Raghu Ram opens up about why he quit Roadies, says he was told to scream at contestants to create drama

Raghu also acknowledged that there were times when he intentionally made the selection process intense, especially if he liked a particular contestant. “One person got a knuckleduster, it’s his problem, not mine… Having said that, there were times if I liked someone, I’d make it very intense because everyone watching is a judge as well, it is their prerogative whether this person should be selected or not… If I liked someone, Rajiv (Lakshman) knew it, Rannvijay (Singha) knew it, then it’s like let’s go. We had codes, we used to write it down, ‘I like, take it up’… It is our necessity, to cast a person we need to see how they react, bring out their reactions. Either they’d cry or fight or do something that makes the view feel that they want to see the guy.”

Raghu’s departure from Roadies was a result of the increasing interference from the show’s producers, who wanted him to scream at contestants and create more drama. “In those times I have behaved in a manner with which people would have a problem with it. But I was doing a job, is it right, is it wrong, I don’t know. It’s the same thing, influencing, Poonam Pandey, I don’t know… If you hate me for what I did then guilty as charged. I am not apologetic to you about it.”

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“As you grow bigger you feel the pressure to cater. I felt it, that’s why I left Roadies. Rajiv and I walked off because there was too much interference. We were told to scream at people. It’s either that or you have to dance to their tune. It’s a good problem, because you are a success but now you are no longer you. You belong to them,” he said

Reflecting on the current state of Roadies, Raghu believes that the show has become too focused on creating a certain image, rather than showcasing the genuine personalities of the contestants. On this he said, “If you look at Roadies now, it is what they wanted to make. It’s not what I wanted to make.”

Raghu’s own journey on Roadies was deeply personal, and he admits that his on-screen persona was an expression of his own rage and frustration with society. “I was going through a f****d up time where that guy (the Raghu on Roadies) was an extreme expression of my rage and relationship with society, with God, and with the concept that I felt I was lied to by the society. So he came out and it connected because I was honest… it didn’t come out because I thought it would work. There was no case study that would tell me that it would work. Probably you are not connecting with it (now) because it’s not honest.”

Raghu also expressed his disappointment with the current state of the show, which he believes has lost its authenticity. “I don’t want to call Roadies dishonest, I think they are doing a great job and they are doing what they want to do, that’s fine. I just wish they found their own personality because I think that’s much more interesting than trying to do things that you think works.”