Back in Action: Actor Suniel Shetty returns as host of MMA-based ‘Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt’

Express News Service

When Suniel Shetty first appeared on the silver screen in Balwaan, he was welcomed with hoots and whistles. Evidently, not much has changed in the last 30 years as far as his fandom goes. The familiar echoes of cheers resounded with equal enthusiasm when the actor, now 61, recently announced Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt, an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) reality show he is hosting.

Shetty, who has acted in over 100 films, attributes his continued popularity to his decision to focus and develop a particular skill set: action.

“In my early days, many critics called me wooden, but I didn’t allow that to affect me. I did such death-defying stunts that people had to see me as the hero. In spite of the failures, I still get a lot of love, because that image stayed. And, I have continued to maintain my body, and work on my fitness,” says the actor, who is a Black Belt in kickboxing. Some of his biggest action flicks include Mohra, Rakshak, Aakrosh, Dus and Kaante.

It is this knack for the genre that drew Shetty to Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt. Streaming on the OTT platform MX Player, the show will see 16 male and female MMA athletes compete for the title.

“OTT has allowed me to venture into a sport I absolutely love. Martial arts gave me a career, so this is my way of giving back. I hope the participants take advantage of this opportunity because after football and cricket, this is the fastest-growing sport in the world. They can make a livelihood out of this,” says the actor, who has previously hosted two other sports reality shows on TV—Biggest Loser Jeetega and India’s Asli Champion-Hai Dam?

Once among the leading stars in Bollywood, Shetty’s career began to lose steam in the early 2000s––although he did deliver memorable performances in films such as Main Hoon Na and Chup Chup ke––which is when he ventured into southern cinema with films such as Kakkakuyil (Malayalam) and 12B (Tamil). He also starred in the Turkish film Miras and English film, Don’t Stop Dreaming.

His last Bollywood film was A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky (2017), where he was seen in a negative role following which he starred only in south Indian films such as Pailwaan, Darbar, Mosagallu and Ghani, before returning to Hindi entertainment in November last year with the web series, Dharavi Bank, a crime-drama where he plays a ruthless kingpin of India’s largest slum.

“The kind of work I am getting now is phenomenal. The great thing about streaming platforms is that I still get to play principal characters,” he says, adding that his next OTT outing is an “out-and-out action” series.

Shetty, however, is much more than just an action star. Among his best-known roles is his portrayal of a jilted lover in the romantic drama Dhadkan, for which he won the Filmfare award. He is also an actor with stellar comic timing as is evident in films such as Hulchul; Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar; Awara, Pagal, Deewana; and of course, Hera Pheri, in the third instalment of which Shetty will reprise his role as Shyam.

Talking about reuniting with the iconic Hera Pheri trio, he says, “I have always said Raju (Akshay Kumar) ke bina Shyam nahi, Shyam ke bina Babu bhaiya (Paresh Rawal) nahi (There’s no Shyam without Raju, and no Babu bhaiya without Shyam and without all three, there can be no Hera Pheri.)” His other anticipated project is File No 323, inspired from the life of Vijay Mallya. 

<br /> When Suniel Shetty first appeared on the silver screen in Balwaan, he was welcomed with hoots and whistles. Evidently, not much has changed in the last 30 years as far as his fandom goes. The familiar echoes of cheers resounded with equal enthusiasm when the actor, now 61, recently announced Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt, an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) reality show he is hosting.</p> <p>Shetty, who has acted in over 100 films, attributes his continued popularity to his decision to focus and develop a particular skill set: action.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>“In my early days, many critics called me wooden, but I didn’t allow that to affect me. I did such death-defying stunts that people had to see me as the hero. In spite of the failures, I still get a lot of love, because that image stayed. And, I have continued to maintain my body, and work on my fitness,” says the actor, who is a Black Belt in kickboxing. Some of his biggest action flicks include Mohra, Rakshak, Aakrosh, Dus and Kaante.</p> <p>It is this knack for the genre that drew Shetty to Kumite 1 Warrior Hunt. Streaming on the OTT platform MX Player, the show will see 16 male and female MMA athletes compete for the title.</p> <p>“OTT has allowed me to venture into a sport I absolutely love. Martial arts gave me a career, so this is my way of giving back. I hope the participants take advantage of this opportunity because after football and cricket, this is the fastest-growing sport in the world. They can make a livelihood out of this,” says the actor, who has previously hosted two other sports reality shows on TV—Biggest Loser Jeetega and India’s Asli Champion-Hai Dam?</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Once among the leading stars in Bollywood, Shetty’s career began to lose steam in the early 2000s––although he did deliver memorable performances in films such as Main Hoon Na and Chup Chup ke––which is when he ventured into southern cinema with films such as Kakkakuyil (Malayalam) and 12B (Tamil). He also starred in the Turkish film Miras and English film, Don’t Stop Dreaming.</p> <p>His last Bollywood film was A Gentleman: Sundar, Susheel, Risky (2017), where he was seen in a negative role following which he starred only in south Indian films such as Pailwaan, Darbar, Mosagallu and Ghani, before returning to Hindi entertainment in November last year with the web series, Dharavi Bank, a crime-drama where he plays a ruthless kingpin of India’s largest slum.</p> <p>“The kind of work I am getting now is phenomenal. The great thing about streaming platforms is that I still get to play principal characters,” he says, adding that his next OTT outing is an “out-and-out action” series.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Shetty, however, is much more than just an action star. Among his best-known roles is his portrayal of a jilted lover in the romantic drama Dhadkan, for which he won the Filmfare award. He is also an actor with stellar comic timing as is evident in films such as Hulchul; Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar; Awara, Pagal, Deewana; and of course, Hera Pheri, in the third instalment of which Shetty will reprise his role as Shyam.</p> <p>Talking about reuniting with the iconic Hera Pheri trio, he says, “I have always said Raju (Akshay Kumar) ke bina Shyam nahi, Shyam ke bina Babu bhaiya (Paresh Rawal) nahi (There’s no Shyam without Raju, and no Babu bhaiya without Shyam and without all three, there can be no Hera Pheri.)” His other anticipated project is File No 323, inspired from the life of Vijay Mallya. </p> <p>