Summary
Ranveer the Romantic teams up with Bear Fearless Grylls to find an extremely rare flower.
Netflix interactive special Ranveer Vs Wild with Bear Grylls was released on the streaming service on July 8, 2022.
Netflix has released its latest interactive special starring actor Ranveer Singh and the popular television personality and adventurer, Bear Grylls. It’s the first interactive adventure reality special to be produced in India by Banijay Asia in collaboration with The Natural Studios, which has gathered a lot of interest online and on social media. At one hour and ten minutes, we’re taken on a once-in-a-lifetime journey navigating the Serbian rainforest and mountains on the hunt for an exotic, rare flower for Ranveer’s wife. (Really showing people up here isn’t he — my standards and expectations and now higher)
Grylls’ adventure series have always been popular as he takes celebrities on adventures into the wild and teaches them survival skills. This one is a mixture with Grylls’s other interactive specials where you, the viewer, take an active role in deciding the story. The decision making from the viewer starts very early on in this interactive special and there are a good amount of options throughout, without them being too distracting and interrupting a solid flow. You can also pause and undo your last choice, in case you think you’ve made the wrong one.
Very similar to his other shows and series we witness them taking on some dangerous caves, climbing and combating different weather conditions. Ranveer is very exuberant and energetic and Bear is far more serious and literal, but they make a good team with good chemistry, and together have created an entertaining and at times, an exciting watch. The stakes are made higher by giving themselves a time limit of 36 hours to complete this mission. There is a good mixture of drama and cheese, which makes this suitable for a range of audiences.
Whilst this is fun, I’m not 100% convinced that engaging audiences in an interactive way will catch on, but Netflix is certainly trying. Personally, I believe audiences want to be passive when watching a series/television/films, and active when playing video games and at the theatre/watching something live. However, series like this will give the more active viewer a chance to invest and explore taking control over storylines when selecting which avenues Bear and Ranveer take. Although, knowing it’s all pre-filmed does takes a little bit of the authenticity away. Maybe if this was live? It would be a lot longer, but definitely more high-stakes.
A lot of effort has gone into making this interactive special and I think it would be excellent for children (but there is swearing, so be warned). Ranveer and Bear are not only on a physical journey but a mental and spiritual one as well. Will they find the beautiful flower? Play along and find out. I’d recommend watching if you’re a fan of Bear Grylls, the other interactive special You vs. Wild, and if you’re a fan of the actor, Ranveer Singh.
What did you think of the Netflix interactive special Ranveer Vs Wild with Bear Grylls? Comment below.
You can watch this interactive with a subscription to Netflix.
