A contestant trying to get through the hole

The wall as adversary. No, it isn’t former Australian captain Steve Waugh dedicating a chapter in his autobiography to Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid, but a game show in which one has to contend with a wall that comes hurtling at you.

The show, called Hole in the Wall, premiered on Pogo on July 28 (to air every Monday to Friday at 6pm) is open only to adults, aged 17-plus. “It’s more fun to have grownups behaving like children,” says the show’s host Cyrus Sahukar.

Cyrus Sahukar, the host of Hole in the Wall

Each episode comprises two teams with three contestants each, dressed in team colours and wearing cushioned gear. As the moving wall speeds towards the waiting player, he has to align himself to the weird cutout shape in the approaching wall, all in seven seconds. Otherwise he is pushed into the pool.

“The country has too many shows where judges are scolding and people are crying. So it is a nice break,” argues Sahukar. What adds to the fun is the weird combination of contestants. “We’ve had housewives versus struggling actors, body builders versus overweight people etc.” points out Krishna Desai, director, programming, Turner International India. There are four rounds to each show. The rounds get tougher as the game progresses — a single player from each team competes in round one, two each compete in round two and all three in rounds three and four.

“Research and the success of shows such as Takeshi’s Castle and Just for Laugh Gags have demonstrated that shows with physical challenges and comic moments resonate high among Indian audiences. This encouraged us to bring Hole in the Wall to India,” Desai says. He hastens to add that there is no risk of injury. “The wall is made of fourfoot thick styrofoam and the pool is just four foot deep and padded on all sides.”

Sahukar himself is having the time of his life. “I’ve had an aunty with half her body stuck in the wall and the other half soaking in the water, breaking into a giggling fit. The uncles too are happily doing headstands and spins. It’s amazing how the show brings out the child in everyone. It is an hour’s break for them from a demanding routine. So people return happy even in defeat,” says Sahukar, who once ran around in Film City dressed as a cucumber, chased by two knives and a tomato for a show called Fully Faltoo. Who says Indians are too serious to laugh at themselves?