New Delhi, Sep 5 - Popular actress and TV host Mandira Bedi says she got a chance to experience the 'huge aura' around Akshay Kumar while shooting with the Bollywood superstar in South Africa for the forthcoming adventure reality show 'Khatron Ke Khiladi-Level 2'.

'He (Akshay) has a very huge aura about him. There used to be this deadly silence whenever he came in. Though he would joke and stuff with us, at the end of the day he was he and we were who we are,' Mandira told IANS in an interview.

She will be seen performing daredevil stunt on the show. She says Akshay's presence was highly inspirational.

'When I saw the first season of the show, I felt that there could be no better choice of a host than him. I enjoyed his sense of humour, I liked how he dealt with situations, how he inspired the contestants. I was lucky to have experienced it.

'He had a quirky sense of humour, yet he was motivational, so inspirational. He himself has done so many stunts and is actually very strong. So even when you see him, you just want to be better - in that sense, he is very motivating. I like him so much more after I have experienced it,' she said.

'Khatron Ke Khiladi' is the Indian version of internationally popular show 'Fear Factor'. It requires contestants to perform a series of dangerous tasks and whoever does them all walks away with a cash prize.

Mandira, who had bagged the title of being India's first AXN 'Fear Factor' winner, says she herself approached the producers of 'Khatron Ke Khiladi'.

'While watching season one, I used to wonder 'Why am I not in this show?'.