The desire to own a bike changed Rannvijay Singh Singha’s life forever

For Rannvijay Singh Singha it was the desire to own a bike of his own that changed his life. His destiny took a sharp turn the day he decided to try his luck — the prize was a bike — on the fast- paced reality show, MTV Roadies.

The producers were so impressed by his screen presence that they offered him the highly sought-after job of hosting the popular show — and Rannvijay has never looked into the rearview mirror since. “I knew nothing about hosting a show, my sole aim was to win a bike before joining the Indian Army,” says the VJ-turned-actor.

You could say that Rannvijay is still on the road with his foot on the accelerator. He has hosted the show for the last five seasons and today he’s juggling VJ-ing, acting and even entrepreneurship.

For starters he has a permanent job with MTV but has a flexible contract and has also signed a number of movies. First on the screens was Toss — A Flip of Destiny which released on August 28.

Rannvijay has already moved on from Toss and these days he’s busy shooting in Delhi for Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene for Taandav Film Productions (which made Khosla ka Ghosla). Dressed in a casual T-shirt and shorts he looks charged with energy and enthusiasm even though he was recently struck down by a bout of malaria.

The VJ with participants Kiri (left) and Nauman in the finale of Roadies — Hell Down Under

“I have a very packed schedule shooting for films, VJ-ing and travelling around the country promoting the film,” says the 26-year-old Rannvijay, who can safely say that home is where his suitcase is. He hasn’t stayed more than 40 nights in the house he took on rent some 11 months ago in Mumbai.

Until recently his plate was full with projects like Toss and another movie called Mumbai Cutting... A City Unfolds which will release this year. Now he’s occupied with his latest movie. “These days shooting for Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene in Delhi is keeping me extremely occupied,” he explains.

The bike enthusiast regrets that he’s suddenly not getting enough time for the things he loves doing the most. The first and foremost is, of course, biking. So is he comp-laining and feeling down and out? “No, I am simply looking for sympathy from people,” he says, chuckling.

The VJ who has a huge fan following — both male and female — is the proud owner of five bikes but pines for more time to ride them. “I own five bikes but not a house of my own yet,” he says. For the record he owns a Ninja ZX-7R, Hero Honda Karizma, Enfield 535 Lightning, a tiny 50cc Pocket bike and a Hero Honda Splendor.

Driven by the passion for fast machines he has also started a company called EGO Custom Wheels that customises bikes and cars. “Even in college I would play with my bike and cars and add something or the other to them,” says the commerce graduate from Hans Raj College.

The VJ was actually poised to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Indian Army soon after college. He had passed the necessary exams but had a last minute brainwave and thought it would be a good idea to participate in a reality show and win a bike — instead of buying one.

Most reality show stars fade back into oblivion after their shows. But, for Rannvijay, fame has proved to be a lasting commodity. “The team must have seen some potential that’s why I was asked to stay and anchor the show despite not having any experience,” he says.

Rannvijay is happy to call himself a typical army brat. As a kid, he changed about nine schools because his father kept getting moving from one station to another. Now, his parents are settled in Delhi and his father is a brigadier. His younger brother, whom he dotes on, is in the Navy. “I have spoilt him rotten,” reckons Rannvijay.

Singha in a moment from his newly released movie Toss — A Flip of Destiny where he plays a happy-go-lucky guy

“Working in the Indian Army would have been a cakewalk but joining the media was a big challenge,” says Rannvijay, who has no formal training in VJ-ing. To get a hang of things , he watched at close quarters as VJs like Cyrus Sahukar and Nikhil Chinappa performed live.

But when Rannvijay started anchoring he just wanted to be himself. “What you see on screen is simply me, the way I am with no fake accent — speaking Hindi most of the times,” say Rannvijay, who is well-known as the host for Splitsvilla, apart from MTV Roadies.

Rannvijay (who is called Donny by friends) will keep up his gruelling schedule in the coming months. In October, he’ll be on the road for the next series of Roadies. And, in between, he’ll be shooting for the silver screen.

The budding actor is excited about playing different kinds of roles in his movies. The film Toss, for instance, is about friendship and he plays the role of a happy-go-lucky guy who believes in destiny rather than hard work. Then, there’s Mumbai Cutting... A City Unfolds. “The movie has 11 directors who will interpret Mumbai in their own way and I am a part of one of the interpretations by Shashank Ghosh,” he says.

In another film being directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, Rannvijay will play a cool college hunk. He has also been offered a role in Action Replay by director Vipul Shah.

So doesn’t juggling with so much fill him with tension? “So far the only fears in my life are crocodiles and being jobless,” says Singha, with a grin. But with his plate full, it looks like Rannvijay’s worst fears can stay firmly in the backseat. For the time being he’s the king of the road.