It was difficult to place him as a celebrity when he had entered the show, given his humble beginnings as a character actor on television. However, Gautam Gulati survived as many as 11 nominations to emerge the winner of the eighth season of Bigg Boss.

The actor says he had no particular agenda when he entered the house. “I went there for a new experience and personal growth. I wanted to entertain people and make new friends. I was proved wrong as they began targeting me. They began playing games during the first task, which I was not prepared for and I swore. They used that to their advantage and alienated me. That was the weakest phase, but it helped me connect with Bigg Boss then. I started speaking my mind, instead of succumbing to herd mentality on the show,“ he says.

So, what does he think worked in his favour? “My positivity, humanity and family values. The four-month long show was a compressed version of your whole life. The viewers get to see your real personality, no matter what you do to try and hide it,“ he says.

The one thing that will take a while to get erased from our memories is the kiss episode -not just with Diandra Soares, but also with Ali Quli Mirza. Gautam maintains that Diandra was and is just a friend and there can be nothing more than that between them. “Yes, I kissed her. Is that a crime?“ he asks, “It's natural to feel attracted to somebody and it's not wrong. She kissed me first, which I thought was quite daring. After that she teased me and called me a phattu. I kissed her to prove her wrong. One day, she dragged me inside the bathroom. We spent five minutes inside. The world is free to believe whatever they wish to, but the reality is that we just kissed. In retrospect, I regret going into the bathroom with Diandra. The impression was that she is my girlfriend, which was not the case. There was nothing between us and will never be so. I have always drawn a line in every relationship and I would never overstep that. We are just friends and there can be nothing beyond that. In fact, my mother is planning to get me married in a year's time.“

What about the smooch episode with Ali? “That was extremely annoying. At one point, I felt like slapping him hard, but had to control my temper. When he couldn't break me with his nasty comments, he started resorting to cheap tactics,“ he replies. Besides his flamboyance, it was his shirtless avatar that was a big hit with the female audience. It kept the temperature outside the house and his female fanbase increasing. “I have lost five kilos and have come out with a better body. I love to roam shirtless inside my house, which is exactly how I was on the show. Nigaar Khan didn't like it. I even asked her what world and century is she living in?“ he laughs.

There have been several occasions when Gautam seemed to have overreacted, one such instance being the suitcase task where they had to stand inside a cage pressing a button. He had stormed out of the cage when Ali spoke about homosexuality to provoke him as a part of his plan. “It wasn't the homosexuality comment that angered me. What ticked me off was that nobody came to my support or defence when Ali was making those nasty and below-the-belt comments,“ he says.

Many even felt that the actor was playing the sympathy card with all the crying in the house. “Never,“ denies Gautam, adding, “I felt so alone that I did break down on many occasions. How can a man cry so much just to fake it? Those were my real emotions. I am a strong guy and would never seek anybody's sympathy . There were times when the torture was so unbearable that I would blast.“

Ask him about his plan of action now and he replies, “No TV at the moment. I am getting some Bollywood offers. The show was like a movie that lasted four months and hence, it feels like a debut in Bollywood, already,“ he signs off.