Upen Patel: I DON'T need to fake it for the camera on Bigg Boss

'I care for Karishma. The problem is that in India, people don’t look at intimacy as something positive; any sort of intimacy is perceived as something negative," Upen Patel tells Rajul Hegde/ Rediff.com

Upen Patel and Karishma Tanna’s love story inside the Bigg Boss house became a talking point after Upen’s re-entry into the house.

Upen was given a second entry into the show, as he felt he had left something unsaid: He had confessed his feelings to Karishma many times but she had not responded.

Upen then planned a special candle-light dinner for the two of them, and he proposed to Karishma again. This time, she accepted.

But then Bigg Boss decided Upen must leave the show as he was a guest.

After his exit, Upen says, "I had a great time inside the house. My second appearance was better. I went inside the house because of public demand."

Some viewers, and evicted contestants like Sana Khan, believe that Upen and Karishma faked their romance to get more publicity.

This irks Upen.

"I don’t want to talk about my personal life. You have seen our friendship from start to finish. 

“Like always, I was just being myself in the show. I don’t think I need to fake it for the camera or for any kind of publicity or to garner TRPs.

“It’s a reality show not a movie that can be scripted. Nobody in the house is fake; you can’t fake for more than a week.

“Since the time I started looking at Karishma as more than a friend, I made it clear to her and everyone else. It’s what I thought was the right thing to do and I am man enough to not withdrawn from any commitment."

On his famous televised kiss with Karishma inside the house, he says, “All I can say is, I care for Karishma. The problem is that in India, people don’t look at intimacy as something positive; any sort of intimacy is perceived as something negative.”

He thinks either Karishma or Gautam Gulati will win.

YOU PREDICT The BIGG BOSS 8 WINNER!

Obviously, he is rooting for Karishma, “because she has been consistent on the show, not because I am in a relationship with her.”

Meanwhile, Upen is yet to watch his latest film, I, featuring the brilliant Vikram.

“You will get to see more of me in films very soon,” he promises.