Virender Sehwag To Host ‘Rise And Fall’ Season 2 For Prime Video

EXCLUSIVE: Indian cricket legend Virender Sehwag is swapping the bat and pads for a suit and microphone.

The sporting superstar, known as the Sultan of Multan, has been unveiled as host for Season 2 of Rise and Fall, Prime Video India’s reality series to replace Ashnee Grover. This marks the first time he’ll front a streaming TV show.

Sehwag’s role was revealed in a trailer that you can watch above. The 1-minute 44-second trailer sees him playing versions of Albert Einstein, a doctor, a teacher and a karate yellow belt in a series of vignettes before a skyscraper building flashes on screen and the retired batsman switches to a sharp suit. “In Rise and Fall, the game of up and down is going to be very twisted,” he says to camera.

Sehwag has long been eyed as an on-screen presence thanks to his sharp wit and straight-talking style. He retired from cricket in 2015 after a glittering career in which he became one of India’s most destructive opening batsmen and the country’s vice-captain for large portions of his international career.

Numerous Indian cricketers have taken the TV pathway as their careers wound down with former Test team captain Rohit Sharma recently announcing a show, Family Full House, for Sony Entertainment Television and the likes of Ajay Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan also fronting shows. Sourav Ganguly is the current presenter of Bigg Boss Bangla, the Bengali-language version of Big Brother, which kicked off its most recent season on August 30.

Rise and Fall Season 2 was announced in March after the first run became a huge hit for Amazon’s MX Player, which has since been subsumed into Prime Video. The show is a remake of the Studio Lambert format for UK network Channel 4, though that version was cancelled after one season due to low ratings. The Indian show, from Banijay Asia, has been the breakout for the format.

Set across the contrasting worlds of a penthouse and the basement in the same highrise building, the game brings together 15 celebrities, who are divided into two groups, the Rulers and the Workers. While the Rulers enjoy the privileges of the penthouse, the Workers navigate the realities of the basement. Should the Rulers. Over the course of challenges, members of the Workers are able to replace Rulers in the penthouse, changing their fortunes and the tide of the game.

“The love and excitement audiences showed for Rise and Fall in its first season gave us the perfect reason to take this unique power game forward,” said Amogh Dusad, Director and Head of AVOD Content, Prime Video India. “Season 2 brings a fresh set of personalities into a format where power is always in motion, and every decision carries a consequence.

“With Virender Sehwag stepping in as host, we’re bringing a whole new energy to the show; his wit, spontaneity, and fearless personality make him an exciting fit for the game. We’re excited for audiences to experience the drama, strategy and entertainment in Rise and Fall Season 2, and watch it on Prime Video for free.”

Sehwag compared the gameplay to a professional match. “Cricket has taught me one thing – no match is won before the final ball, and Rise and Fall Season 2 takes that unpredictability to another level,” he said. “As a host, what excites me about this game is that there are no easy wins and no fixed positions. The biggest challenge isn’t just getting to the top but knowing how to stay there. You have to know when to attack, when to defend, and, most importantly, when to read the game before it reads you.”

Deepak Dhar, Founder and Group CEO of Banijay Asia, said the “overwhelming response that Rise and Fall received in its debut season reaffirmed the strength of its unique premise, where power, strategy and human behaviour come together to create an unpredictable game.”

No launch date or contestant casting as been revealed yet, but the show will stream free on Prime Video and the MX Player Android app, which is still available under a a new identity – MX Player by Prime Video.