Khatron Ke Khiladi 15 is one of the toughest reality shows on Indian television. From action-packed stunts to jaw-dropping moments and shocking tasks, the contestants battle their phobias, be it of height, water or mammals.
Hosted by Rohit Shetty, this time the tasks are scarier and riskier than previous seasons.
A fresh controversy has erupted on social media pertaining to Khatron Ke Khiladi 15. Contestant Gaurav Khanna shared scary photos on Instagram from the stunt that showed bullet marks on his back, which are still there despite the episode being shot two months back.
What actually happened during the task was that Gaurav Khanna, Vishal Aditya Singh, Karan Wahi, and Shagun Sharma had to perform a stunt in which a man would shoot rubber bullets at their backs, and they had to bear the pain. Gaurav and Shagun couldn’t bear the pain, and they aborted the stunt. Gaurav Khanna took to Instagram Story showing the wounds he got during the stunt, and netizens started slamming the makers on social media.
Gaurav, on his Instagram Story, wrote, “Thanks @orry for making this. I cud still feel this pain watching it on TV. Most painful experience ever. All 4 of us went through this guys.. still hav these marks..”
Many fans and social media users accused the makers of turning the challenge into “torture” rather than entertainment. Some comments even compared it to the pellet guns reportedly used during the recent NEET protesters’ demonstration in Delhi.
A user wrote, “The visible bruises resemble the use of pellet guns seen during the recent NEET protest in Delhi.”
However, while talking to Hindustan Times, Deepak Dhar, the CEO of Banijay (the production house), stated that there was nothing brutal and that all safety protocols were followed.
He said, “It’s not at all brutal. Well, there is an element of fear. It’s called Fear Factor for a reason… but this is a show that is in its 15th or the 16th season now. We don’t do this in India. We do this in an international location where all the checks and balances and safety procedures and protocols are followed to the absolute maximum.”
What are rubber bullets?
According to Healthline, rubber bullets belong to a category called kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs), which also includes bean bag rounds. These projectiles are commonly used by law enforcement and military personnel for crowd-control situations during demonstrations and protests.
Rubber bullets are typically made of solid rubber or rubber-coated metal and are officially classified as “nonlethal” weapons.
The U.S. Department of Defense says nonlethal weapons are intended to temporarily incapacitate individuals without causing permanent injury, and their effects are designed to be reversible.
Although labelled as nonlethal, medical experts have repeatedly warned that rubber bullets are far from harmless. Healthline cites a 2016 medical case report, which found that rubber bullets can cause serious injuries, permanent disability, and even death in certain cases.
Researchers explain that because rubber bullets are larger, irregularly shaped, and travel less accurately than conventional bullets, they can unpredictably strike vulnerable areas such as the face, chest, or abdomen instead of safer target zones like the limbs.
For this reason, law enforcement agencies are generally instructed to aim at a person’s arms or legs to reduce the likelihood of severe injury. Even then, experts caution that the projectiles can leave painful bruises, deep tissue injuries, fractures, and internal damage depending on the distance and impact.
Khatron Ke Khiladi season 15 started on Saturday, August 1, 2026. The show’s concept this year is the old batch vs the new batch. Rubina Dilaik, Jasmin Bhasin, Karan Wahi, Vishal Aditya Singh, Avika Gor, and Rithvik Dhanjani, who have been a part of the show earlier, are in the old batch.
The new batch has celebs like Gaurav Khanna, Orry (Orhan Awatramani), Farrhana Bhatt, Avinash Mishra, Harsh Gujral, Shagun Sharma, and Ruhaanika Dhawan.