In the wasteful moments that intercepted the tasks that they were meant to perform and the umpteen squabbles that made the show what it is, Bigg Boss 18 participants Shilpa Shirodkar, Karan Veer Mehra, and Chum Darang would indulge in light-hearted conversations.

“We’d talk about all the food that we would eat, and the pedicures and massages that we would get once we were out of the house—all things that seemed like luxuries,” recalls Shirodkar, who was evicted on Day 102 of the 105-day show. Five days after her eviction, Shirodkar says she is still struggling to eat a proper meal, and hasn’t had the urge to indulge in the things that interested her.

“Following my eviction, I met my husband and daughter, who were both happy to see me. And when they both went to rest, I also assumed that I’d fall asleep in a while. But I simply couldn’t sleep. Moments ago, I was in the house, and, after my eviction, I found myself watching the live telecast of the show,” she says, attempting to find a reasonable justification for her aching desire to be back in the house.

“The next morning, I woke up feeling fresh, but something was missing. I can’t tell you what it was, because I still don’t have an idea either.”

Back at her home, Eisha Singh recalls walking out of the shower with a sense of confusion, searching her room for the mic that served as a uniform of sorts for the house-mates.

Giving mid-day a peek into the mental toll that the show has taken, she shares, “Often, when my mom serves me food, I begin to [ration] my meals in a bid to ensure that everyone in the house has a sizable portion. My mom has to remind me that I could eat as I pleased, and I no longer needed to divide the food [among 18 contestants]. She also stopped me when I went to do the dishes, reminding me that I didn’t have to do that anymore either. I often find myself zoning out. It’s like, I’m physically here, but mentally, I don’t know where I am. It’s an out-of-body experience, and that is puzzling,” confesses Singh, who was evicted on the finale episode that concluded on January 19.

Having interacted with individuals who’ve been part of the game across its 18 seasons, it’s easy to see that the Salman Khan-hosted show toys with both one’s emotional state and their mental health. It’s precisely why contestants, confessedly eager to leave the house due to the bickering battleground that it eventually becomes, are desperate to head back in as soon as they’re evicted.

“I can’t put a finger on it,” says Shirodkar. “I don’t know if I am missing the mic, or the morning anthem, or Bigg Boss’s voice. But I’ve understood the importance of being able to cope with circumstances and having people in your life with whom you can openly discuss situations.”

While Shirodkar believes the show has changed her “for the good,” Singh acknowledges that spending days in the house with your guard up at all times can take its toll. “Even though I’m out of the house, my mom [keeps] asking me, ‘Why are you so hyper? Are you hiding something?’ I have to remind her that I am not, and even if my expression suggests otherwise, I am happy in my head.”

In a bid to adapt to normal life, Singh says that she’s keeping an arm’s length from the criticism that she was met with due to her stint in the house. “I’m focusing on the good reels [available on social media]. I know people are using certain terms for me, and I will accept both hate and love. I can only try to turn that hate into love, and I think I am slowly getting there.”

Mehra, who lifted the trophy in the finale episode after defeating Vivian DSena, says that while viewers may believe a stint in the house could be mentally challenging to deal with, the quarrels make up only a small part of the entire day.

“Perhaps, in this season, we were lucky to be surrounded by people who belong to good homes. The fights last less than the blink [of the eye]. I was always [referred to as] Karan bhai. And people were cordial with me despite the [glitches],” he says.

Shirodkar backs his claim, asserting that the bickering rarely took a mental toll on individuals. “We were a cool lot. Even if we were having arguments with someone, we were the type of people who would go on and ask them if they were alright.” 

For Mehra, his desire to return to the Bigg Boss home stems from the luxuries it afforded. “I think, not having access to the phone and staying away from the noise [of city life] are luxuries. There was no honking or pollution. We were simply chilling and doing some small tasks; nominating people we don’t like. I told the team I’m willing to go back in for another 105 days. Right now, I’m stuck in a middle ground. I’m not in the house, but outside the house, I’m only talking about what happened in the house. Some people called it captive reality. I found it to be a luxurious detox.”

As a viewer, Eisha Singh has enjoyed fantasy shows for long. But as she attempts her first supernatural love story, Bekaboo, which is an adaptation of Beauty And The Beast, the actor admits she is a ball of nerves. From understanding the world of special effects and shooting on chroma, to cracking the chemistry with Shalin Bhanot, Singh will take it one step at a time. In a candid chat with mid-day, she speaks about why fantasy shows work well internationally, and how Indian content is catching up. Edited excerpts from the interview. 

The makers told me that it was a fantasy show. It was not named Bekaboo initially. It revolves around a fairy who is unaware of her powers and lives in the world of humans. She then falls in love with a rakshas [demon].

I have never explored the fantasy genre. It makes me nervous, which is the case when I am starting anything new that is out of my comfort zone. I have only shot the teaser so far.

Initially, the production house didn’t tell me that it is a remake of Beauty And The Beast. I guess the concept of a rakshas falling in love with a pari is a [fairytale we have often heard of]. The story, however, is completely different.

I have never shot on chroma. Here, we will be shooting 70 per cent of the show on it. It is a different experience, which is what makes me nervous. The teaser came out so differently from what we had filmed.

We always compare Indian content to international shows. We need to understand the kind of audience we are serving. They are happy with the content. I believe we are getting better, but it is a slow process. Our VFX is slowly improving. [The West] may have better technology than us, but that doesn’t mean our viewers don’t enjoy this.

Honestly, I was not prepared to even do a fantasy show. I am going in with a [blank slate]. I know what I will be doing is far removed from the daily soaps I have done; it will be like doing a Marvel film [for me]. [Laughs]

I have watched Beauty And The Beast, and this show is nothing like it. I was heavily into Korean, Chinese, Iranian, and Persian fantasy films.

I remember watching Son Pari back in the day. It had emotions and fantasy, and was not [caricaturish].

I never form preconceived perceptions about anyone. I don’t [judge someone] by listening to other people’s [opinions]. I followed Bigg Boss on and off because my mom would watch it at home. [At the teaser shoot], Shalin was sweet; we made some small talk. We need to be on the same page, and he seems nice and helpful.

Getting her first TV show, Ishq Ka Rang Safed, was like a cakewalk for actor Eisha Singh, as she cracked her first-ever audition and landed the project. However, the same cannot be said for her Bollywood debut. Before bagging director Ratnaa Sinha’s Middle-Class Love, Singh “auditioned for a couple of films, including Laal Singh Chaddha (featuring actor Aamir Khan)”.

The actor tells us, “They were searching for a newcomer initially and I auditioned for it. Somebody told me that Aamir Khan really liked my audition. Though it did not work out, I met him for another project.”

Interestingly, Singh tested for a part that actor Kareena Kapoor Khan ended up playing in director Advait Chandan’s Hindi remake of Forrest Gump (1994).

Recalling her audition, the 23-year-old shares, “We did three scenes and I enjoyed most of them. I have watched Forrest Gump thoroughly, so I really enjoyed it. I think I was nice, but maybe I wasn’t good enough. My dad was watching me (audition) and I was very nervous. Every time dad is on the set, I get very nervous, though he is the coolest and loves my work.”

The actor adds, “It (the movie) did not work out, which is fine. Later, I got to know that Kareena Kapoor ma’am is doing it, so I was fine. I don’t care if 50 more people auditioned for it. The fact that I auditioned for it, and they considered me and thought that I was eligible to be a part of a big film like Laal Singh Chaddha and be paired opposite Aamir Khan was a big thing for me.”

(From left) Kavya Thapar, Prit Kamani and Eisha Singh

How often have we heard of two co-stars dating ahead of a film’s release? Over the past many years, it has become almost a staple promotional gimmick to grab eyeballs and pique curiosity around the movie. Ratnaa Sinha’s upcoming directorial venture, Middle-Class Love, stands in stark contrast to the practice. Ahead of the shoot of the campus caper that launches debutants Prit Kamani, Eisha Singh and Kavya Thapar, director Ratnaa Sinha and producer Anubhav Sinha included a clause in the actors’ contract that forbade them from being romantically involved off screen during the film’s making. 

Ratnaa reasons that the clause, unusual as it may be, was put in place to ensure that the equilibrium on the set was not disrupted. “Right when I hired my actors, I ensured that their contracts have a clause asserting that off-screen romance during the film’s making is off-limits. The film has three leads, and a situation where two of them were dating would have hampered the dynamics. We wanted to ensure that everyone is comfortable and feels like the film belongs to each of them,” she explains.

This isn’t the first time that such a clause has been effected in Hindi entertainment. In 2016, the makers of the show, Rishton Ka Saudagar — Baazigar, had made lead actors Vatsal Sheth and Ishita Dutta sign a no-dating clause. Nidhhi Agerwal, who forayed into Bollywood with Munna Michael (2017), was made to sign a similar contract. In a telling sign of the industry’s patriarchal ways, the film’s hero Tiger Shroff was not bound by such a clause.

In Middle-Class Love, however, Ratnaa asserts that the rule was laid out for all three actors, thus creating a work environment that was transparent and fair. “I am glad we put this rule. The actors were more than forthcoming when this was brought up. They are bright, ambitious, hard-working, and are here to make a career. I was impressed by their work ethic. Now, this is among the things that we all joke about.”

Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has a knack for challenging the norms with his movies — be it Article 15 (2019) or Thappad (2020). This time around, with Middle-Class Love, he is throwing his weight behind rank newcomers Prit Kamani, Eisha Singh and Kavya Thapar. Sinha, who is backing the Ratnaa Sinha-directed offering, begins, “This film demanded newcomers. How else do you make a campus film?”

It’s refreshing to see new names in the billing at a time when it’s common for star kids to bag big-ticket projects. Nepotism in Bollywood has been called out time and again, but there is little on-ground change. “I am not saying that it’s not an important discussion to have, but it mostly gets into mudslinging. There are children who were born in Bandra and Juhu, they played in the backyards of movie stars and filmmakers. It’s only natural that they would get their blessings. [But] repeatedly pushing people with limited talent is unfair. When [it comes down to choosing between] a child from the industry or not, that becomes unfair. I am an outsider, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that whenever I get an opportunity to work with newcomers, I [rope in] people from outside of the industry. I worked with newcomers in Tum Bin [2001], and with Bipasha [Basu] and John [Abraham] in music videos. They became popular, not because of me, but because of who they were. For Middle-Class Love, Ratnaa found these kids who did commercials, television and music videos until they landed a lead part.”

Casting star kids has certain advantages — they grab more eyeballs, thus becoming a more lucrative proposition. However, the filmmaker says everybody, from the media to the audience, has to do their bit to make it a level-playing field for newcomers. “It is more lucrative to [rope in] this one’s son and that one’s daughter from the announcement perspective. But it’s important to choose outsiders. I also blame it on the press. They don’t write as much about the other newcomers. [The press will] blame the readers who don’t read articles about them. It’s a cycle. Ratnaa has made a great film. Now, it’s up to the media and audience to bless the kids because they need those extra blessings.”

From left: Kavya Thapar, Prit Kamani and Eisha Singh