Exclusive: Orry on feeling isolated in Khatron Ke Khiladi: They’re trying to break me socially so I break physically

After raising eyebrows with a series of Instagram posts hinting at being ignored by his fellow contestants on Khatron Ke Khiladi, social media personality Orry isn’t holding back. In a candid chat, he speaks at length about feeling isolated on the show, the assumptions people have made about him, and his resolve to outlast both the stunts and the social game.Opening up about why he believes he’s being sidelined, Orry says the perception around him has worked against him from the start. “They all think I am this posh snooty elite South Mumbai ‘indoor boy’ and are not even giving me a chance. I am 100% sure they all think I’ll get out in the first round and have zero faith in me,” he says, adding that the judgment has only strengthened his determination. “So I am determined to now prove my merit, strength and my endurance. After what I have been through in my real life, I hope this is a cakewalk in the park and I want to prove all the contestants and haters wrong.”He goes a step further, suggesting that the distance isn’t accidental but strategic. “I also know for a fact that the other contestants are forcing me to lose via quitting by isolating me, because they know that even if I am managing to do these traumatic tasks, if I am lonely and bored at the end of it, I won’t last the season. They are very smart and calculating and this is their strategy — to break me down socially so I break down physically.”Despite the criticism around his presence on a high-adrenaline show, Orry insists that stepping out of his comfort zone was exactly the point. “I think life is all about experiencing things and I love experiencing things, and I thought this would be a fun, super cute thing to experience,” he shares. Drawing from childhood influences, he adds, “I grew up watching Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and playing it on the computer, so I thought how cool it would be if I get to do that in real life.”The show also ticked off a personal bucket list. “I also really wanted to visit Cape Town, so this was a good excuse to come, dress up, soak in the sun and make some new friends,” he says, before circling back to his competitive streak.“I am also a super overachiever — I complete everything I do and I overdo it and overdeliver at everything. So I am determined to show that even in a stunt show that’s physically tasking, I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. Also, after the mental and physical torture I’ve gone through in my real life, this will be a good test of my mental tolerance and pain threshold.”On the friendships front, Orry admits things have been limited so far, but not for lack of trying. “Ken — the stylist — and Krunalika from the Endemol team, they are the only people talking to me. Although I really want to get to know everyone! I am super open to making friends and spending time with the other contestants and getting to know them. I think Farhana is very funny and I find Jasmine really cool, Ruhanika is also so close to me in age, so I feel we will all really get along if given the chance,” he says.He also believes he’s being misunderstood. “A lot of people don’t realise I am a boys’ boy — and I know I am going to leave here with many new brothers!”When asked who he wishes was by his side on the show, Orry doesn’t hesitate. “Janhvi Kapoor — I can just imagine her watching and screaming ‘you’re doing amazing sweetie,’ that itself is enough to motivate me further. But honestly, at this point — any friend would do.”