Celebfie, a new-age platform that promises to bridge the gap between celebrities and their fans, is set to ship across international waters with celebrities on a cruise. The event ‘Celebfie – Cruise with the Stars’ will have Sonakshi Sinha and Nora Fatehi flagging off the cruise to its course after a fun meet and greet session. Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Sudhanshu Pandey and Mandira Bedi will be on board. Asim Riaz, Himanshi Khurana, Chunky Panday, Rahul Dev, Mugdha Godse, DJ Aqeel, Flora Saini and many other popular personalities will also be going on this cruise from Mumbai, on September 16.

With this, the brand aims to be one of the world’s first FX (fan experience) platforms that gives people an opportunity to directly interact with well-known personalities. For the upcoming event, the platform has partnered with Cordelia Cruises, with the luxurious ship ‘The Princess’ offering a plethora of entertainment options. You can spend the evening at the bars and lounges or even visit the casino. You will also get to watch Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher’s live music show. Not just that, there will be an entertainment show by Kiku Sharda and Sunil Grover, who will come together after four years.

“We’ll be connecting fans and brands with their choicest celebrities to create unforgettable memories. With this experience, we aim to break the limits of the online space and enter the physical realm with its core message headstrong. Guests on board will experience the time of their lives, partying alongside their favourite celebrities. The cruise will follow all required COVID-19 protocols as per the government’s guidelines, and 100 per cent staff and cruise members will be vaccinated,” said Raminder Singh, Founder and CEO, Celebfie.

The brand has collaborated with BookMyShow as their exclusive ticketing partner for this and other upcoming events. They are also coming up with more staycation concepts that will take people to places at regular intervals. “We intend to offer many such opportunities for fans to experience different destinations and connect with celebrities and artists across platforms and spaces in the near future,” Singh added.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; February 17, 2020)

He may not have walked away with the trophy, but Asim Riaz, who was declared first runner-up of Bigg Boss 13, has won hearts. Minutes after the results were announced, BT caught up with him for a candid chat. Excerpts...

You were called names, including nalla inside the house, but you defeated all of them except Sidharth Shukla. Given that you were relatively unknown, you have come a long way, today. How would you sum up your journey?
I feel blessed. I believe that the audience empathised with me because I showed every emotion — good or bad — uncut and raw. All of it was real. Whatever I am today is because of the audience and they have made me reach so far. I am happy for Sidharth. Mujh mein bhi wohi junoon tha. For someone who has come from nowhere, becoming the first runner-up is a big deal. If you ask me, I haven’t lost. Main jeeta hi hoon. It’s the format of the show that only one person emerges as the winner. As far as calling me names, log kuchh bhi bole, but I am standing here today. Log bolte hain aur maine karke dikhaaya (smiles).

Would you give at least some credit for reaching so far on the show to Sidharth, as it was your fight with him that put you in focus for most part? As Salman Khan, the host of the show, once said, ‘Sabka mudda Sidharth Shukla se hi hai. Lagta hai wohi show chala raha hai...’
The same goes for him, too. Unka bhi nahi dikhta. Woh logon ka nazariya hoga ki main unke saath ladta tha. Main jahaan se dekhta hoon toh mujhe hamesha hi neeche dikhaane mein sab lage the. I felt that I was being targeted every time from my accent to the fact that I wore perfume worth Rs 150. I didn’t know English when I moved to Mumbai. Tab sab bolte the ki chhote sheher se hai toh baat kahaan karega. Jab English seekhi, tab bola accent aa gaya. They don’t see the positive side... when they mock me, it reflects their, personality not mine.

Sidharth and you started off as great friends, but turned foes, eventually. Do you regret that the friendship went south with him?
I didn’t know anyone inside the house, as I come from the world of modelling. My friendship with Sidharth happened organically. However later, misunderstandings seeped in and I had to take a stand because it was about my self respect. I don’t regret anything, apart from the extra ladaai. Everything is fine between us as of now.

Is aggression your strongest emotion, which can also be your weakness? Is the real Asim aggressive?
You are in the house for so many weeks, toh aapko nahi pata chalta aapne kitna aur kya kiya. In the real world, I can control my aggression.

For many, it looked as if you forged friendship on the basis of convenience. From Sidharth to Shefali Jariwala and eventually to Rashami Desai, it seemed you made friends for your game...
It’s their point of view that my friendships were based on convenience, but mere end se main real tha. Maine apni dosti nibhayi, but beech mein aisi harkatein hui ki mujhe unki dosti fake lagi. I didn’t appreciate it and so, moved on.

In an interview with BT, Shefali mentioned that you had initially hit on her and she told you that she is married and much older. What do you have to say about it?
I never hit on her. Dosti thi aur bahut comfortable zone mein the. I knew she was married. Neither of us hit on the other. It won’t make any sense if I react to it because I haven’t said anything of that sort.

Talking about being real, many felt that your marriage proposal to Himanshi Khurana was fake...
I was excited to see her. I would talk to the imaginary her when she wasn’t inside the house for two months. I fell in love with her. Baaki logo ko lagta tha ki main baahar aa kar badal jaunga. I told her that what mattered to me was her opinion and our love for each other. It wasn’t for the cameras. We are in a relationship and want to know each other more in the outside world.

So, what about the girl who was rumoured to be your girlfriend (Shruti Tuli) outside and the rumours that you were engaged to her?
There was no engagement. I was in a relationship. I didn’t shy away from admitting to my past, sab ka hota hai. The relationship ended long before I entered the BB house. What I feel for Himanshi is real.

What next?
I want to do films and rap as well. My attitude is positive and I am certain that my future is bright. I will take up every opportunity that comes my way. I have always dreamt of doing films and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; January 28, 2020)

Shefali Jariwala joined Bigg Boss 13 midway and in no time emerged as one of the strongest contestants on the reality show. However, towards the end, it seemed like she was losing her sheen and was voted out over the weekend. Soon after her exit, Shefali spoke to BT about her journey on the show, proximity with friend-turned-foe Asim Riaz and her equation with Sidharth Shukla. Read on...

You were inside the house for three months. How would you sum up your journey?
It’s been a wonderful experience. There are many good players and the stress level is high this season. I am happy that I lasted for three months, I think that I am a better version of myself today. There is so much to learn in the house — it’s a game of patience, willpower and courage. There were times when I was down and out, and I didn’t know I had so much patience and courage to fight back, because in the real world, if you don’t like something, you walk away from it. Living in the house, I also realised that I am logical and sensible compared to a lot of others (laughs!). I also got in touch with my emotional side; I am happy to know that I could be this emotional. I am proud that I played with a lot of dignity and tried my best not to stoop low even when people provoked or instigated me.

You seemed quite strong in the first half, voicing your opinions and standing up for what you believed was right. However, towards the second half, many people felt that you ended up being under the shadow of Sidharth Shukla, Paras Chhabra and Mahira Sharma...
Inside the house, if you show a sign of weakness, the others pounce on you, they use and abuse it. Being a wild-card entrant, my biggest challenge was to forge an alliance; I needed it. I bonded with Hindustani Bhau (Vikas Fhatak), Himanshi Khurana and Asim Riaz. After Bhau and Himanshi were eliminated, it was just Asim and me in the group. We were going strong; I trusted him completely and thought that it was mutual. However, his behaviour changed overnight, and he became rude towards me. Actually, he played a game with me, just like he played with Sidharth Shukla. The moment he found Himanshi and me, he walked out on Sidharth. And the moment he found Rashami Desai, he walked out on me. If you lose a strong alliance at that point in the game, you become directionless. It happened with me right in the middle of the game, when I was going strong. Around that time, Sidharth and Paras exited the house (temporarily) because of health reasons. When they returned, their attitude towards me had changed. I am very organic with my relationships. I didn’t befriend anyone as part of a strategy or game. I befriended them because I truly liked them. And just when we were about to become a team, I was eliminated. I am always pro-Sidharth. There were issues with him in between, but I have known him for a long time, and I will vote for him. I want him to win the show. At the moment, Asim is the most negative and toxic person inside the house.

Many of your supporters felt that you looked stronger with Asim and comparatively weaker when you joined Sidharth, Paras and Mahira’s team...
I must have looked strong when I was with Asim, because he doesn’t have a mind of his own. On the other hand, Paras, Mahira and Sidharth have very strong opinions. It wouldn’t have been possible for me to jump in and share my opinions with them right away. At that time, winning their trust was most important for me; I had to be mellow, show them who I really was, and didn’t want them to feel threatened. In that process, it might have come across that I was losing my mojo, which wasn’t the case.

When Asim and you were good friends, a section of the audience also felt that there was something more between the two of you. What do you have to say about that?
Oh no, not at all. In fact, Asim did hit on me initially. It wasn’t direct, but everyone in the house had sensed it. However, I made it clear to him that I am a much older, married woman, and I am not interested. That’s when he shifted his focus to Himanshi, who, too, didn’t give him any attention back then. So, he used my friendship and me to get close to her. I have never taken a fancy for Asim. Yes, I did love him as a friend; I always called him my little kiddo in the house.

You said that this season features a lot of good players. Who is your pick?
Irrespective of the kind of game they play — negative or positive — Sidharth and Asim are good. Paras is also a very good player, he knows how to manipulate and play with your psyche. Shehnaz Gill (left), too, is a player. She knows exactly what she is doing, she is not a child. I don’t think Rashami is a good player, I don’t know what she is doing in the house.

You said that unlike the outside world, you can’t walk away from people inside the house. Given a choice, who would you have walked away from?
Definitely, Asim and Shehnaz. She had started getting on my nerves towards the end. In fact, her pretence of being a stupid, little child was getting to everyone in the house. Sidharth, too, is done with Shehnaz now. It’s sad, as they looked great together for the audience.

While you had the support of Sidharth, Paras and Mahira inside the house, your husband Parag Tyagi was your biggest supporter outside. The two of you come across as contrasting personalities. While he seems to be the emotional one, you are quite practical. What’s the secret to your happy marriage?
I don’t know... I think it’s all him. I am not an easy person to live with. Yes, I am very practical. It’s not that I am not at all emotional, but I am not very expressive. It happens when you start working at a very young age. Being a woman in a man’s world, it’s more of a self-preservation tactic. But Parag understands me and knows how much I love him. I think his understanding has kept us together and also, the immense trust he has in me. But I have to say that after three months in the Bigg Boss house, I do want to show that man some more love now. That’s something I realised for the first time in my life. You understand the true value of something when you are away from it. I can’t live without Parag now.