The actor talks about the drama in the Bigg Boss house & his messy equation with Madhurima Tuli
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; February 6, 2020)

More than his game, Vishal Aditya Singh was in news for his volatile relationship with his ex, Madhurima Tuli, on Bigg Boss. While Madhurima was asked to leave the show a few weeks ago after she got violent with him inside the house, Vishal was evicted three days back. In a chat with BT, he spoke about his stint in the house and his messy equation with his former girlfriend. Excerpts...

Many felt that you provoked Madhurima after which she hit you and eventually had to leave the show. What do you have to say about that?
Not at all. I retaliated only when she treated me badly, insulted me or abused me. Given our past, I wasn’t ready to meet her again on the show because I knew that if Madhurima entered the house, we would have fights. She would get aggressive, hit me and, like always, I would take it quietly, which is exactly what happened. I regret the fact that I didn’t mention that she should not be a part of the show in my contract.

I believe that before entering the house she said that she had moved on, which she says all the time, while I have always maintained that I have a soft corner for her and I am in love with her. Par ab kuchh nahi hai. I won’t call our relationship a mistake, but we were two incompatible people trying to be together. We were wrong for each other. Having said that, uss ghar mein aisa koi hai hi nahi, jisne rishton ka tamasha na banaya ho, be it Rashami-Sidharth, Sana-Sidharth or Paras-Mahira.

While she was evicted on grounds of violence, she had said in an interview soon after her exit that you, too, have hit her in the past. Is it true?
If that was true, she would have said it earlier. I have never done that. Maine life mein kabhi bhi unke upar haath nahi uthaya hai. Our relationship ended because she was abusive and violent. If you look at her Bigg Boss journey, she has been aggressive and irritated towards everyone, especially when it came to work. There were many instances when I helped her, and she fought with me over it. Everyone has seen her true nature on TV, so what more can I say about it?

There was a time when you two grew closer in the house and it seemed that you could revive your relationship...
My feelings for her were as genuine as my fights with her. I did not do anything for the game. I requested her several times to not indulge in useless fights, as we and our relationship would end up becoming a joke. I had even told her that my game was suffering because of our fights.

Who according to you is the most toxic contestant inside the house?
Mahira (Sharma). She gets involved in Paras (Chhabra), Sidharth (Shukla) and Shefali’s (Jariwala) fights without any reason. Woh unnecessarily mudda banati hain.
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I’m done with Vishal: Madhurima Tuli
Meanwhile, BT also got in touch with Madhurima, and here’s what she had to say about Vishal’s eviction. “I have nothing to say about that. I’m done with Vishal, the relationship is over from my side. I was real with him in the house and I wanted to be with him, but it looked like he wanted only one of us to stay there. He kept provoking me to ensure that I was out of the show, and I eventually did something that got me out. I have never done something like that with anyone. That shows that he is not meant for me. I don’t want to be with a person, who cannot see me happy and do well in life.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; January 20, 2020)

Madhurima Tuli is the latest contestant to get evicted from Bigg Boss 13. What’s unusual about her exit is that she hasn’t been voted out, but ousted because of resorting to violence against her ex boyfriend Vishal Aditya Singh. The makers decided to take the drastic step after the actress hit Vishal repeatedly with a pan. However, Madhurima doesn’t regret her actions. In fact, she says that she was instigated by Vishal, which was his game plan since he wanted her out at any cost. She also says that it’s over between her and Vishal. Read on...

How would you describe your experience in Bigg Boss? You were eliminated because you hit Vishal...
It was a nice experience. I survived for a month-and-a-half. I could have survived longer, agar maine yeh harkat nahi ki hoti. But I did it because mere self-respect ko bohot zyada chot pohochate jaa raha tha repeatedly. I couldn’t take it anymore. Of course, I regret being out of the show, but not my actions. Jo hua so hua. I regret that I disrespected the rules of the show and not anything else. Anybody in my place would have reacted in the same way or maybe more harshly. I reacted the way I did because he disrespected me a lot of times. Woh cheez waise nikalni thi aur nikal gayi. People get to see just an hour-long episode. So, they don’t know what happens throughout the day and what I went through. He targeted my career. Uske liye mera career zero tha. Woh baar baar yahi keh rahe the, ‘Tum mere paison par pal rahi ho aur tum meri wajah se ho yahaan. Tumhara koi wajood nahi hai, pehle woh banao... Chal phut yahaan se aur main tujhpe thookunga bhi nahin’. That’s not how you talk to a girl.

In fact, even Salman sir reprimanded him saying that no one talks to a guy like that, let alone a girl. Woh kitna jhelegi, phir ek dinn toh phootna hi tha. Even when things were getting better between us, he would make me feel lonely. He went around giving good morning hugs and kisses to other women. Of course, I would feel bad about it. In fact, I felt disgusted by his actions; I felt left out. According to me, whatever he did, was done deliberately. It was his plan and strategy to make me feel lonely. It was clear that he didn’t want me on the show and he said it when he saw me enter the house. His actions were all planned to get me thrown out of the show. He provoked me. I should have been stronger, but I was an emotional fool. I forgave him and tried to mend things again between us. I should have focused on my game rather than concentrating on him. I hold him responsible for being eliminated from the show.

Do you regret the fact that you were violent towards him?
I was instigated by him. Mujhe uss time jo sahi laga maine kiya. I took care of the fact that bum par zyada nahi lagti hai. Lagi hai, but woh overacting bhi karta hai. He did not have to limp.

Though you two were mostly at loggerheads on the show, the audience also saw some romantic moments between the two of you. They were wondering if you would rekindle your relationship with him. Do you feel you got carried away and it was too much too soon?
No, I loved him. I don’t regret those moments because that’s when I realised what was happening with me wasn’t right, as a result of which, issues between us escalated. Also, I didn’t want to feel like I didn’t give my 100 per cent to the relationship. So, I don’t regret the romantic moments between him and me. Those moments made me realise that he was playing games just to be on the show and throw me out of it.

After seeing you two fight on Nach Baliye, one expected you and Vishal to handle things maturely on BB, but that clearly wasn’t the case...
After what happened on Nach Baliye, including venting my frustration against him, I still went back to him. I decided to forget and let go of things. But the same things were repeated on BB and I just couldn’t control myself. At least, both of us have got closure now. We are not meant for each other and this stint was proof of that. I become a different person — negative and bitter — when I am with him. I have never hit the man in any of my relationships. Main woh bann jaati hoon jo main nahi hoon. I don’t hate him anymore. I feel bad for him and pity him. I don’t know how I will react if I see him, but I don’t hate him. Ab meri bhadaas nikal gayi hai toh it’s all over. There is no chance of getting back with him ever. I think now we will stay away from each other. I got evicted at the right time. Isse zyada main reh jaati toh aur zyada ganda ho jaata. Right time par hi yeh sahi cheez ho gayi. Jo main hoon nahi, main wohi banti jaa rahi thi. I regret the way I behaved on the show, but not for my actions towards Vishal.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; December 2, 2019)

Soon after Vishal Aditya Singh entered the Bigg Boss house a few days ago, buzz grew strong that his ex-girlfriend Madhurima Tuli, too, would follow suit. While the actress had denied it then, it now looks like she has had a change of heart.

Ask her if she and Vishal have been approached for the show because of their acrimonious equation, which was seen on Nach Baliye, and she replies, “I am entering the house for myself, and not for Vishal. I have moved on. Hamare beech mein sab khatam ho gaya hai. But the audience wants to see more of us, unke liye khatam nahi hua hai and they are hoping that we might get back together. I think Vishal and I need closure. Jo bhi hamaari kahaani hai, woh achhe se khatam ho, so that everyone is at peace. Having said that, it’s not like we were fighting all the time on Nach Baliye; there was some chemistry as well, which I feel the audience had liked.”

She adds, “I was offered Bigg Boss while I was doing the dance reality show. However, I didn’t take it up as there were many issues between Vishal and me. Honestly, I was traumatised by our ugly fights. I didn’t expect Vishal to behave like that with me, so I was a little skeptical about whether I should take up Bigg Boss. Though I knew that it would boost my career, I didn’t want the ugly episode to be repeated. Also, I needed a break to get a grip on myself. When they (Bigg Boss makers) approached me again, it seemed perfect because I have regained my strength and am back to who I was. Now, I can fight him back again (laughs!). I don’t know what will happen inside — dosti karenge ki jhagda. There are so many issues that it will take us ages to clarify them.”

Madhurima says that she has not planned any strategy for the show. “I was mostly quiet even on Nach Baliye. Jab hadd paar ho jaati thi tab main bolti thi. I don’t have a strategy even for Bigg Boss. Par agar koi mujh par ungli uthayega aur mujhe dabaane ki koshish karega, I will fight back,” she shares. She adds, “I will be myself; I am going with an open mind and will be the confident, independent woman that I am in real life. Once inside, I will go with the flow.”

While Vishal was feisty on Nach Baliye, he is looking rather subdued on Bigg Boss and has been overshadowed by Sidharth Shukla. Talking about Vishal’s game, she says, “He is a quiet person by nature, but mere saamne woh aggressive isliye ho gaya tha because he knew that he could take me for granted. I was also equally responsible for it. Otherwise, he is more of a haanji-haanji kind of person. He knows that he can overpower the women, but not the men inside the house. Somewhere, he could be scared of Sidharth. Having said that, it also takes time to open up and settle down. Further, you don’t know what’s being shown outside. So, in a bid to be careful, aap kho jaate ho usme, but he knows his game and plays it well. Zabardasti ka jhagda karne ka koi point nahi hai.”

Vinay VR Mishra (DNA; August 24, 2019)

Recently, TV actress Urvashi Dholakia blasted the makers of the dance reality show Nach Baliye 9 for being unfair and partial towards other participants after she and her ex-boyfriend Anuj Sachdeva were eliminated. While speaking to a daily, the actress also took digs at fellow participants Madhurima Tuli and Vishal Aditya Singh for surviving in the show only on the basis of their drama and being favoured by the makers.  Now, Madhurima is ‘shocked’ at Urvashi’s lambast. “I wouldn’t comment on what she said as it’s her point of view. (But) There is absolutely no partiality as such. Everyone is treated equally.”

Madhurima feels Urvashi is unable to accept her defeat and that is why she has come out attacking. “Honestly, it’s a competition and somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. I think you take the judges’ decision respectfully and not dig out these things or make an issue out of it. If we would have lost, I don’t think we would have ever done anything like this and would have respected the decision,” she says adding that Urvashi is overreacting. “She is a competitor, she has seen life, she has fought life! I respect her completely. It’s just that I feel she is sad right now and overreacting a bit to a few things. She should take it positively and move on.”

Urvashi, Vishal and Madhurima were co-stars in a supernatural show. Talking about her relationship with the actress, Madhurima said, “I didn’t know that she had issues with me. We had cordial relations.” For the uninitiated, Vishal and Urvashi are close friends. “I don’t know if they are real friends or for the sake of it. I think she has an issue with me rather than Vishal. I never fought on stage, it’s Vishal who always does, and it’s he who created a controversy. So, I should not be the one to be blamed at all.”

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; December 18, 2018)

Six months after her last show Chandrakanta - Ek Mayavi Prem Gaatha, Madhurima Tuli is all set to join the cast of another supernatural fantasy show, Qayamat Ki Raat. She will be seen playing a chudail post the reincarnation track. The actress says, “I would rather take up a fantasy drama than a typical daily soap. I want to play different characters. Also, a daily soap has to excite me, as it’s too long a commitment. I like fantasy because of its grandeur; it’s like a fairy tale and like every child, I, too, have grown up watching and reading fairy tales.”

Tell her how supernatural shows featuring daayans and chudails are considered regressive and she explains, “I agree that they are regressive, but they highlight the existence of negative and positive energies. More importantly, the supernatural genre is extremely popular. They have taken over daily soaps, which reflects the fact that the audience is bored of family dramas.”

Madhurima quit her TV show Kumkum Bhagya for the film, Baby (2015). Ask her why that didn’t materialise into more work in cinema and she replies, “I was offered a couple of films, but they didn’t pique my interest; one of them was a three-heroine project. Instead, I preferred to do Chandrakanta, on which I played the titular role. Baby was a big break, but unfortunately, it didn’t give me the mileage I was expecting from it. Now, looking back, I feel that it wasn’t the right time for me to enter films. I should have been more mature, focused and responsible; there was no one to guide me. I left Kumkum Bhagya for the film, though there was still a lot to explore as Tanu on the show.”

On the personal front, Madhurima and Vishal Aditya Singh, her co-actor on Chandrakanta, called off their relationship two months ago. She says, “Some things are not meant to be. Our first break-up happened two months after we started dating. It was always an on-again-off-again relationship. The last time we broke up, Vishal called my mother to convince me to give it another chance. I did because I, too, was missing him and there was a lot of love. However, a relationship works only when there is respect for each other; otherwise, it just limps. There seemed no point in being together, as the respect was missing. It took me time, but I am over it now and I am happy about it.”

Ask her about falling in love again and she replies, “I am scared of falling in love, I don’t think about it anymore. As of now, I am focussed on work. Love, for me, is strength, understanding and letting each other be. Most importantly, you should feel at home when you are with your partner. I have never thought about what my ideal man would be, but I know the traits that I don’t want in my man.” 

Ekta Kapoor says she is doing what everyone else is doing now and she is not afraid of competition
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; July 2, 2017)

Ekta Kapoor does not like being referred to as TV’s czarina. “It’s overrated and hyped,” she says. “Everyone has a few hits and misses. I am doing what everyone else is doing. Everyone has a few hits and misses.” Ekta is all set to start a new show, Ek Mayavi Prem Gatha Chandrakanta on Colors, in competition with Life OK’s Chandrakanta. We caught up with her last week at her Juhu home. Excerpts from the interview:

Chandrakanta’s trailer was launched last year. What caused the delay in its going on air?
It got delayed because I was in the middle of doing several things at the same time. Chandrakanta requires extensive planning; it’s not like a daily soap. Every scene and episode requires detailing. I was busy with Kavachh, followed by Naagin and then the web shows on ALT Balaji.

It’s not the first time Chandrakanta is on television. Doordarshan, Imagine TV and Life OK have had several versions.
I am not afraid of competition. It forces you to do better. The treatment and the plot have no similarity. We’ve given Chandrakanta a different tweak.

The show’s look seems to be inspired by Baahubali and fantasy fiction movies like Harry Potter.
I have not seen Harry Potter. I am more of a Game Of Thrones fan. As for lead actor Vishal Aditya Singh’s costume in, it is not lifted from Baahubali. The amount of hard work he has put in is commendable. We’ve tried to create a fantasy world of ayaaras and magical creatures.

A mega audition was conducted for the show.
We auditioned several people for the lead roles, but Madhurima Tuli had the height and an innocent face. I wanted a 21-year-old looking girl for the role.

You launched the web show, The Test Case, in April, but aired only one episode.
I have been conducting meetings about it. We ran it with a certain amount of budget. There’s a lot that goes into the making of these shows. There were budget constraints, but it is being worked on. Besides The Test Case, there are about four to five more new shows that will come on the app soon. Wait and watch. In fact, I will be coming up with a love story, which will blow people’s mind, besides other shows.

Kumkum Bhagya is having a spinoff.
Kumkum Bhagya has occupied the top 5 spot on the TRP chart. It’s spinoff is titled Kundali Bhagya. Gul (Khan, of Four Lions Films) has already done it. They have Dil Boley Oberoi, a spinoff of their show Ishaqbaaz. I always wanted to do a spin-off, but they beat me to it. It creates a kind of validation for me. Frankly, I have grown up watching American shows and spin offs of their shows are a big hit. So, why not.”

What are the plans for the plot of Kumkum Bhagya?
Kumkum Bhagya has had at least a dozen kidnapping plots and several more murder plans against Pragya. But the show is still getting great numbers. People in the interiors love the drama. In spite of the trolls, the show is doing well. My job is to deliver numbers and if I am able to that, I have no reason to complain, right?

What’s happening on the film production front?
Lipstick Under My Burkha is releasing soon. It is a film about us. I have been waiting for the movie. Some films you do for money, some for your heart, this is one of those. I have another film in the making, Laila Majnu.

Has life changed now that you are an aunt?
Ever since Tusshar’s baby Laksshya arrived, I can’t wait to get home. Everyone in the house has changed their schedule to match it with the tot. I wrap up things as fast as I can to spend time with the little one.

Lakshmi V (BOMBAY TIMES; March 3, 2016)

Neha Maheshwri Bhagat (BOMBAY TIMES; June 17, 2015)

Lakshmi V (BOMBAY TIMES; May 1, 2015)

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 28, 2015)

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2014)

Boss Akshay Kumar has found his reel-life partner in Madhurima Tuli, the boss lady of a recent commercial which has been dubbed "sexist" because she goes home to cook dinner for the hubby who has been left back in office to work on a project with a deadline. The model with the winning smile will play the Khiladi's wife in the upcoming thriller, Baby.

Says Neeraj Pandey, the film's co-producer and director, "In the past, Madhurima had met us and auditioned for a film. I was quite impressed with her. While that film is still under work, as soon as the role in Baby opened up, we selected her as she fitted the ensemble film perfectly."

According to a source close to the development, Madhurima had met Neeraj a year-and-a-half ago, and again about eight months back. She auditioned once again and was third time lucky.

The film also has Taapsee Pannu playing an agent while Madhurima plays the supportive wife of Akshay who too is an undercover special agent.

"The husband-wife relationship is uniquely crafted and has multiple layers of emotions. It's a beautiful love story and several A-listers were vying for the role. But Neeraj wanted a fresh face," points out the source.

This face has become a household name thanks to the controversy her recent ad has generated with everyone having their own take on the storyline. The makers aren't complaining about the visibility. Madhurima plays not just Akshay's wife but also the mother of his young children. "But the Baby in the title has nothing to do with their kids," says the source.

Madhurima starts shooting in Delhi today. This is her look in the film that is targetting a 2015 Republic Day release.