After turning down previous seasons of Bigg Boss, actor KAVITA KAUSHIK finally decided to take up the popular show this year. She entered with a bang on Sunday night, along with fellow wild card contestants Naina Singh and SHARDUL PANDIT.
Before enteringBigg Boss 14, the Kavita spoke to Hindustan Times about what she will bring to the table, how she will deal with controversies, how her husband Ronit Biswas encouraged her to take up the show, and her equation with host Salman Khan and his family. Excerpts:
Q. What made you take up Bigg Boss 14?
A. 2020! The very fact that the whole country has become the Bigg Boss house where we are all locked in. We are cooking ourselves and doing the household chores. There is also social media, which has its good, but there is also invasion of space and privacy. It has become a place where if you voice an opinion, there are all kinds of reactions, good and bad. Some people try to pull you down by saying the nastiest of things. If a woman is talking about unity, love, peace and harmony in the country, a troll army comes out, trying to attack and character-assassinate her. We are anyway fighting these social media trolls. I think Bigg Boss is way more saintly than that. At least, in Bigg Boss, we can put our point forward inside the house or fight it out. How are you going to fight these faceless trolls? All these things made me say yes to the show this time.
Q. What is your survival strategy?
A. I don’t believe in over-planning. I know my weaknesses. I am not that smart or calculative. I am not even that groomed. The other girls who are my contemporaries or even those who came after me, are better-groomed and smarter, they know how to place themselves. I am very desi, I am a gaon ki ladki (village girl). I will be myself and show my real personality. How to survive is not in my hands. It is in the hands of the channel and the audience. Even surviving in life is not in your hands. You never know, you can get a heart attack at any time! It is not in my nature to plan too much ahead. The only thing on my mind is, I am going to have fun. I am not desperate to be in the house, I am going for fun. I have a wonderful life outside. It is my cocoon, but touchwood, it is a safe haven. Toh aisa nahi hai ki jo bhi ho jaaye, mar mar ke rehna hai (So it is not like whatever happens, I will go through hell just to stay inside). I know it is a game, I am going to play well. I will try to ensure that people get entertained by the way I am. Even if I fight, it should be interesting and fun, not dirty and full of cuss words. This is my thinking. How I will survive will be decided by the channel and the audience who will vote. My job is to have fun and be happy.
Q. From what you have seen, whom do you view as your biggest competitor?
A. This is not my strategy. I am not going in thinking that someone is my competitor. I am smart enough to know that how it appears from the outside is deceptive. The vibe and energy inside is completely different. I have also watched many seasons of Bigg Boss, so I know that your competition can change overnight. It is very silly to form preconceived notions and go into the house with a set frame of mind. I have been rigid in the past and said no to the show for so many years. I don’t want to be rigid anymore. I want to go in with a clean slate and see what is thrown at me.
Q. What aspect of your personality do you hope your fans can see, through the show?
A. I want to come across as real and entertaining, show my cooking talent. I want to surprise myself as well. I believe that as a human, there are many emotions other than anger and fighting. I plan to show the other emotions also because we have seen fights and it is fun for everyone to see, but if there is fighting all the time, it gets very boring. I hope the kind of person, the kind of roles I have done, I have always been called someone who has a lot of variety to her, so I hope that I can provide that variety to the show as well.
Q. How do you think your no-nonsense attitude will be perceived by other contestants? Do you think it will lead to clashes?
A. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I don’t like fighting. I think violence is the biggest form of weakness. I know this now but there was a time when I used to be very angry and the smallest of things would set me off. But I realised that is my weakness and I worked on it. I did a lot of yoga, read scriptures etc. I have worked on myself for my own betterment. I have learned from my mistakes and I am very happy with the kind of person that I am becoming in life. I hope that I add joy to the house. I am not thinking about who is my competition or how someone will take my strong nature. If there is someone strong inside, I think they will appreciate the strength that I bring in and not get insecure. I feel that Rubina Dilaik is really good. If you ask me who I like, I like Rubina because she is showing strength. Why is it necessary that two strong people have to clash? They can complement each other too!
Q. Which former Bigg Boss contestant’s game do you really admire?
A. I think Shehnaaz Gill played very smartly and nicely. She knew that she was charming and she used her charm very well throughout the show to get into the hearts of the audience. I think we can all learn from her. She has so much charm that even after she got pulled up by Salman a few times, we still eventually liked her. That gameplan of knowing your plus points is very important..
Bigg Boss contestants often have personal lives and controversies raked up on national television. Are you concerned about that?
A. No, yaar. We are living in a world where people are anyway digging up stuff, making videos and talking sh*t about people. They are saying things which are not even true, so let them. If a controversy or something true comes out, I have nothing to hide. I am not scared or answerable to anyone. I know my husband is my best friend, I know he is my backbone. I don’t give a damn about anyone else. Talk about any of my controversies, I will just say, ‘Yes, I did it. So? Big deal!’
Q. Was your husband the one who encouraged you to take up Bigg Boss 14?
A. Actually, he did. We discussed it this year and he likes the show. I am very rigid but he is more calm. I have become a better person, being with him. I have become calmer and more clear about things. My raw energies were going here and there. He has really channelised my energy with his love. He told me that it will be fun. This is the number one show and he made me realise that it opens so many different avenues. I have been working for 18 years and when you have a career that goes on for so long, you sometimes need a project that gives you another boost and creates a good buzz for your career again. He explained these things to me. And let me tell you, like a little child, he is so excited for me to win the trophy. He has told me, ‘Please win the trophy. I will do whatever you say, I will roll out a red carpet for you, I will take you wherever you want. I just want to see you win.’ He comes from a very humble background and the win will make him the happiest man on earth. I really want to do this for him and of course, for myself, but it will be the best day of his life.
Q. It has been reported that you share a close rapport with Salman Khan. Is this true?
A. I wouldn’t call it a close rapport, no. Salman and his family including Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Salim (Khan) uncle and Helen aunty have seen FIR. Salim uncle had invited me over for lunch and he told me, ‘We really enjoy your show.’ They have been very gracious to me by hosting a feast for me just because they liked the show. I just have that little equation, you may say. I am very thankful for this gracious gesture which made a simple artist feel like a queen. Other than that, there is no friendship or anything. I wish there was, but there isn’t.
