Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; March 26, 2020)

Ideally, she should have been revelling in her Mujhse Shaadi Karoge (MSK) win after Paras Chhabra chose her as his ‘connection’. However, Aanchal Khurana, who joined the reality show on March 9 as a wildcard entrant, was busy doing the rounds of hospitals. After being hospitalised for severe gastritis in Mumbai, the actress, who is currently in her hometown, Delhi, had to make rounds of several hospitals following an attack by stray dogs. In a chat with BT, she talks about her tryst with hospitals, her equation with Paras and her stint on MSK. Excerpts…

While you should have been celebrating your win on MSK, we hear that you had been doing the rounds of hospitals. What went wrong?
I didn’t get the time to celebrate because I was doing the rounds of hospitals. I was hospitalised in Mumbai on the very night the shoot wrapped up (March 17) abruptly in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. The next evening, I left for Delhi and on March 19, I went to a hospital for further medication. My pet dog was with me, when suddenly, three stray dogs attacked him. When I tried to save him, they attacked me as well. Thankfully, some people came to my rescue. I immediately went to get an anti-rabies shot, but because of the Coronavirus pandemic, it was not available in most hospitals. I had to run from pillar to post to get the shots, but I am better now.

Talking about Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, it was supposed to be a wedding reality show with Paras and Shehnaaz Gill (Bigg Boss 13 contestants) looking out for a prospective life partner. However, eventually, it turned into a poorer version of Bigg Boss. With Shehnaaz openly professing her love for Sidharth Shukla and Paras being linked with Mahira Sharma, the show didn’t seem real right from the word go...
I feel that it was a wrong decision to come up with a show like this immediately after Bigg Boss, because we saw two strong connections — between Shehnaaz and Sidharth, and Mahira and Paras. The makers just picked one contestant each from the two pairs and made a show on them. I think that didn’t work, because the audience would have liked to see the four of them together and their chemistry. I know Paras ki life mein kya chal raha hai and Shehnaaz is totally into Sidharth. So, it was more of a joke for everyone. Sabko pata tha wahaan kisi ki shaadi nahi honi hai.

Did Paras tell you that he won’t get engaged or married on the show because he is already in love with Mahira?
I also assumed him to be in a relationship with Mahira, but he told me, ‘Mahira is a very good friend’. While he wasn’t too sure of getting married, he was open to an engagement on the show. ‘Kisi se achha connection bann jaata hai toh why not?’ These were his exact words. We needed more time to know each other better. You don’t get married on a lark. After going inside, I told Paras that if not him, I would want to meet someone else, date that person and eventually get married. I don’t want to get into anything frivolous. I went with a clear mind that if I get along with Paras, we will date for six months and get engaged. For me, it was all about making a genuine connection even if it didn’t materialise into anything bigger. I was real, more mature, practical and honest than others. I didn’t suck up to Paras to win the show. Even he acknowledged that I was the only girl who came with the purpose of settling down. The others just faked it with an intention to win the show. However, I don’t see a future with him. I didn’t get enough time with him and also, we friend-zoned each other. We are better off as friends.

If you are friends, why has Paras unfollowed you on Instagram? He unfollowed you a couple of days after the show wrapped up, only to follow you back a few hours later. However, he has unfollowed you again. Also, though he chose you as his ‘connection’ on the show, he is busy posting pictures with Mahira on his social media pages. Where does your equation with him stand?
Even I am shocked, because we spoke on the phone half an hour before he unfollowed me the first time. Maybe, Mahira doesn’t approve of his friendship with me (shrugs). That’s okay. People tend to be possessive of each other when in a relationship. Though he didn’t say it openly, it was quite evident that there was something more than just friendship between him and Mahira. It’s just that they haven’t accepted it yet.