Mumbai, Aug. 20 -- The drama around Amazon MX Player's upcoming reality show Rise & Fall seems to have started way before the cameras began rolling. While newsmills were buzzing with Dhanashree Verma being supposedly locked for the show, and the mystery around the final list of contestants widened, a new twist has surfaced. A source close to the production has spilled some beans on how host Ashneer Grover didn't just sign on to anchor the show, but he rolled up his sleeves and took charge of the casting too.

The source revealed how Ashneer has personally crossed out five names from the original shortlist, quoting them as 'too boring' or 'not sharp enough for the game. Unlike most reality shows where casting revolves around star power, he...