Abhishek Malhan Once Said He’d ‘Do Anything but Never Roadies’; Now Fukra Insaan Is a Gang Leader: ‘That’s How Life Goes…’

Life has a strange way of bringing people back to places they once thought they would never go and Abhishek Malhan has just experienced exactly that.

The popular YouTuber and reality television personality, widely known as Fukra Insaan, is stepping into a major new role as a Gang Leader on MTV Roadies Rebirth. Interestingly, there was once a time when Abhishek was convinced that Roadies was the last reality show he would ever want to be associated with.

Speaking to IANS, Abhishek recalled watching clips from the era when Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman conducted Roadies’ famously intimidating auditions.

His reaction back then was straightforward: he would do practically anything in life except Roadies.

Years later, he is entering the same franchise not as a contestant, but as one of its Gang Leaders.

‘I’ll Do Anything in Life but Never Roadies’

Abhishek admitted that he has never actually watched an entire season of MTV Roadies.

However, he was familiar with the older auditions featuring Raghu and Rajiv, which became famous for their intense interactions with aspiring contestants.

“Honestly, I haven’t seen Roadies and like, a complete season I’ve never watched,” Abhishek said.

But those auditions made enough of an impression for him to decide that participating in Roadies wasn’t for him.

He recalled thinking: “I’ll do anything in life but never Roadies.”

That makes his latest career move considerably more amusing.

‘Today I’m the Gang Leader’

Abhishek himself sees the irony.

“See, that’s how life goes, and a circle completes, and today I’m the gang leader,” he said while reflecting on how dramatically his perspective has changed.

Rather than facing the auditions and challenges as an aspiring Roadie, Fukra Insaan will now be responsible for leading and strategising with his own gang.

The transition also represents another major step in Abhishek’s journey from digital creator to mainstream reality television personality.

Roadies Rebirth Brings Six Gang Leaders

The new season is set to feature six Gang Leaders, bringing together familiar Roadies personalities and newer faces from the reality-TV and digital entertainment world.

The lineup includes Nikhil Chinapa, Neha Dhupia, Prince Narula, Abhishek Malhan, Bani J and Baseer Ali.

Abhishek’s inclusion introduces a particularly interesting dynamic because his fan base was built primarily through YouTube and social media, rather than through the traditional Roadies ecosystem.

His presence alongside established names such as Prince Narula, Neha Dhupia and Nikhil Chinapa could also bring a different generation of viewers to the franchise.

Who Is Abhishek Malhan?

Abhishek Malhan became widely recognised online under the name Fukra Insaan, building a substantial audience through entertainment-focused YouTube content.

His popularity eventually took him beyond social media and into mainstream reality television.

He became particularly well known through Bigg Boss OTT, while his reality-show journey has also included appearances associated with shows such as Playground and Temptation Island India.

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Roadies now gives him a different kind of responsibility.

Instead of simply surviving challenges and eliminations himself, Abhishek will have to guide contestants through the highly competitive Roadies format.

How Roadies Changed Over the Years

MTV Roadies has undergone significant changes since its early seasons.

The first two seasons placed greater emphasis on travel, with contestants operating under daily budget restrictions while exploring different parts of India and completing tasks along the way.

As the franchise evolved, competition became increasingly central to the format.

New concepts such as Battleground, Graveyard, advantage tasks, wild-card entries and international journeys were gradually introduced.

By the tenth season, Roadies had experimented with a mentor-driven format involving former contestants and newcomers.

When Did Gang Leaders Enter Roadies?

One of the biggest structural changes arrived in the 12th season, when the Gang Leader format was introduced.

Instead of every contestant operating entirely as an individual, prominent personalities began mentoring separate groups and becoming deeply involved in strategy, challenges and rivalries.

The format subsequently became one of Roadies’ most recognisable elements.

Season 18 experimented further with buddy pairs, bringing former Roadies together with new contestants. It also marked the return of bikes and became the first season without longtime Roadies personality Rannvijay Singha.

Despite these changes, the core objective has remained familiar: survive the challenges, politics, vote-outs and eliminations to become the Ultimate Roadie.

A Full-Circle Moment for Fukra Insaan

For Abhishek, however, Roadies Rebirth carries a significance that extends beyond another television appearance.

Years ago, he watched Raghu and Rajiv’s auditions and wondered who would willingly put themselves through that experience.

Now, he finds himself sitting on the other side of the equation as a Gang Leader helping shape contestants’ journeys.

It is a career twist even Abhishek appears to appreciate.

The man who once thought “anything but Roadies” is now one of the faces leading it.