Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; March 24, 2014)

Ajaz Khan, who is known for cracking one-liners, breaking into songs and having showdowns with his peers, did not get a warm welcome from other contestants of the show, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi.

A source says, “When Ajaz arrived in South Africa, not many people were happy to see him. Most are aware of the reputation he gained while on the show Bigg Boss 7, and they found his behaviour on the show a bit odd. In fact, apart from Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon, other contestants of show did not find him friendly, and they preferred to stay away from him.” The actor tried to entertain everyone with his tongue-in-cheek dialogues and his song-and-dance routine, but it didn’t help him much.

A crewmember from the show says that other contestants were wary of him. “During their free time, they would steer clear of him. Initially, we assumed that others will take time to open up to him, but this didn’t happen at all. They even came up with excuses to avoid hanging out with him,” says the source.

When contacted, Ajaz replied that while he did feel left out at times, he also made some good friends during the shoot in Cape Town. “I met people such as Karanvir Bohra, Teejay Sidhu and Daya bhai (Dayanand Shetty). I also met with Rohit Shetty, who is like an older brother to me. I’d like to believe that I came out on tops.”