As remixes continue to dominate Bollywood playlists, singer-politician Babul Supriyo is pushing back against criticism over the trend. A day after the release of his latest track, a refreshed version of Inteha Ho Gai, originally from the 1984 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Sharaabi, Supriyo calls remixes a “tribute” rather than a dilution of legacy.

“To me, a remix is actually paying tribute to the singers, composer, lyricists, and the timeless songs that have already earned their shelf life. It’s just introducing them to today’s listeners in a contemporary manner,” the 55-year-old tells us.

The original track, sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle, remains one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable melodies. The song joins a long list of recently recreated hits, including Tamma Tamma, Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, and Tirchi Topi Wale.

Supriyo, however, sees no contradiction. “I have sung a number of remixes at the beginning of my career. Most of DJ Aqeel’s hits are sung by me. Even Pardesiya (2005), the remix in which (actor) Rakhi Sawant was launched, was sung by me,” he shares, adding, “But I never received any flak. Rather, I’ve received requests to perform the remixes during live concerts.”

Mumbai: A sessions court this week rejected the anticipatory bail plea of actor Rakhi Sawant after her ex-husband accused her of circulating his private videos containing sexually explicit material.

The judge held that if the allegations and the material is not only of obscene but it is sexually explicit material. The judge also pointed out that with another case under the IT Act pending against Sawant, criminal antecedents were there.

“It is the argument of the applicant (Sawant) that she has participated in the investigation and has co-operated with the investigation machinery. However, the investigation officer…has raised one of the objections that the devices used for transmission and storage of the disputed material, needs to be seized and admittedly the devices are still with the applicant..,” the judge said.

The judge also said that the screenshots are of kissing and some are of a nude couple in a bathtub. “It is alleged that the applicant (Sawant) played video on her mobile phone in one TV show…The show was transmitted. It is further alleged that the applicant circulated the objectionable material in the WhatsApp group. It is further alleged that the disputed photographs and the videos were shared by the applicant by providing the link,” the judge said.

Recently actor Tanushree Dutta came out in support of Adil Khan Durrani in his ongoing media trial with Rakhi Sawant. Rakhi and Tanushree had a verbal spat in media in 2018 – during Dutta’s #MeToo movement – when the former alleged ignominious remarks towards the latter, questioning her sexuality to even calling her a drug addict. Dutta reveals that due to the then-going spat between the two, a betrothed marriage fell apart.

“There was a marriage situation that could have been arranged at that time, and this was too much for them. The kind of family background that I come from and the kind of family background I would probably be married to in the future are not the ones who would be unbothered by media talks. That is why shareefon ko problem ho jaati hai,” she confesses.

Today Tanushree is single, however, she admits she is opening to the idea of falling in love. “Accha hua nahi hui. I consider marriage a sacred bond. You don’t just live with the person. When two people are married their souls come together. I have always known what I want in my family dynamics, in my friendships. I have clarity, so, people like me remain single for a long time till there is something very deep or concrete. I don’t want to invest my emotions. I have not married because I have not met the person, I will be confident to be with for the next 30-40 years. I don’t want to be stuck. I don’t want ki mujhe koi phasa le. There’s no one around, I didn’t allow myself to fall in love. I was very close. (But) I am opening up to love slowly,” she explains.

While talking about her relationships, she recalls one that "taught" her a lot. "It was a volatile relation. I had jealousy issue, and the guy knew about it. So, he would purposely make me jealous, he would flirt around with girls in front of me. He constantly wanted to keep me in that state. He was interested in messing with my head. Later on, I realized he was immature. He was only doing that because he was insecure," she concludes.

Rakhi Sawant's estranged husband, Adil Khan Durrani, recently accused her of framing him, which led to him spending five months in a Mysuru jail. Hitting out at Adil, who is back in Mumbai after getting bail last month, Rakhi says that he used her to get famous.

She adds, "I was introduced to Adil through a common friend. We had met in Mysuru and we kept in touch. Then he invited me to Mysuru and I went there with my brother. One day, he forced himself on me when I was alone in my hotel room. Sometime later, he proposed marriage and I agreed. He fooled me from day one, and is now accusing me of framing him! He had told our common friend that he wanted to marry me because he wanted to get into showbiz and participate in reality shows. He used me because he wanted to become an actor."

Adil was in Mysuru jail after an Iranian national filed a complaint of rape against him. While she has said that they were in a relationship for the past few years, he insists that they were just friends. According to Adil, Rakhi convinced the girl and paid her Rs 3 lakhs to file the case against him. Rakhi responds to this saying, "The girl's bank accounts can be checked. Why would I pay her to file a case against Adil? In fact, Adil owes me more than one crore."

Ask her about Adil's allegations that she cheated on him with Ritesh Singh, who she had introduced to the world as her husband in Bigg Boss a couple of years ago, and she says, "Yes, I introduced Ritesh as my husband in Bigg Boss, but later I got to know that he hadn't divorced his wife, so our marriage was null and void. I used to keep in touch with Ritesh through messages occasionally, but I never met him after I married Adil in May 2022. Adil is lying that I continued to meet Ritesh."

Rakhi said, "My life is completely destroyed now. People think that all this is drama, but in reality, I am going through a lot. Who would want to be in this state? I have worked hard to make a name in showbiz. I can't let it all go to waste. If Adil tries to level false allegations, I will see to it that he is punished. I want a divorce now and want to lead a peaceful life. Hopefully, all of this will be behind me soon."

After being imprisoned for five months in a Mysuru jail, Adil Khan Durrani who is better known as Rakhi Sawant’s estranged husband, is back in Mumbai. The Mysuru-based businessman was first detained by the Mumbai police on February 7, following a complaint filed by Rakhi accusing him of fraud and cheating. He was arrested on the same day after she filed another complaint for unnatural sex.

Subsequently, on February 21, the Mysuru police arrested him based on a rape complaint made by an Iranian national. Refuting the allegations levelled against him, Adil says, “All these accusations are baseless. Rakhi had threatened to ruin my life and she did that.”

Talking about how they met, Adil says, “I was introduced to Rakhi by a mutual friend in Mumbai in 2021. We exchanged phone numbers and started talking. I didn’t know much about Rakhi’s past at that time apart from the fact that she was earlier married to Ritesh Singh, which ended in divorce. She said the marriage didn’t hold, as Ritesh hadn’t divorced his wife. After a few months of courtship, Rakhi and I tied the knot according to Islamic rituals on May 29, 2022, followed by official registration on July 2, 2022.”

He further adds, “After Rakhi returned from a London event in October last year, I discovered she was in touch with Ritesh and cheating on me. When I confronted her about her equation with Ritesh, she accused me of infidelity in the media. Tired of the mess in my life, I asked for a divorce. She agreed to give me a divorce under the condition that I provided her with all the evidence I had about her and Ritesh. However, she intended to frame me. On February 7, she called me to her residence to collect my belongings and pleaded with me for another chance after I reached there. Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang, and to my shock, I found the police outside. She told them that I assaulted her resulting in my detention. Later, she accused me of unnatural sex. I was arrested and sent to Arthur Road jail. The reports of unnatural sex came negative, and I was granted bail on February 22. However, on February 10, I learnt about an Iranian woman filing a complaint against me for rape following which I was jailed in Mysuru on February 21.”

The Iranian woman has claimed that Adil and she shared an apartment. He, however, denies it, saying, “She is someone I helped financially. I must have spent over Rs 31 lakh on her studies and even sent money to her mother in Iran for her cancer treatment. She was a close friend and I made Rakhi meet her twice. Everything aside, how can I rape someone who claims to be in a relationship with me for over five years? Rakhi influenced her to file a rape case against me. I have come to know that she gave her Rs 3 lakh and promised to divide the Rs 25 lakh she gets from me for withdrawing all charges and making her a star in Bollywood.”

Rakhi has claimed that Adil threatened to kill her while he was inside a Mysuru jail. On his part, Adil says, “Rakhi sent a person to jail who told me that she and the Iranian girl wanted to settle things with me. I called her from the superintendent’s phone and the other girl was also on the call. We spoke for 16 minutes. I immediately called my lawyer and told him about this. On the day of the bail hearing, I was shocked to learn that Rakhi used that call and said I was threatening her. I was denied bail and was in jail for five months. It was a nightmare. I cried every night and asked God the reason for my suffering. The answer is Rakhi Sawant; she is the biggest mistake of my life.”

Adil was released from Mysuru jail on July 21 and says he was gathering evidence to file a case against Rakhi. He adds, “The rape report was negative and now I have decided to fight Rakhi for wrongly accusing me. One of them will be a defamation suit. My legal team will soon start working on divorce formalities. Her claims of me hitting her and threatening to throw acid on her if she didn’t do namaz are unfounded. I have never shouted or raised my hand at her. In fact, Rakhi hit me on several occasions, and I have evidence against her. She claims to have invested Rs 1.5 crore in my automobile business out of which Rs 41 lakh has been repaid. I also invested in her dance academy, and production house, bought her a flat in Dubai, cleared her loan of Rs 24.50 lakh for a flat in Goregaon, and bought her expensive gifts. After settling everything, she is liable to pay me Rs 91 lakh.”

Despite repeated attempts, we couldn’t reach Rakhi for comment.

After filing a case of domestic violence and cheating against her husband, Adil Khan Durrani, with the Oshiwara police on February 6, Rakhi Sawant has now levelled new allegations against him. She says he shot her nude videos and may have even sold them. Here’s looking at all the drama that has unfolded over the past week...

The Oshiwara police registered an FIR against Adil under Sections 377, 498A and 406 of the IPC. In the FIR, Rakhi has accused him of domestic violence, cheating and stealing her jewellery and cash. Senior Police Inspector Manohar Dhanawade said, “Whether the allegations are true or not, we will find out soon.”

While many call the actress a drama queen, who often does things for publicity, Rakhi says, “My life is full of tragedy. How can people call it drama? I am depressed and not keeping well. I want justice.”

Talking about her case, she says, “I got married to Adil on May 29, 2022, but the marriage did not turn out the way I wanted it to. He used to beat me and he has taken away my money amounting to Rs. 1.5 crore. I have submitted my bank statements to the police.”

It’s not part of the FIR, but Rakhi now says Adil shot nude videos of her on their honeymoon and later threatened her that if she went to the police or told anyone about it, he would make the videos public. “He used to tell me that he enjoyed taking nude videos, and hence he shot mine. I kept quiet then. But I have had enough now. I don’t know what he has done with the videos, he may have sold them. Adil has also cheated on me; he has had an affair with someone. Recently I also got to know that he was previously married and divorced; he had never told me that,” alleges Rakhi.

Rakhi’s mother passed away on January 29. At the time, Adil was spotted with her throughout. He was also seen standing by her side when she had to appear at Amboli police station in the Sherlyn Chopra case (Sherlyn accused her of leaking inappropriate photos and videos of her online) on January 19. So what changed in just a few days, we ask.

Rakhi says, “There were problems between us, but Adil was acting in front of the paparazzi and trying to show that he was very supportive.”

Refuting Rakhi’s charges, Neeraj Gupta, Adil Khan Durrani’s lawyer, says, “All this is pre-planned. The allegations are all baseless. Do you feel Rakhi Sawant is so weak that any guy can beat her and she will take it all without a word? Adil comes from a good family background and does not need to take money from her or shoot her videos. Rakhi had got money from her earlier husband, Ritesh, when they separated, and now she is doing this with Adil. I have submitted all proofs in court, including his bank statements.”

It was yet another day of drama in the life of Rakhi Sawant a couple of days ago, as the actress was summoned by the Mumbai Police after a complaint by model-actor Sherlyn Chopra. In her complaint, Sherlyn said that Rakhi made inappropriate videos and photos of her go viral. The police registered an FIR against the latter based on the complaint. She was brought to Amboli police station for further questioning. However, soon, the news of her being arrested started doing the rounds.

Rakhi’s husband Adil Khan Durrani told BT, “Rakhi was being called for inquiry for quite some time, but couldn’t go because of her work commitments. She was also occupied with her mother, who is not keeping well. The Amboli police told her that they were aware of her mother’s condition and asked her if she could come for the inquiry. Rakhi went by herself and wasn’t arrested. She gave her statement and they have taken her phone, which shall be returned soon. It was only later in the evening that we got to know about the rumours of her being arrested. Had we known that something like this was being circulated, we would have clarified things earlier.”

Rakhi has been hogging the limelight for the past couple of weeks after pictures from her marriage to Adil went viral. She is often accused of doing things to be in the news. To this, Adil said, “She doesn’t have to try to be in the news, she is always in the news because of the love from the junta.”

For the unversed, Rakhi and Adil’s marriage was in the news recently. Adil, who initially didn’t acknowledge the marriage, came around and finally admitted that they had tied the knot seven months ago.

Sometimes, a statement made loosely about someone can have an adverse effect on their lives. A case in point is Abhishek Awasthi, who is living separately from his wife, Ankita Goswami, a chef by profession. The two tied the knot in 2018 and soon realised that they were incompatible. They are now headed for a divorce. But it’s not just incompatibility that marred the marriage. A statement made by his ex, Rakhi Sawant, on Bigg Boss 14, too, further messed things up between Abhishek and Ankita. In one of the episodes of the reality show, Rakhi told co-contestant Rahul Vaidya that Abhishek cheated on her with a friend. Abhishek had called those allegations baseless.

Recently, while talking about the impact the statement had on his marriage, he told us, “Unn logo ka bhi bada haath raha hai hamare jhagdon mein. When Rakhi Sawant spoke about me on Bigg Boss, it led to a lot of chaos in my personal life. Ankita had several questions for me after that episode aired. Kaafi impact pada tha. Kisi ka kuchh bhi bina soche samjhe keh dena national TV par can be damaging. One should be mindful of the impact a casual statement can have on another person’s life. People shouldn’t misuse their freedom just because the other person isn’t present to clarify his stand. I don’t want to stoop to such levels.”

The actor is focused on his work at the moment. He said, “I am in the best phase of my career. I am getting great offers and quite busy with work. That’s all I ever wished for. I am glad everything is falling into place professionally.”

Click, upload. Click, upload. Be it outside a gym, airport or cafe, social media feeds are filled with celeb spottings 24*7. Stories are weaved just by viewing these snaps and reels — fashion, dating life, body language, pretty much everything makes it to news headlines, too. But is there any magic mantra by which the paps get to know about the whereabouts of celebs? Here’s an explainer by three popular paparazzi: Viral Bhayani, Yogen Shah and Manav Manglani.

Most of the time, Manglani says, they research to track celeb movements, usually around their movie releases. “We know that the stars will come out to promote their project, we know where they are shooting, we know their car numbers by heart. And the PR managers also tell us where the celebs will be at what time,” Manglani tells us.

Meanwhile, Shah says the restaurant spottings happen on the tip of the owners of the joints: “The day the actors get to know that these things are happening, they will stop going to that restaurant.”

“We have to chase the big celebs. The others call you to pap them,” says Bhayani, adding that sometimes it gets overwhelming for them. He adds that many non-A-listers, too, call them up and say, “Humari spotting kar do, paisa le lo”.

A well-placed source also reveals, “Big celebs don’t care about spottings. But others use this as a tool through which corporate heads notice them, and pay them for favours.”

Bhayani shares that these days, a lot of “producers also put pressure” to snap actors who are part of their movies “to increase project visibility”. Whose spottings are most in demand? “Actors Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Alia Bhatt, TejRan (Tejasswi Prakash and Karan Kundrra) and Shehnaaz Gill. Rakhi Sawant involved in some banter or Uorfi Javed doing something crazy are also in demand. And as for who people don’t want to see, even at the airports — most senior, prolific actors,” he says.

Have stars ever asked you to delete pics? “We are very pally with celebs now. But until a few years back, it used to happen a lot. Like an actor exiting a maker’s office would say, ‘Please let announcement happen first’. But we also don’t click celebs who don’t want us to, like actor Siddharth (who threatened the paps when they clicked him exiting the same salon as rumoured girlfriend, actor Aditi Rao Hydari),” Manglani concludes.

Mumbai: Oshiwara traffic police have issued an echallan to a car for obstructing traffic flow at Andheri (W) recently after the vehicle halted in the middle of a busy road for actor-model Rakhi Sawant to get in. The car, which caused the traffic jam, belongs to a person known to Sawant, the police said.

A video clip of Sawant pointing at other vehicles waiting in the snarl and saying, “Jahan hum khade hote hai, line wahi se shuru hoti hai. Ruk jao,” has gone viral.

After the Andheri-Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens’ Association posted the clip on Twitter, Mumbai Police responded that they would look into the matter. “We have issued a challan against the vehicle for creating obstruction to traffic,” said Dilip Bhosle, senior inspector, Oshiwara traffic division.

Rakhi Sawant took to her social media to share the news that her husband Ritesh Singh had left her. Rakhi was moved to tears when she spoke to us. She said, “He left me! I loved him so much and he left me.”

Rakhi further said, “After Bigg Boss, we started living together in my house in Mumbai, but last Sunday, he packed his bags and left. He said that he is in legal trouble because he didn’t divorce his first wife and now he doesn’t want to live with me anymore. He said that he lost a lot of money in his business as he had to go through a lot of scrutiny after he entered the Bigg Boss house with me.”

Rakhi said she wasn’t aware of his marital status earlier. “After coming out of the Bigg Boss house, when I got to know that he married and had a child too, my heart broke. I cannot be unfair to a woman and a child. I am coming to terms with the fact that he has left me.”

She admitted that her marriage with him, which took place on July 28, 2019, was illegal. “Our marriage wasn’t not legal because he didn’t divorce his first wife.”

Talking about her family's reaction to this, Rakhi said, “Yesterday as soon as my mother and brother heard about this, they immediately came to meet me. They are very sad and told me that I should have found out more about Ritesh before getting involved with him. I loved and trusted Ritesh blindly and this is what he has done to me,” she said.

People have always accused Rakhi of faking her marriage. Even after Ritesh entered the BB house with her, there were rumours that the marriage wasn’t real.

However, this never bothered Rakhi. Recounting how they first met, she said, “We connected via WhatsApp and we chatted for over six months. He sent me his address, his bank account details and other things and I believed him. He proposed marriage and since I also wanted someone in my life, I married him three years ago. When I made it public, they didn't want to believe me. So, I convinced Ritesh to come to the Bigg Boss house with me.”

Rakhi continues to be hopeful. “I love him very much and I will forgive him for everything. If he gets divorced and wants to come back to me, then he should know that I am waiting for him. But, if he is happy with his wife and kids then God bless them. But for me, marriage and love is not a joke,” she concluded.

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In the ongoing season of Bigg Boss, the one contestant who has been in the eye of the storm since the time he entered the Bigg Boss house is Rakhi Sawant’s husband, Ritesh Singh, aka Ritesh Kumar. From day one, people wondered whether he is really her husband and an NRI, as he claims to be. A picture of him with his wife, Snigdha Priya, and son that went viral recently further fuelled speculations.

In an interview with BT, Snigdha claimed that Ritesh was still married to her and was surprised to see him enter the show as Rakhi’s husband. She had also said that she had filed a case of domestic violence against him in April 2017. Now, Ritesh has been evicted from the reality show. In a chat with us, he fielded questions about his behaviour with Rakhi, accusations levelled by his wife Snigdha and more...

I am upset with my eviction, as I had expected to last longer on the show given the way I was playing. But I guess people didn’t appreciate how I behaved with Rakhi and didn’t vote for me. They misunderstood my intentions. My behaviour towards Rakhi was a part of my game plan. I wanted housemates to believe that I was playing an individual game and not in alliance with Rakhi. The house is divided into two groups. One group would support Rakhi, while the other was on my side. Plan tha ki shuru mein Rakhi ko alag rakhna aur eventually usko support karna. I admit that I should have informed Rakhi about it.

Yes, it’s true that I am not divorced yet. People who think that I am morally wrong need to listen to my side of the story, too. I have been tight-lipped because I was not in a state to talk about my personal life. I was also quiet for the sake of my child. As far as Rakhi is concerned, we have not had a formal wedding or a court marriage. Humne ishwar ko sakshi maan kar apne relationship ko aagey badhaaya hai.

Her accusation of domestic violence is false. In fact, she had left me for another man during our marriage. I had registered a complaint as I didn’t know her whereabouts, and eventually, I asked her for a divorce. She projected me as a violent man who would hit her every day. If I am so bad, why hasn’t she agreed to divorce me? Why did she suddenly show up and start talking about me when I was inside the BB house? The intention was to defame and trouble me. Also, how does it concern her whether I am an NRI or do a menial job? If her claims were true, would Rakhi live with me? I have always said that I am from Bihar and currently living in Belgium. Snigdha Priya’s sole intention has been to get money out of me. I have ample proof to counter all her claims and substantiate mine.

Mera mann ka rishta definitely Rakhi ke saath hai. Rakhi mujhe pati maanti hai aur main usko patni manta hoon. Once I get a divorce, I will marry Rakhi. She supported me when my personal life was in a mess. Uss time par ya toh main paagal ho jaata ya alcoholic.

I connected with Rakhi on WhatsApp regarding an event I was organising for my company in early 2019. She proposed to me eventually, but I avoided her as I was apprehensive about getting into a relationship with her, given her controversial image. We finally met in July at a hotel in Mumbai and I fell in love with her. Humne bhagwan ko saakshi maan kar July 28, 2019, mein shaadi kari. I would call this relationship a divine intervention.

Mumbai: Actor Sherlyn Chopra, summoned by city crime branch, probing a pornography case, appeared before police on Friday and recorded her statement. Chopra had failed to appear last month and said she will move court before appearing before crime branch.

Chopra, whose anticipatory bail application was rejected by sessions court last week, went to the property cell office in Byculla around noon. Police recorded her statement after new facts came to light following the arrest of Raj Kundra and his IT head Ryan Thopre. Police told her she may have to appear again if needed. An officer said she carried some documents related to the case.

She might not have won the Bigg Boss 14 trophy, but the self proclaimed drama queen won hearts with her entertainment ka dose during her stint on the reality show. Well, out of the house with Rs 14 lakh in hand, Rakhi Sawant says she is happy that she took the fastest decision among the five finalists to hit the buzzer for the money. She says, “My bank balance is zero at the moment. My mother has been suffering with intestinal issues and all my earnings have gone in her treatment. I desperately wanted to earn, so that I can help my mother.”

Talk to Rakhi and it is inevitable that the conversation veers towards the most controversial part of her life — her marriage to businessman Ritesh. Ask her if he actually exists and pat comes the reply, “Of course, Ritesh is there, I am married to him and we love each other a lot. Though we got married, our marriage never got solemnised in the true sense. Later, I got to know that he already has a wife and child, which was a secret all this while, but now it is out. He always wanted to keep our marriage a secret for a lot of reasons. But at the same time, I don’t know if we’ll ever divorce each other.”

She adds, “Now my priority is to become a mother and experience motherhood. I don’t need a Vicky Donor for my child, I need a father. I don’t want to be a single mother. I don’t know how this will happen, but I really wish it does. I just hope I find a solution for this as I still have my eggs frozen.”

Right after he got evicted from Bigg Boss 14, Abhinav Shukla left for Kolad, Maharashtra, to beat the fatigue. “I made a short trip to a friend’s farm. This was a much-needed break. I wanted to swim in the river and unwind in the lap of nature,” he tells us.

The actor, who is now back in Mumbai, says he is still getting used to life after Bigg Boss. “When I was inside, I was only communicating with my housemates, and now, suddenly I’m getting so many calls and messages and there’s so much happening on social media, thoda confuse ho raha hoon (laughs!). But I will adapt to it again anyway,” he says.

The last couple of weeks in the BB house were quite eventful for Abhinav. “Maine socha tha Ruby (Rubina Dilaik) aur main finale mein saath mein stage par honge and Salman sir will be holding our hands. I was a little upset because I was so close to the finale. But I guess it’s okay. The best part is that my fans didn’t vote me out,” he shares.

Abhinav was voted out by his co-contestants’ connections, who are currently in the house. While fans called his eviction unfair, the actor feels it’s a part of the game. “It is what it is, one can’t question the design of the game. You have to play it by the rules. There was a task and somebody had to go. Unfortunately, it was me. It’s a game and people get evicted, no hard feelings,” he says.

Abhinav and Rubina’s (aka Rubinav) relationship became the talk of the town when the latter revealed on the show that their marriage was on the brink of a divorce. Talking about it, he says, “Everything is fine now. There’s no divorce happening. The show made us stronger and strengthened our bond. When we were discussing the show before giving it a nod, I jokingly told Rubina that once you see the fights inside the BB house, you might forget the little fights we had. Jo tab humko badi lagti thi, woh actually bahut choti-choti ladaiyaan thi. During our stay in the house, we realised that we were making a fuss about minor issues. Now, when she comes out of the house, hopefully after the grand finale, we will look into our issues and resolve them.”

He adds, “I haven’t discussed our personal issues with our families yet. But I will talk about it, I am waiting for the right time. They are also very understanding, so there is no issue here.”

Ask him about his current equation with Jasmin Bhasin, and he says, “To cut a long story short, I don’t know Jasmin (pauses), I don’t know her anymore.” What about Rakhi Sawant? “Rakhi is very smart, she knows what she is doing. But whatever happened inside the house, I have left it there. I have no grudges against her, I will try to move on and erase that memory,” he says, adding, “I have made a few good friends — Naina Singh, Rahul Mahajan, Sara Gurpal — inside the house and will be in touch with them.”

Abhinav says that he is overwhelmed by the support he received, during his stint on the show. “Mujhe life mein itna appreciation, pyaar aur support kabhi nahi mila. This is the first time. I wasn’t expecting this, but I am very thankful,” he signs off.

Ever since self-proclaimed ‘drama queen’ Rakhi Sawant went inside the Bigg Boss 14 house, she has been making news for some reason or the other. But one thing that has constantly made news is her marriage with Ritesh. The actress, whose husband Ritesh still remains a mystery to the world, has been questioned several times about her marital status.

However, defending his sister, Rakhi’s brother Rakesh Sawant, a filmmaker, says, “I want to clarify to one and all for the last time that my sister, Rakhi Sawant is married and my jiju Ritesh is not a fictional character. He exists and is very much there in Poland. In fact, when the marriage took place, both sides of the families were present. Even my mamaji and mamiji went for the wedding. There isn’t any need for Rakhi to lie about her marriage. When she was unmarried, she didn’t pose to be married, and now when she is married, she has announced it to the world.”

Ask Rakesh what’s stopping Ritesh from coming out in the public eye and he says, “Well, that is Ritesh jiju’s personal choice. All this while, he only wanted one thing, that his identity should not be disclosed as he is a very private person. Ritesh has also been approached by Bigg Boss makers and he is really trying hard to come to India. His mother is not well and there is also a serious lockdown in Poland because of Coronavirus. But I am still hopeful that Ritesh jiju might make it to Bigg Boss 14.”

Ousted after merely 100 days, Bigg Boss 14 contestant Jasmin Bhasin says she has no regrets — instead, the Dil Se Dil Tak actor is looking forward to eating her favourite food and pampering herself at the salon now that her confinement is over. While her eccentric behaviour and romance with Aly Goni kept the viewers entertained, she also received flak for crying at the drop of a hat and being a drama queen. In a chat with mid-day, Bhasin addresses it all, one controversy at a time.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Honestly, I thought I would make it to the finals, but the show is unexpected and one doesn’t know when his/her journey may end. Having said that, I am not upset because I wanted Aly to stay in the race.

Rubina and I are not friends, but I have no hatred towards her. I will be cordial if I ever meet her again.

In the last two weeks, Eijaz has been calm, quiet and less aggressive. I have seen a different Eijaz every week [laughs]. So, I still don’t know him well enough. 

Their comment [when they visited the house] has been taken out of context. My parents met him once, much before the show came our way, and loved him. They believed that I should play a solo game in the house and not depend on anyone. [Their observation stems from] the episode where I was ousted from the captaincy task because he was trying to help me, and in the process, we broke a few rules. My parents would be thrilled to see us together forever.

It is wrong of Rashami to use the word ‘bullying’. Aly is not capable of doing something like that. After they had an argument, Aly profusely apologised to Vikas, who responded rudely. I know Rashami is not fond of me. Had she [made the bullying remark] in front of me, I wouldn’t be kind with my words.

I did not start that conversation. It was purely a reaction to Rakhi’s comments about my face, my body and the way I look. She said unwarranted things about me, and I reacted. I would never bring up someone’s cosmetic surgeries because in the future, I may opt for them. I believe there is nothing wrong with surgically enhancing your looks if it makes you happy.

Rubina can take the trophy home because she is a clever and manipulative woman.

After staying in the Bigg Boss house for 100 days, Jasmin Bhasin was evicted from the show. But the Dil Se Dil Tak actress says she is happy as her BFF turned BF, Aly Goni is still in the house. “I was sad about my eviction, it was shocking. But I was very happy for Aly. I wanted him to stay. He left the show once for me, I didn’t want him to go again. I will definitely miss him, main roz subah uth ke sabse pehle usko dekhti thi, I will miss that now,” she tells us.

After leaving the show, Jasmin decided to not go to her house, and instead, visited her friends Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa. “After leaving from the Bigg Boss house, I was thinking about a lot of things, including my fans’ reaction towards my game. I didn’t know what people outside were thinking about me. So, I was a little low and decided to go to Bharti and Haarsh’s house first. They are my support system. And I felt lighter after meeting them, phir maine chhole bhature bhi khaaye aur mutton biryani bhi,” she says laughing.

When Jasmin’s parents visited her in the house during the family week recently, they pointed out that her love story perhaps is taking precedence over her gameplay. They even asked her to play solo. And it didn’t go down very well with Aly. “My parents were misunderstood. They asked me to focus on my game, jo bhi kaha unhone woh game ke liye kaha. Why will my parents have any problem with our relationship? I have had a discussion with them and they are very happy,” she says, adding, “I have fallen in love and it’s a beautiful feeling. I don’t mind getting married this year; my parents are okay with it. Once Aly comes out, they will meet his parents. We need to know what his parents have to say about it. I have met them a few times, but pehle hum sirf dost thay. Once they approve our relationship, phir main wait nahi karungi, I will get married. I know Aly is the one for me.”

Jasmin and Rakhi Sawant’s recent altercation has grabbed a lot of eyeballs, though not for the right reasons. Mention that to her and she says, “I still believe that I didn’t hurt her, she banged her head multiple times on the table and injured herself. If it was because of me, I am really sorry about it. I didn’t want to hurt her intentionally. Maine unse maafi bhi maangi hai. To be honest, it’s not easy to live with her. She is entertaining when you see her one-minute videos on social media or watch her for an hour in a show. Living with her 24X7 is not easy. She is very irritating, har baat par drama karti hain woh. I didn’t like her personality and main unke game ki ninda karti hoon. I was always nice with her, unhone mera dil dukhaya hai by saying things about my character. But it’s done and dusted. Now, if I meet her, I will be nice to her.”

Talking about her on-and-off friendship with co-contestant Rubina Dilaik, Jasmin says, “Rubina and I had a very beautiful bond initially, but it got ruined during the show. She always spoke behind my back, while I said everything to her face. She was very mean to me. I don’t think we can ever be friends, but I don’t have any grudges against her. I think we can chill together if we meet socially.” Despite that, she feels Rubina can win the show. “She can win because of her cleverness and manipulation skills. I also see Aly as a winner because he has a clean heart and is playing well. He is equally strong,” she signs off.