Diya Aur Baati Hum star Gautam Gulati who was declared the winner of Bigg Boss Season 8 by Halla Bol host Farah Khan, wishes the other Khan, Salman, had been at the grand finale. “I really wanted Salman sir to present me with the trophy. Every Gen X Bollywod actor, be it Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan or Ranveer Singh, looks up to him. And I’ve been a crazy ‘Bhai’ fan since I was a child. I was shocked when he left the show prematurely,” sighs the 30-year-old actor.

Farah Khan was rooting for him, along with thousands of others, before she slipped into her role as an “impartial“ host.

Quiz Gautam on his chances and he reveals, “I had a gut feeling. I knew a month before the show ended that I'd win it. I was tortured for four months but never lost my cool. After the fight with Karishma Tanna, I was isolated but didn't lose hope. I clung on to Salman sir's words that 'Aapki zindagi iss ghar ke bahar hai, yahaan aap sirf insaan ya victory chose karte ho' after the incident,“ he reminisces.

Wild card entry, Ali Quli Mirza, also had a fistfight with him inside the house but once he stepped out, Ali's family, apologized for their 'tedha' son and congratulated him. So, all is well that ends well! However, he swears never to enter the Bigg Boss house again. “It has been the most traumatic experience of my life,“ he shudders. “I have cried more than I thought any man could. I will never go back.“

Film and TV offers have been flowing in, but he plans to promote his Hollywood project Coward (Darpok). It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 and is yet to release in India.

He says, “I want to take a break from TV. Bigg Boss has given me name, fame, money, everything. I now want to do films, I will release Darpok in India this year.“