Abhishek Kumar opens up on finishing as runner-up in Bigg Boss 17 and his equation with Isha Malviya and Samarth Jurel now
It was a case of so near yet so far for Abhishek Kumar in Bigg Boss 17. The actor entered the house as a hot-headed loose cannon before transforming into a calmer and stronger contestant. And just when he was being billed as the hot favourite, Abhishek ended up losing to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, eventually settling for being the first runner-up. In an exclusive chat with DNA, Abhishek looks back at hos Bigg Boss journey and transformation.
Abhishek faced a lot of barbs, jibes, and opposition from other housemates during his stay in the BB house. “Mujhe jitna giraoge, main utna hi uthta jaunga (The more you push me, the higher I will rise),” he says matter-of-factly about his fellow contestants’ attacks, adding, “I felt these guys could not see anything apart from me in the house. At one point, I felt everyone in the house was against me even if I was not doing anything. But I did not care about what they felt. What mattered to me was what you people (the viewers) thought about me.”
Abhishek admits that he was at fault too but when he was right, he says he was justified in defending his stance. “I was wrong in a lot of places too. But wherever I was right, I knew it in my heart. Whenever people went against me, I always said ‘main aisa hi hoon (this is how I am)’,” says Abhishek.
His journey from a hot-headed aggressive youngster to a stronger, calmer person happened over a course of time. Talking about this transformation, Abhishek hopes it can stay permanently, saying, “I have become more settled now, and that changed after my mother came on the show. She told me to be respectful towards Vicky bhai and Ankita ji and stay away from Isha and Samarth. So the last week, I stayed away from all that. I hope this calmer nature of mine stays and I can stop being short tempered.”
His ex-girlfriend Isha Malviya entered the house along with him and was soon joined by her boyfriend Samarth Jurel. This trio caused a lot of fiction and drama in the house, culminating in Abhishek slapping Samarth and briefly being expelled. Abhishek says he does not want to do anything with them from now on. “Kuch nahi rakhna (I don’t want to keep any association),” he says with hands folded, before adding, “She is a good girl and Samarth is good for her. But sometimes you can be a good person but not good for someone. So it’s all done and dusted with her. Bigg Boss khatm, Isha-Samarth ka chapter khatm (Their chapter is over with Bigg Boss). Please let me move on now.”
Abhishek is not too sad about losing or so he says. When asked about finishing second, he says, “I think I would have been happy had even Mannara won. Had anyone apart from her or Munawar won, I wouldn’t have liked it. Somewhere, I knew that the two of us would be in the final. But he has a strong fan following from before Bigg Boss, which matters a lot. I came with no fans and now I am building my audience. I am just happy with what I have earned. I may not have won the trophy but got a lot of love from the fans.”
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 "Abhishek Kumar in Bigg Boss 17")
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