Shehzada Dhami, who was ousted from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, has once again stirred headlines ever since the news of his participation in Bigg Boss 18 has started doing rounds on the internet. The actor, before getting in the Bigg Boss house got in an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal and spoke about his stint on the show, his fallout with YRKKH’s producer Rajan Shahi and a lot more.
Your name has been associated with the show before this season and it was with Bigg Boss OTT. Now that you are finally doing the show, what was that one driving factor for you to do so?
Ji, maine wo show nahi kiya tha. Firstly, other projects of mine were yet to begin, so my dates were free. I spoke to people about it and asked them if I have 2-3 months free so should I take up the show. I personally also wanted to do the show and was contemplating on the same. Har project lene se pehle sochna padta hai phir chahe kaise bhi show ho. So, yes, I was in talks with the creatives and makers constantly. At the end, when all of us came to mutual agreement, I took up the show and signed it and here I am.
Did you happen to see any previous seasons of the show? If yes, who has been your favourite contestant?
No, I have not followed the show as such. Wo Instagram par jo kuch bhi clips hum dekh lete hai bas wahi hai, so maine as such kisi ko follow nahi kiya hai. And if you ask me about my favourite, I believe that if you are a fan of someone, you want to become like them, 90 percent toh aisa hi hota hai. Mere liye aisa koi bhi nahi hai jiske jaisa main bann na chahu, main mere jaisa bahut khush hoon.
Your promo that was dropped by the channel looked amazing. You are narrating a story that you have not spoken about. Rajan sir has accused you of a lot of things in his interviews. With your participation in Bigg Boss, do you think you would want to keep your side of the story in front of the world?
See, wo baat bol nahi paana ya bolna chahana nahi, in baato mein bahut antar hota hai. Mere paas constantly aap logo ke calls aarahe thhe, aap log mujhe daily basis par interviews ke liye bol rahe thhe, but I did not want to speak about it. I did not want to put water in the dough and keep kneading it. I am not even that kind of a person. It was an incident that had passed. Mujhe ye laga ke wo bhi mere life ka ek hissa tha jaha se meri life mud gayi hai but I never thought that my time was bad. My time was very good and it has always been good. Bas wo ek takdir hai jo mod leti hai, us wakt meri takdeer ne modh liya tha. Main nahi chahta tha ke mujhe kuch bolna hai aur bounce back kar na hai. Jab maine unke interviews dekhe aur maine suni cheeze tab mujhe laga ke he is talking about my upbringing, my parents. He spoke about me having a manufacturing defect. I did not like it, he should not have said it. You must have seen my interview, I was very respectful about him. I wanted to let it all go because I was very strong mentally. I thought, chhod na yaar jaane de, abhi aage dekhte hai ke aage mujhe kya karna hai. Jaisa mere bare mein bola gaya, the way I was portrayed, main waisa hoon ya nahi, ye aap dekhiye and faisla kijiye.
What can trigger your anger in the Bigg Boss house?
I do not get angry easily. I just do not like it when someone is being disrespectful without any rhyme or reason. If a person is not even saying anything and yet you continuously disrespect him or her. I think har insaan se aap janaab kar ke baat karo. Main aap bolunga, aap tu bologe, dusri bar fir aap waise karoge, main fir bhi same hi rahunga toh aapko khud realise hojayega ke aapko bhi ache se baat karni chaiye. If we respect each other, then why will there be fights? Do we fight in our house? Pyaar se hi rehte hai na?
How did your family react when you told them about your participation in the show?
My mother told me that she trusts my decisions and that because I have been a part of the industry for such a long time, she knows that I know what is the best for me. She asked me to do my best in the show and be my self.
Are you open to finding love on the show?
Dekhiye pyaar mere liye bahut badi cheez hai. Pyaar aise nahi hota. Jabtak mujhe feel nahi hoga, tab tak muje nahi lagega ke pyaar hogaya hai. Agar samne wale ke efforts dikh rahe hai, agar samne wale ke actions match kar rahe hai tab main shayad khud ko push karu. Pyaar aap dikhate ho apne actions se.
