Upen Patel, who fell in love with Karishma Tanna inside the Bigg Boss house last season, is busy tackling rumours of trouble in his paradise. Stories doing the rounds hint the couple, who exchanged rings on a dance reality show this year, is on the verge of a split.

Dismissing the rumours, Upen shoots back, “Troublemakers will keep spreading nonsense. Karishma and I are in a great phase, both professionally and personally. We are very much together. I am doing films and she is also doing a hundred other things. Professional priorities need to be sorted before anything else. And when we have a confirmed date for marriage, we will share it with the world.“

Meanwhile, Upen who made his debut in the South with Vikram's I, has now signed a Telugu film. “My mean act in Vikram's movie was appreciated and it has opened up a whole new avenue for me. Negative characters, if written and portrayed well, can bring out a spectrum of human frailties. As they say, 'Bad is the new good'," he says.

Karishma Tanna and Upen Patel's romance that began on a reality show six months ago, has now blossomed with Upen proposing to Karishma on Star Plus' Nach Baliye Season 7 that will air tonight at 8 pm. Not everyone believed that this couple was truly in love, including judge Chetan Bhagat, who at the beginning of the show, even said he wasn't sure if this was a real or a reel life couple.

But now with Upen proposing to Karishma in the presence of their families, Chetan too has changed his stance. He said, “Before the shoot started, I had heard rumours about Karishma and Upen being a fake couple and putting on an act only to be in Nach Baliye. I decided to test them on this - whether they were a real couple or a reality couple. However, the rumours have been proven wrong with Upen proposing marriage to Karishma on national television. This is as real as it gets!“

Actress Aishwarya Sakhuja's husband Rohit Nag, also a participant on the show, said, “Thank God, I proposed to Ash a year ago as after seeing Upen's proposal in front of the entire world, every girl's expectations from their boyfriend will rise!“ We spoke to Upen and Karishma over the phone about their decision to take their relationship to another level...

Upen, why did you choose national television to propose to Karishma?
We have been together for six months now. Karishma has come to London and met my family and they liked her. I have been wanting to do something really romantic for her and I felt this could be the most romantic gesture. I am glad it was possible with the help of our families and the makers of the show and the channel.

Any wedding plans soon?
Yes, we plan to get married by the end of this year. We'll have a ceremony in London and one in India.

What do you have to say to those who feel this romance is not for real?
The only person I have to prove my love to is the person I am in love with. I understand people's scepticism but going by my graph, one will know that I have always been true to my work, true to myself and true to the people I care for.

Karishma, what was your reaction when he proposed?
Upen built it up so well. I was literally shitting in my pants when he said he wanted to say something to me. But this is indeed one of the most beautiful moments of my life. I felt like a princess.

Do you worry about any culture differences coming between the two of you in the future, since Upen was raised in London?
I felt very good meeting his family. They are just like us... his grandparents like Gujju food and they still speak in Gujarati. I have always had this thing that I'd never marry a firang. I didn't want some one who is not familiar with our culture. But in Upen's case, we are very similar.

Soon, will we see Upen pick up Karishma's Indian accent or Karishma go the Upen way?
I think I will go the Upen way (laughs). But you know what? Earlier, he would speak one or two words in Gujarati, now he has graduated to three to four sentences!

What do you have to say to your detractors who feel all of this is just for TRPs?
I can just tell them God bless you all and seriously, get a life! I'm not desperate to bring my personal life into focus for TRPs. I have seen much more than that.

THE PROPOSAL
Upen said he had something to ask Karishma. “You are scaring me...,“ she replied and that's when the audience raised placards stating 'Will you marry me?' Little girls dressed in white gowns came on stage with white flowers and placards that read 'Please marry him'. Karishma cried. Upen then called her mother and sister on stage to join him. He went down on his knees and proposed; Karishma said a yes and he made her wear a ring. Her mother had brought a ring for Upen as well. His family from London appeared on screen (Skype) and everyone witnessed this proposal.

Nach Baliye Season 7 airs every Sunday at 8 pm on Star Plus.

Model-turned actor Upen Patel, who made an exit from the Bigg Boss house, went straight to meet his good friend Aarya Babbar post eviction. “I will stay in touch with all the contestants. I have made only friends, no enemies. All the female contestants loved me. For 10 weeks at a stretch, I was never nominated and I believe everybody in the house - including Preetam, Ajaz, Dimpy, Ali - were saddened when I left."

Talking about his eviction, he said, “It was little different as it happened mid-week and that too, very late at night. Suddenly there was an announcement from Big Boss and we jumped into the coffins specially created for each of us. None of us knew what was about to follow. After some time my coffin was moved out of the house for me to realise that I was evicted. It was really surprising because I was hoping to come within top five as I thought that people liked me.“

So, who according to him has a chance to win? “I would definitely want my good friend Karishma Tanna to win. And there isn't any contestant who I want to lose because they are all deserving. They have managed to spend 15 weeks in the house which itself is a great achievement. Each one of them played a character. Everyday there was a new hero and a new villain.“