Iranian beauty Mandana Karimi, who got out of Bigg Boss (BB) on Saturday night after being locked up for three-and-a-half months, started promoting Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3, that is directed by Umesh Ghadge with Tusshar and Aftab Shivdasani in the lead, just a few hours later.

The first thing you notice on seeing her walk in your direction is that her bikini curves are missing! She has lost five kilos during the reality show ordeal, but her face unmistakably wears a pretty pink glow. So have you seen KKHH 3? “No,“ she wails, “I got to bed at 5 am and I have just been told that I have a screening of my movie for the Bigg Boss gang. So I guess, I too will see the film with them.“

Ask her whether she fretted over Ekta Kapoor's court case against her and Mandana replies, “At first, I didn't understand the implication. When you are locked up, it is hard to keep up with the news. However, when I learnt about it from Tusshar and Aftab who came on my show, I knew that I wasn't in the wrong. I had signed a contract to stay inside the house till I was evicted and everyone knew that. I guess no one believed that I would survive the entire duration.“ But wasn't it foolish on her part to miss the promotions of her first big Bollywood release? “To the contrary,“ she replies, “Being locked up inside the BB house was godsend. For 105 days, I was top of mind for hundreds of thousands across the globe. That according to me is the best publicity for the film.“

Ask her whether she is upset at having lost out to Prince Narula and she says, “No, I think I'm a winner. During my 105-day stay, I won 11 nominations and survived eviction till the end. That means I am already a winner. I met so many fans when I got out and all of them said, 'Mandana, we respect you because you are a strong woman. You managed beautifully inside the house despite all the odds being stacked against you.“ Her face breaks into a big smile as she says, “In my head, I was also Bigg Boss' favourite. However, Salman Khan is a very fair host and he never shows his bias.“

Talking of how she is going to miss the reality show for a long time to come, the actress continues, “I loved being on the show. Though I had no friends in the house and was perhaps the most hated person inside, I will miss everything from the swimming pool to the kitchen. I will miss those cameras and tasks. However, what I will miss most are my chats with the Bigg Boss.“

Suddenly, tears stream down her rosy cheeks and when you tease her that she was labelled the cry baby of the show and accused of weeping copiously for TRPs, she petulantly quips “I'm a sensitive girl, not a dramebaaz. Even Bigg Boss understood that.“

One hears that the first thing she got after she came out of BB was a big hug from her boyfriend. “Yes, that's true,“ she says, “Inside the house, no one gave me any hugs or presents. As you know, people kept their distance from me. Even when I took ill, I got no visitors. I truly missed getting affection. But when I came out, my boyfriend (Gaurav Gupta) gave me a warm hug. It was very emotional.“

Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3, produced by Alt Entertainment, is currently playing in theatres across India.