Considered one of the strongest contestants ofBigg Boss 19 and even expected to make it to the top three, Abhishek Bajaj’s journey came to an unexpected end on Sunday when co-contestant Pranit More was given the power to save one contestant from the bottom three. Pranit chose to save Ashnoor Kaur, which resulted in the elimination of Abhishek and Neelam Giri.
Many social media users have called the eviction unfair. Abhishek, too, believes he deserved to stay in the competition. In an exclusive conversation with SCREEN, the actor opened up about his journey on Bigg Boss 19, his relationships inside the house, and responded to the allegations made against him by his ex-wife, Akanksha Jindal. Talking about his journey on the Salman Khan-hosted show, Abhishek said, “I was on that show to make connections, and I stayed a true friend throughout. I think I was very deserving. I gave my 200 percent. While people were playing very safely, controlling themselves and hiding their emotions, I showcased all my sides. I was making friendships, but people were playing games; they saw me as a threat and removed me the minute they got a chance.”
Also Read: Abhishek Bajaj and Neelam Giri get evicted from Salman Khan-hosted Bigg Boss 19
He added, “All the tags like bailbuddhi, manchild, immature, greedy – given to me didn’t make sense. It was like when you cannot defeat someone, damage their reputation. If I were so dumb, how would I find loopholes, perform tasks so well? That was their strategy.”
On Pranit More and Gaurav Khanna
Talking about his bittersweet equations with Pranit More and Gaurav Khanna, Abhishek Bajaj said, “Pranit and I used to talk a lot; he knew I was getting stronger day by day, and I would also guide him on the show, so when he got the chance, he played the game. I was very clear, I either had friends or none. I didn’t see anyone as an enemy. With Gaurav, our points of view clashed, which is okay. The game was about being vocal and taking a stand, but it was just a personality clash and nothing more.”
On his friendship with Ashnoor Kaur
One of the highlights of Abhishek Bajaj’s journey on the show was his close bond with Ashnoor Kaur. Although many tried to label their equation, the two consistently maintained that they were just friends. “Ashnoor and I shared a very genuine friendship; it was very organic and real. We both cared for each other because we understood that people inside the house are not trustworthy. So we thought we could bank on each other. Our morals and values were similar, our opinions matched, that’s how we connected. But it was a very true friendship. It got irritating to see that Ashnoor was dragged into every matter about me and vice versa. She also has her opinion and way of dealing with people. We were two individuals; our bond was so strong that people were jealous. They wanted to separate us because they thought they could control us.”
Talking about how Ashnoor was constantly told about maintaining a distance from him, Abhishek said, “Everyone is free to have their views. That house is heavy on you, and the people inside cannot be trusted. When they realized that they couldn’t tear us apart, they tried to manipulate Ashnoor against me since our bond was gradually growing.”
On Kunickaa Sadanand
Abhishek Bajaj frequently clashed with co-contestant Kunickaa Sadanand, and the two often exchanged harsh words during their disagreements. Calling her the ‘dirtiest player’ on the show, Abhishek said, “She shouldn’t have said the things she did about my mother. She often crossed lines, played the age card, woman card. I come from a family where we were taught to respect elders, and I was trying to be respectful. We were all contestants. I also interacted with her that way. I never age-shamed her. I don’t think calling her a grandmother was an insult. Kunickaa couldn’t handle criticism; she was very disrespectful. A lot of the things she said about me and Ashnoor were unnecessary. I feel Kunickaa is playing the dirtiest game; it is very evident. Farrhana is blunt and out there. She will fight on your face, but won’t say anything behind your back.”
On keeping his divorce a secret and accusations by ex-wife Akanksha Jindal
On the show, Abhishek’s past marriage kept being brought up repeatedly, despite his efforts to keep that part of his life private. Sharingwhy he hid his divorce, the actor said, “You don’t know what exactly is happening outside. I understood that there was another person related to me whose life would be discussed. If she has moved on and is settled in her life, I didn’t want her to face chaos because of me. I was only worried about her being dragged. It is in the past, happened years back, why discuss it now? But when I found out that she said wrong things about me, I felt really bad.”
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Abhishek added, “She was my first love. I was a child when we got married; it didn’t work out, and we parted ways mutually. Now, coming out and speaking at a time when I have worked so hard, worked tirelessly to be on this platform. As actors, we face rejection every day. Nobody in this industry supports you because you don’t belong in it, and when some exploits and misuse your merit, it’s unfair. The media also shouldn’t entertain a social parasite and a fame digger.”
Commenting on the cheating allegations made by Akanksha, Abhishek said, “The cheating allegations are baseless. You have seen that I was loyal to everyone in that house. Bashing guys is in fashion, and Donal Bisht is being dragged into this for nothing.”
On Tanya Mittal flirting with him
Last week, after Abhishek Bajaj accused Tanya Mittal of flirting with him, he was called out for his choice of words during the Weekend Ka Vaar episode. Opening up about Tanya, Abhishek said, “If you compliment me in front of everyone, I can understand and I will embrace it. But Tanya would insult me in front of others and take me to a corner to praise me. I don’t understand this double equation. She had even told Farrhana that once Abhishek is distanced from Ashnoor, we can do whatever we like with him. You could sense her intentions. Neelam also complimented me, but Tanya had a pattern, and I could see that. If they thought flirting is a strong word, it’s fine.”
He added, “Tanya Mittal is a great performer. She is very boring, and is running her own daily soap in the game. She behaves like a typical bahu we see on TV. She has created a story track in her head and keeps giving her own voice-overs. Once she hurt her leg, and I gave her medicine. After some time she was walking fine, but the minute I asked her how her leg was, she started limping again. But I don’t have any problems with Tanya. She was never disrespectful towards me.”
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After his eviction, rumours surfaced claiming that Abhishek Bajaj had been signed for the next season of Khatron Ke Khiladi. Dismissing the speculation, Abhishek laughed and said he was at home when he saw the reports, adding that nothing of the sort has happened so far.
