People are telling me I was disrespectful towards Salman Khan: Bani Judge

Of course, it is hard to digest for her that she got lesser number of votes than Noida boy Manveer Gurjar, who was adjudged the winner, but the actor says she is happy for getting her freedom back as she can now eat as many eggs as she wants and without getting judged for it.

Talking to indianexpress.com post the grand finale, Bani got candid about not being an understanding person, why she chose not to get involved in tasks and her apparent misconduct with the show’s host superstar Salman Khan.

Are you disappointed that you are one of the most popular contestants on the show but could not end on a winning note?

I don’t feel bad at all. I feel I have literally won the show because I completed 105 days in the house. It has been a full journey and I am glad it has come to an end after what all I went through inside the house.

Read | I thought Bani J would win, says Bigg Boss 10 winner Manveer

During your stay inside the Bigg Boss house you were slammed for a lot of things, one being for not getting along with other. A lot in the audience felt you played a victim card and deliberately isolated yourself to grab attention.

A lot of people misunderstood me both inside and outside the house. But that’s natural. Not everyone is going to see things from your perspective. I know people said that I played a victim card but I tried to not think about it. I used to train every day for 45 minutes to keep myself away from negativity. I used to meditate and focus on positive things in life.

WATCH VIDEO | Manveer Gurjar: I Won Bigg Boss 10 As I Was Genuine

You were also questioned for your friendship with Gaurav Chopra. While his support for you was evident, you came across as selfish many times.

I am sure I didn’t understand most of the people. I wasn’t the most understanding person in the house. But then for 10 people, who didn’t understand me, there were at least two who knew me. Gaurav and my friendship was never affected by what people around us said. He did have a few doubts which he cleared with me and it got sorted. I never got into a fight with him. I have grown up now. I don’t like fights. I am looking forward to meeting him and hanging out with him. When we met on stage, I only felt love from him.

People expected you to be active in various tasks on Bigg Boss, but you were seen either quitting them or showing no enthusiasm. People were let down by you and even felt you didn’t contribute towards the show.

If I didn’t contribute to the show, I wouldn’t have been sitting here as the first runner-up. People will say what they have to say. I had my reasons for not doing tasks. For me, the most important thing was my happiness. I used to ask myself that at every point, during every task that why was I doing it? I used to tell myself to get involved in a task only if it gave me happiness. There was no other motivation for me.

After the pee incident, when Salman tried to calm you down, you came across indifferent and arrogant. While it was understood you were upset over what happened but many viewers felt you disrespected the actor.

I didn’t understand why did he (Salman) question me over removing mics for long. You can’t predict your reactions. I did what I felt like doing. I didn’t want to talk to anybody, I just wanted to speak to Bigg Boss so that he gave me perspective. It was such a horrible thing that happened with me. Salman sir, in his own way, was trying to downplay it by saying that it wasn’t a big deal. And I felt how come it is not a big deal? Because for me that was the worst thing that had happened to me on the show. That’s why I came across looking miffed.  If so many people are saying, it must have looked wrong. But then Salman sir is in a place where he can tell me if I am wrong.

Your friendship with Gauahar Khan is well known. Gauahar is a former Bigg Boss winner and was loved for handling tough situations with ease. Didn’t she give you tips to handle the pressure on the show?

I haven’t watched Gauahar’s season. I used to hear from people inside the house that she was their favourite. Gauahar never gave me any advice. The only thing she told me was, ‘Go for this meeting. This (Bigg Boss) should be good for you.’ So, I went for the meeting for the show, signed the contract and jumped into it. But yes, because I was questioned about my every action, whenever I was in a tough situation I used to think what Gauhar would have done.