Shakti Kapoor gets chatty with us about the reality woes and his rejuvenated bond with his family.
When he went in the Bigg Boss' house, screen baddie Shakti Kapoor had carried tremendous baggage along with him, having been tagged as the real-life villain ever since a sting operation involved him in a casting couch controversy. But, now that he has been evicted, Shakti feels that he is more at peace with himself; and he has "learnt tremendous amount of patience!" We caught him in a sentimental mood...
'I am a gentleman!'
It was interesting to see Shakti all clammed up and steering clear of all kinds of confrontations, when 13 women around him were going berserk literally, many of them screaming, fighting like wildcats, hurling abuses at will. Ask him why did he chicken out, and he replies: "I am not a chicken! Yes, I refused to scream or fight like fisherwomen because I am a gentleman! But, finally it was heartening to see that women there saw their father or brother in me, and many of them wept when I was evicted! That was more than enough!"
Shakti admits that his "calm and composed behaviour" worked against him. "Things in the celebrity house are getting dirtier and nastier by the day! Those, who do a lot of badtameezi without any rhyme or reason, have become heroes," says he. But, wasn't he disappointed when his "friend of 20 years - Pooja Bedi" - called him "a spineless fellow" and "not fit to be called a man?" There's sadness in Shakti's voice, as he says: "There are no friends in Bigg Boss' house! And Pooja must have called me names because she was desperate to stay in the show and wanted to create a bigger controversy!"
If Pooja Bedi went hammer and tongs against him, item gal Shradha Sharma openly made eyes at him and flirted outrageously with Shakti. Ask him, how did he feel getting that kind of adulation, and he replies: "Frankly, I was embarrassed! Woh meri cost pe footage kha rahi thi. But, I will still pray that her dreams in life come true!"
The actor says that he is actually happy to be out of the celebrity house because he was feeling increasingly isolated there. "I used to walk to release my tension, and one night I walked 34 kms. So, you can imagine my plight! But, I was thrilled when my daughter woke up in the wee hours to welcome me at home and said 'I want you as my dad in all the janams!' My wife Shivangi told me that she loves me more than ever now! So, I am really blessed and feeling rejuvenated," says Shakti Kapoor.
Mahek Chahal who is known to have bagged Bigg Boss on co-host Salman Khan’s recommendation came under tremendous fire from fellow-contestant Akashdeep Saigal aka Sky on the show this week.“Mahek was so over-confident because of Salman’s hand over her that it seemed no one could touch her on the show and she would easily reach the finals. Little did she know that Akashdeep would enter as a wild card entry and expose her past,” says a source.
Indeed, Akashdeep did take Mahek by total surprise, when after a typical Bigg Boss style argument, he said things which stunned her and drove her into rivers of tears.
It can be mentioned here that just a day before; Mahek had refused to comply with a task, wherein all housemates were to reveal a little about their past and mention why they thought they were selected to be part of the show. Her flat refusal to participate in the task had made many in the audiences and media wonder, what it was about her past that Mahek was hiding!
The girl’s arrogance was at its peak on the show when Akashdeep blurted things like, “Maine tujhe logon ko nauchte hue dekha hai.” Shouting at her, he questioned, “Balbir ko jaanti hai ke nahin?” Threatening her saying, “Aage bataaon?” he quipped, “Mahek, Prity, jo bhi tu hai….” hinting Mahek might have another name we aren’t aware of. Gosh!
When Mahek approached him to counter, he taunted her saying, “baas aa rahi hai” and “gandi hai”. Just a few minutes before all this drama, Mahek was seen talking to housemates Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi and Amar Upadhyay about nominations in Bigg Boss. “Karne do (nominate). Darr ke nahin baithi hoon,” she’d said. But after the allegations by Akashdeep, her snootiness took a backseat and she cried and cried and cried.
By the end of the episode she seemed to be in no mood to forgive Akashdeep, and was seen gearing up for a new battle to put him in place, threatening to reveal personal details about his life too.
As everyone wonders how Mahek’s knight-in-shining-armour, Salman Khan, will take to this insult of his ‘good friend’, the fact remains that Mahek stands exposed, with the voyeuristic audiences of Bigg Boss expecting many more secrets to spill out in the days to come.
We have all seen Pooja Bedi fight with Pooja Misrra over trivial matters in Bigg Boss and gang up with all the other Housemates to brand her a “psycho”. Missra, who has been No.1 on Bedi’s target list, has been defending herself throughout, in her inimitable style and panache.
But not many are aware that Bedi’s ‘real issue’ with Misrra started much before the two entered Bigg Boss. And the true reason behind Pooja Bedi’s behaviour is brother Adam Bedi.
Spilling the beans, celebrity publicist Dale Bhagwagar, who has elaborately counseled Pooja Misrra over days before she entered the Bigg Boss House, tells us that “Pooja Misrra and Adam Bedi can’t see eye to eye, as they had massive issues in the past on another reality show Big Switch on UTV Bindass. This could have affected Ms Bedi’s outlook towards Ms Misrra from the first day in Bigg Boss. Though, whether it is right or unfair of Ms Bedi to have prejudged Ms Misrra is another debate altogether.”
The public relations man however adds, “I’ve met Adam before and he is a nice and humble guy.” About Pooja, he remarks, “Pooja Misrra is a very sweet person, childlike at most times, but grossly misunderstood. She is straight-forward, bold and super blunt, and that often gets her into mega trouble. She is extremely good to people who are good to her, but turns into a tigress if rubbed the wrong way. That’s an integral part of her personality and needs to be understood by everyone around her.”
Dale, who is a specialist with Bigg Boss, having handled the maximum number of reality show participants including Shilpa Shetty (Big Brother), Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Sherlyn Chopra and Ashmit Patel (Bigg Boss) among many others, admits he advised Misrra on the “ways of survival” in what he terms “the House of Scandal”.
“I've given her loads of tips for Bigg Boss, but the biggest tip I gave her was to be herself,” he says, and adds, “I told her to always keep in mind that the ‘reality show’ in reality, is just a game. I asked her not to get worked up beyond a point, as other participants would often create a lot of situations to get her to react,” Dale informs.
After understanding Pooja’s personality and nature, Dale realized that the Housemates would try to take maximum advantage of her straight-forwardness. “So I told her, whatever happens, she should always stand up for the sake of righteousness and never call it quits from her side.”
Dale, who is often referred to as Misrra's 'guerrilla publicist', says he is proud that Misrra has heeded his advice and has managed to survive the toughest attacks, alienation from all Housemates, as well as three consecutive evictions by now. “If Pooja continues to follow my advice on the show, I won’t be surprised if she survives 10 more evictions,” says the PR expert.
While India’s biggest House of Scandal continues to buzz with mind-boggling activity including daily catfights, Miss India International Shonali Nagrani and Wild Card entry Siddharth Bhardwaj have begun coochie-cooing like lovebirds on the reality show.
The latest episode caught the couple in the bedroom, exchanging sweet-nothings under the observance of night cameras, with Siddharth consoling and hugging Shonali and kissing her hand, while the girl seemed to reciprocate his every move.
“Siddharth has earlier won the reality show MTV Splitsvilla and knows how to play things up. If all goes well, we should have the first full-blown romance of this season on Bigg Boss in a few days,” says celebrity publicist Dale Bhagwagar, who is a specialist with reality shows, having handled the PR for some of the most popular contestants including Shilpa Shetty (Big Brother), Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Sherlyn Chopra and Ashmit Patel (Bigg Boss).
When asked if Siddharth and Shonali are doing this for TRP’s, Dale remarks, “It doesn’t matter much, as long as they are providing the entertainment. Bigg Boss is a game and however much one thinks of it affecting society, one should not forget that all the Housemates know very well that they are wearing mikes around them and are surrounded by cameras 24x7. They have all gone on the show with personal agendas and roles to portray. They have all gone on it to play and win.”
After being humiliated by most Housemates in the last few days of his stay in the Bigg Boss House, ‘Aaoo’ man Shakti Kapoor, who had entered the House with 12 ladies amid much fanfare and widespread speculation, faced defeat this week, as he lost out in votes to lesser known names like Mahek Chahal, Pooja Bedi and Shradha Sharma.
Shakti had entered the House performing to the number Bachna Ae Haseeno Lo Main Aa Gaya, but by the time he left, he was the one who seemed to need all the ‘saving’.
While the actor was said to have entered the reality show to rectify his image spoilt by the sting operation that India TV had carried on him a few years ago, he seems to have returned from Bigg Boss with his image marred further.
Some also link his eviction to his earlier spat with the show’s co-host Salman Khan, which Shakti also indirectly discussed with another contestant on the show.
The Bollywood villain was not only seen playing politics with the Housemates, but also received flack when he slapped Miss Afghanistan Vida Samadzai’s butt on the show. Vida, who had become his good friend in the initial days, deserted him as she felt he was indulging in bitching and back-biting.
Shakti’s many other ways with the ladies on the show were abhorred, and now the actor is left with a more tarnished image than ever before.
Celebrity publicist and Bigg Boss specialist Dale Bhagwagar remarked, “What hit Shaktiji worst on the show was his long-time friend Pooja Bedi, repeatedly pointing out that he was not behaving like a gentleman, a good father, husband and family man. I guess, that negative branding hurt him the most,” adds Dale, sympathizing with the actor.
He analyses, “This situation was accelerated by the fact that while Shaktiji was being alienated by many Housemates and battled the onslaughts alone, he had absolutely no back-up support in terms of a PR machinery or management team outside the House, which could have done much to either justify his actions with his image, or at least dilute the negative impact, by portraying his actions in lighter vein. This was a big factor that went against him for garnering votes,” rues the PR expert.
Video jockey and MTV Splitsvilla winner Siddharth Bhardwaj is the new contestant to enter Bigg Boss 5. He is the third male in the house.
Siddharth’s entry comes along with the eviction of the Rajasthani folk dancer Gulabo Sapera from the house.
Before his entry into the house, Siddharth told a news agency that he’ll be like a breath of fresh air inside the house that now has 10 women.
“I am the third male contestant, but the first hot one. I am just 24, the other two male contestants are older and married. I am like a breath of fresh air and sparks are sure to fly while I stay in the house,” Siddharth is quoted as saying by the agency.
The young lad thinks that he will particularly be a hit among the ladies.
“The ladies had to settle for uncle Shakti Kappor and uncle-in-making Amar Upadhayay. As I am young and single, the ladies are totally going to love me,” Siddharth said.
Siddharth Bhardwaj shot to fame after winning the second season of 'Splitsvilla' with Sakshi Pradhan, who was part of the fourth season of 'Bigg Boss'. He went on to do shows like 'MTV Stripped', 'Gone in 60 Seconds' and 'Roadies 8.0'.
Actor Sanjay Dutt, who makes his debut on Television as the host of popular reality show Bigg Boss, says he is thrilled and has all praises for co-host Salman Khan.
Shweta Tiwari has been adding tadka to Bharti Singh and Manish Paul's comic antics on Comedy Circus. However, Shweta's association with the show isn't new. She says, "This isn't my first stint with Comedy circus. This is my third season. This time I am paired with Bharti Singh. I was paired with Rajeev Nigam the first time around and the second one was with Rehman and Anoop Soni. I had a great time in Comedy Circus."
