Mahek Chahal opens up about her failed engagement to Danish Khan who proposed to her on reality show Bigg Boss season 5
Tushar Joshi (DNA; May 2, 2014)

In 2012 on the finale night of Bigg Boss 5, Danish Khan proposed to Mahek Chahal on national television. She accepted the ring in front of her good friend and host Salman Khan. Post the show, she moved to Oslo to her family. It was then that she realised it wasn’t working out, they’d constantly argue with each other. She finally decided it was in her best interest to cancel her marriage plans and return to Mumbai for good. Here she talks about her new business venture back in Oslo, why she left Danish and her relationship with Salman.

You went into hiding post Bigg Boss. Comment.
Post Bigg Boss, I needed to spend some time with my real family and friends so off I went to Oslo, Norway. I’ve grown up there, I miss the city and my family if I stay away for too long. I began to formulate a business plan with regards to my clothing line, Mahek Chahal clothing.With help from my older sister I acquired a beautiful store in the heart of Oslo and proceeded to set-up my first clothing store. It has turned out to be quite a success and I’m extremely proud of it.

You were engaged to Danish Khan, what went wrong?
While many great experiences were taking place post Bigg Boss, my relationship with my fiancé began to deteriorate. Maintaining a relationship across continents turned out to be rather difficult. So, I returned to Mumbai and I decided to call it quits. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I had to do it to get my groove back and start a new chapter in my life. I have given that part of my life a permanent closure. I am currently loving the single life!

So have you moved to Mumbai for good?
Since the success of my clothing label and the opening of my store I was eager to get back to Mumbai, find something exciting to do. Besides, I prefer being in sunny Mumbai when it’s freezing in Norway. I’ve worked extremely hard to make a career in Bollywood and unless Bollywood moves to Oslo for good, I’ll be here. Besides, I love this city and I have loads of friends here. There are tremendous work opportunities here and I intend to make the most of them.

During the show there was a lot of speculation about you and Salman.
I want to make it quite clear that we are good friends and just like my dear friends, designer Ashley Rebello and model/entrepreneur Shamita Singha, who I turn to for a second opinion, I sometimes ask Mr Khan as well for his second opinion. His experience is invaluable.