Was Modi shooting for Bear Grylls' Man Vs Wild during Pulwama attack? No, says govt: Report

Amid online frenzy generated by Bear Grylls’s upcoming Man vs Wild episode featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has reportedly said that though the shooting coincides with the very day of the Pulwama attack, but the timing is slightly different. The Prime Minister and the TV host shot the soon-to-be-aired episode at the Jim Corbett Park on February 14. The shooting was wrapped up by 3 pm, almost half an hour before the Pulwama terror attack, an Economic Times report said on Tuesday. The report quotes government sources as saying that the SPG personnel were also present at a distance. The timing of the shooting of the TV show sparked lot of controversy. The Opposition had slammed the Prime Minister for prioritising the TV show over national security.  

Hours after popular TV host and outdoor adventure icon Bear Grylls posted a riveting teaser of the upcoming episode of Man vs Wild featuring none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the social media went crazy with the promo making it viral in no time on Monday. Prime Minister Modi also replied to Bear Grylls tweet with a sweet thank you note. “India- where you find lush green forests, diverse wildlife, beautiful mountains and mighty rivers. Watching this programme will make you want to visit different parts of India and add to discourse of environmental conservation. Thanks @BearGrylls for coming here! @DiscoveryIN (sic),” the PM said on various social media platforms.

The TV host took to his official social media pages on Facebook and Twitter to make the announcement. “People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM Narendra Modi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change. Catch Man Vs Wild with PM Modi Discovery Channel India on August 12 @ 9 pm. #PMModionDiscovery,” Grylls said on social media.

Bear Grylls has become known worldwide as one of the most recognized faces of survival and outdoor adventure. Grylls spent three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces as part of 21st SAS Regiment. Despite a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa, where he broke his back in three places and endured many months in military rehabilitation, Grylls went on to become one of the youngest climbers ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest. ‘Man Vs Wild’ is Discovery Channel’s Emmy award-nominated TV series, which became one of the most watched shows on the planet, reaching an estimated 1.2 billion viewers. Since then, he has hosted more extreme adventure TV shows across more global networks than anyone else in the world including the BAFTA award-winning “The Island With Bear Grylls,” “Bear Grylls’ Survival School,” “Man vs. Wild,” “Running Wild” for NBC and “Absolute Wild” for Chinese TV.

On the February 14, 40 CRPF personnel were killed in the Pulwama terror attack. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir on the fateful day.