing to hide about it though. All Shah Rukh wanted me to do was to can a couple of shots for good luck charm. It wasn't as if he asked Anubhav to sit aside and gave me the entire control instead. It doesn't work that way", says Karan who rightly believes that it is hardly an incident that deserves much attention.

Well, one tends to believe that Anubhav Sinha feels so as well. With sci-fi flick 'Robot' already turning on the heat, there is far more emphasis which is expected to be made on 'Ra. 1' now. Also starring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, 'Ra. 1' is expected to release in Summer 2011.