I was scared too for a silly thing like entering a haunted....! Meiyang Chang

From participating in Indian Idol to hosting it, from being part of reality shows to acting on the big screen, Meiyang Chang seems to love dabbling in different things. So it’s not very surprising to know he’s chosen The Chair, the horror reality show on UTV Bindass to host! TellyChakkar spoke to him to know more on his new, spooky outing. What made you accept The Chair? It’s an original adventure concept, different from the other reality shows I have done so far. The most important thing which tempted me was doing a thing I don’t believe in as I am not at all into spirits and spooky tales. This was an opportunity to explore the unsolved mysteries, finding answers to some spiritual myths. As per the concept of the show, there are no celebs in the show, there are commoners participating in it. The locations are selected from all over India, the wildest, scariest haunted places. Santrampur in Gujarat is one of the locations already shown in the promo and I can’t reveal the rest. Why the concept of 13? According to the western culture they believe that Friday the 13th is a day and number for spooky events to occur. And hence I guess it’s a deliberate attempt on part of the creative team to explore the wildest. So you have 13 contestants, 13 locations etc. How challenging was to host it? Were you scared? Yes, of course, I was scared. For the first time in my life that too for a silly thing like entering a haunted location alone at night. I had to be natural and couldn’t enact as I would for other reality shows. As per the latest buzz the show is getting delayed due to some major issues… No, the show isn’t getting delayed. It will be aired from September 12, weekly as scheduled. The delay could have happened as we were unable to shoot at a stretch. Some of the crew members also apparently fell ill… It could be due to the back to back shoots and the tough schedules we have had. Also some of the locations are raw and rough haunted places which are unexplored since many years without any facilities like there was no water at some places. Also it could be the spooky feel we experienced on some locations that could have been the reason why some people fell ill. Your experience about any such incident on the locations… Yes, I got scared when all the electronic gadgets of the crew started malfunctioning on locations, inexplicably. It was then that Swati Prakash, the psychic present on the show, who oversees the proceedings, looks after the contestants and is part of the entire process told us it’s usually the electronic gadgets which get spooked first! How did the contestants react to the thrills? The response of the contestants was even more shocking. Some of them also backed out of fear. But the adventurous ones stayed back. Have you found any change in your approach towards spirituality now? Initially, I never believed in such myths. But the show has just begun, there’s a lot of thrill, fear and excitement to be unveiled so let’s see if I have a different opinion at the end of the show. As of now, it is to an extent.