Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; December 30, 2013)

Soon after the Bigg Boss finale, Tanishaa Mukerji was spotted sitting happily beside Armaan Kohli as he drove out of the set in his swanky white car to party at host Salman Khan’s farmhouse in Panvel. Bombay Times spoke to her sometime earlier, after the results were announced where she lost to Gauahar:
 
Are you sad you lost? Well no, I think I won. I don’t see it as a loss. I didn’t take it up for the prize money but did it for an experience. And it has been an unbelievable experience and I got a lot from the house, a lot of love.
 
So are you strong or docile like we saw, particularly with Armaan? Like I said, the person you saw in the house is the person I am in real life. I chose not to overreact in front of the cameras. It was a choice. I was not acting for the camera.
 
Are you in love with Armaan? I would not like to comment on it. I think you all saw it. He was my strength and my best friend.
 
But you did say that you would see how far the relationship goes once you both are outside the house. I’m not saying anything on that. What you saw in the show is what you got.
 
There were some moments between you and Armaan, which spoke volumes about your proximity. Didn’t you worry about your image? I am a very affectionate person. I show my affection physically. Be it with Armaan, Andy, Elli or anyone else.
 
So, who are you going to spend the New Years’ eve with? I don’t know. I don’t know what I am going to do tomorrow or the next hour.
 
Apparently, your family doesn’t want you to be with Armaan but spend the New Year’s eve with them instead. I have no idea what the media has been saying about me. You are telling me all new things.
 
What about the rumours that your family was against your decision of participating in the show? They were not against it. They were protective. You want to protect the baby. You want to keep them close and not let anything bad happen to them. But at some point in time, you have to be on your own.
 
Why didn’t you speak about your family openly unlike other inmates? I can’t speak about my mother, sister and her kids because you never know how your statements get twisted and presented by the media. I had a lot of pressure and had to behave responsibly. I came from a very different family unlike the other inmates.
 
What was the first thing your mother told you when she saw you after over three months? She said that she is proud of me and I am her winner. And that she missed me.
 
What have you learnt from the show? I will have to write a book on it. It’s going to be a chapter in my autobiography. All great people need an autobiography! The most important lesson I have learnt is to stay true to who you are. A friend very nicely told me in the house, ‘You are Tanishaa, you can’t be anyone else.’ And that made all the difference. I was just myself.
 
What are your career plans now? Theatre, movies? I have not thought of it. I love theatre and would continue pursuing it and, of course, movies too. It’s my life.