"There was nothing between Upen and me. And it was just a friendship with Gautam that didn’t go further. Had it been something more, they would have shown it on television," Bigg Boss 8 contestant Sonali Raut tells Rajul Hegde/ Rediff.com
The youngest contestant on Bigg Boss 8, actress Sonali Raut, was eliminated along with Puneet Issar just before the Halla Bol transition took place over the weekend.
The actress made a mark with her 'I care a damn attitude'.
She was the only contestant this season who was not punished during the show.
"I think it was the right time to come out of the house. I managed to live in the house for 105 days," she says.
“It would have been intolerable to live in the house longer since Salman (Khan) has left the show. It’s just not the same for me any more,” she says.
Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandes went inside the Bigg Boss house to evict Sonali.
“Arjun put a handcuff around my wrist and escorted me out. I avoided drama during my stay inside the house but I loved my dramatic exit,” said an excited Sonali.
She says she is a big fan of Salman Khan and he was one of the reasons she took part in Bigg Boss.
“Salman was very sweet to me during the show. I got to know about it (that she was his favourite contestant) only after I came out of the house. Apparently, he said that in the entire history of Bigg Boss there had never been a contestant like me. May be he thought I was the nicest person in the house,” she laughs.
She is Salman’s “biggest fan” and wants to work with him.
The actress claims to have behaved very well on the show. “I was just being myself; I didn’t do any drama for the camera,” she says.
Her housemates “exaggerated their emotions and antics for the camera. I just laughed it off.”
It was a challenge to live in the house with so much of negativity around and less food, she says, adding: "But I managed to remain composed because of my will power."
She takes exception to being called the laziest participant in the house. “If I hadn’t done my work, then who did it for me? I take such criticism with a pinch of salt. It didn’t bother me at all. There are better things in life to get stressed about than bitching and worrying about food and hygiene," she says.
"There was nothing between Upen and me. And it was just a friendship with Gautam that didn’t go further. Had it been something more, they would have shown it on television,” she giggles.
The in-house fashionista says, “Being an actress, it’s my job to look good especially when there is camera surveillance 24/7.
“Although we didn’t have a good connect, we all exchanged clothes and accessories. I had carried only three high heels which I wore throughout my stint, but my feet finally gave up.”
Sonali was close to the P3G gang -- Praneet Bhatt, Puneet Issar, Pritam Singh and Gautam Gulati -- during her stint on the show.
“I was close to them because it was a genuine bond. I was closer to Praneet and Sushant (Divgikar). I couldn’t connect with the other group as there was more of gossip, which is unlike me," she says.
Sonali says her family was worried about her after Diandra Soares and she had a tiff. "My parents said they stopped watching the show after I slapped Ali in one episode."
Did she miss anything during her stay in the house? "Yes. I am net savy, so I missed my laptop a lot. And of course, designer outfits," she says.
Sonali had no clue about the Halla Bol extension of Bigg Boss before she came out but says, “I feel it’s highly unfair for the five contestants to compete with fresh energy because it’s very challenging as they are emotionally and physically drained living in the house for so long."
