'Khatron Ke Khiladi 15' Gaurav Khanna Gets Emotional Recalling The 'Panauti' Tag In His TV Career
Gaurav Khanna gets emotional on 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 15' as he opens up about being labelled 'panauti' and reveals why he still fears his shows may not work.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleGaurav Khanna may have emerged as a reality-show winner in recent years, but the actor's career has picked up after years of struggle that began early on in his television journey. As it turns out, one particular comment has stayed with him and still affects him severely.
In the latest promo of the upcoming reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi 15, the Anupamaa star opened up to host Rohit Shetty about his fear of being called unlucky whenever he takes on a new project.
Gaurav Khanna opens up about his biggest career fear after years of professional setbacks
What began as a fun task involving contestants' phones soon became an emotional conversation on KKK15 when Rohit Shetty randomly selected Gaurav's phone after he lost a challenge. The interaction initially remained lighthearted, with Gaurav showing the host his family group chat, joking about his filmy connections, revealing that his father is named Vinod Khanna and that he has relatives named Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor.
However, the conversation soon unravelled when Rohit stumbled upon a conversation between the Anupamaa star and actor Hussain Kuwajerwala. Gaurav revealed that he initially did not want to participate in Khatron Ke Khiladi 15. Hussain, however, encouraged him to take on the challenge.
Gaurav had later messaged Hussain about one of the show's dangerous stunts, admitting that despite completing it, he was still "shit scared and petrified." When Rohit asked why fear had followed him throughout his career, Gaurav opened up about something much deeper.
Gaurav recalled the difficult phase when he was starting in television. He explained, "Very early in my career, when I started TV, I kept getting work, but somehow the shows didn't last very long beyond a year. Ek tag lag gaya tha ke Gaurav ke shows nahi chalte, and it's a very heavy tag for an actor."
According to the actor, that eventually resulted in a reputation that was difficult to shake. Fearing that 'unlucky' tag would again affect his reputation if his projects didn't work, he started to doubt his own abilities. That fear, he admitted, continues to surface even when he auditions for new projects. He said:
"Woh mera ek fear hai whenever I give an audition also, that if this show doesn't work that again they will give me that medal that his shows don't work."
Rohit Shetty reminds Gaurav that he has changed the narrative
Seeing Gaurav become visibly disturbed and emotional, Rohit Shetty offered him a different perspective. The filmmaker and Khatron Ke Khiladi host pointed out that Gaurav's recent achievements have already challenged the narrative that once followed him.
Shetty reminded Gaurav that even though his career stumbled in the beginning, he has since evolved both as an actor and a reality TV contestant. Besides his Anupamaa fame, the actor has gotten a significant boost in his career, scoring back-to-back wins on Bigg Boss 19 and Celebrity MasterChef India.
His message came at an important moment for Gaurav, who has continued to push himself on Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 despite admitting that fear remains a major part of his journey.
See the promo here.
Gaurav Khanna's ongoing personal struggles behind the scenes
While he continues to stride through the Rohit Shetty-hosted reality show, Gaurav Khanna has also been navigating a major upheaval in his personal life. In June 2026, his wife, actress Akanksha Chamola, publicly confirmed that the couple is heading for divorce after nearly a decade of marriage. Appearing on Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, Akanksha revealed that she and Gaurav had been living separately for about a year before publicly acknowledging their split.
The couple married in November 2016 in Kanpur and were together for more than nine years. Akanksha later explained that one of the major differences between them involved their views on having children. She said she had never felt a maternal instinct and eventually realised that she did not want children, while Gaurav's desire to become a father had changed over time.
Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 premieres on Colors TV on August 15, 2026, and it's scheduled to air every Saturday and Sunday at 9 pm. Viewers can also stream the show on JioHotstar.
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