'I am not in a relationship with Ashmit; I am single' - Veena Malik

Veena Malik, the contestant from Pakistan who made it big in COLORS' Bigg Boss feels that her experience inside the house was a 'Mixed Bag'.. While she had her moments of laughter, fun and masti, she also feels that she was let down by few people, and her image was tarnished to a large extent.

Here is Veena Malik in an exclusive frank conversation with TellyBuzz…

How has your journey in Bigg Boss been?
The journey has been fabulous with lot of dancing, debates with a lot of intense and serious discussions. I have cried, laughed, been cheated upon, my patience has been tested and above all, have received lots of hugs (smiles).

So which phase did you enjoy the most?
The best phase for me was when I was myself. I danced and enjoyed a lot. And of course the time I spent with Ashmit was great.

After all that you went thro' inside the house, do you regret taking up Bigg Boss?
Definitely not!! I have enjoyed a lot and have got what I wanted to achieve. I am happy, satisfied and have no regrets of taking the show. I came here because I wanted to prove all that I can love people and be easy going in maintaining relationships. I also took out time for myself, and have rediscovered myself thro' the show.

How would you describe your relationship with Ashmit Patel?
Ashmit is a very sweet person, wonderful by heart. He is strong and is the only man in the house who did not indulge in any fight with a woman, and I respect him for that. In these 12 weeks, I took care of him and served him the food he wanted. And after coming out I viewed some footages of visuals that are happening now, and was shocked to know that nobody is making food for him. He has survived in the house by putting up with lot of difficulties. You have to see his muscles to believe, they have become very loose; the man has gotten very fragile and weak. I was there giving him the emotional support he needed. I always felt that men don't cry, and can't make relationships. But I was proved wrong by him; he maintained a sweet relationship with me, Sara and even Shweta.

You said Ashmit has gotten fragile and weak. Can you tell us what is wrong with him?
See, he has Thallisemia which means that his WBC and RBC cells do not grow well until he is served food with lots of iron intake. So I was always giving him good boiled vegetables.

Do you feel the punishment given to you by Bigg Boss was not fair?
Of course!! I have been punished twice by Bigg Boss and both were unfair decisions. First of all, during Khali's captaincy I did not cook for Ashmit. The second time was when I was punished for dancing on the table; I understand that I was wrong and I should not have done it. But when Bigg Boss talked about 'Manners', I could not keep quiet. If you are talking of good manners, what did Bigg Boss do when a woman was insulting and abusing people with all the filthy language possible?. What about Khali who used to keep his foot high on the table whenever he sat? As punishment, I was made to sit down on the floor and eat my food and I felt very bad. I do not know if you are aware or not, I had stopped eating anything for the past four days inside the house. I left food because I felt that if I have done any mistake, then my God had to forgive me first. I got tired of the negative energy around me, that too when a woman used to always scream and taunt me. I tried a lot to avoid fights, but when she embarrassed me and talked ill about my religion, I got very emotional and nearly had a break down. And it was Ashmit who supported me then.

Recently you had a fight with Dolly Bindra, what exactly happened between the both of you?
Dolly fooled one and all by coming back with a calm and composed mind. The same episode happened to Shweta and Sam, but they made a huge drama out of it. Shweta was abused by Dolly in the same way with a similar kind of language. But when Dolly said all the things about me, I only told her that 'Aap aurat ke naam pe ek Cartoon ho'. Frankly speaking, I will be the last woman to scold and abuse another woman, because I respect women a lot. After saying this to Dolly, I felt really bad and regretted my action. But Dolly was always trying to taunt me and fight with me.

At the end of it, do you think that Bigg Boss was unfair in punishing you?
Ya of course. As I said earlier, I did not make a mistake in both occasions. And the result is there before all, people have loved me a lot. I have been nominated seven times, but viewers have saved me every time.

Do you feel Ashmit deserves to stay in the house for a longer duration?
Yes, he deserves to win the show. He has the courage and will power to fight any battle. Even after being abused by all, he has reacted differently. He is strong, and even after being so young in age, he has not crossed his limits.

When you exited the house after bidding adieu to him affectionately, he commented 'pagal hain', does that mean you were just a passing fancy for him?
(laughs). We both knew that we have been nominated, and we had a talk before the elimination where we had promised each other that we won't cry if one of us goes out. And when my name was announced, I did break down and falter in my promise. And when Bigg Boss asked me to save someone from nomination, I named Ashmit. After that, I told him to come out soon and that I will wait for him. To this, Ashmit said that he cannot be out soon as I have made him safe for the next week. This is why he called me a 'Paagal' (smiles).

You have a troubled past when it comes to relationships with men; do you think the same will repeat with Ashmit?
See, I am not in a relationship with Ashmit. I have not committed anything to him. I have not even thought of being in a relationship. I am still single and alone. I understand that being in love is beautiful, but have not experienced any feelings for Ashmit. 

So does it mean that the intimate and close scenes with Ashmit were planned?
I do not know how people think when they see a particular episode. I also do not know what was shown and what was not. I was my real self and yes, I am beautiful. So this means that people have kept me safe till now, after noticing something good in me.

So how would you explain the scenes that were shown within the 'Kambal'?
I repeat again that I am not in a relationship with Ashmit, and I genuinely mean this. As friends, he always kisses me on my cheeks and he has done this several times on camera. Whenever we are involved in a task at night, I used to sleep and Ashmit used to stay awake. And on one such occasion, he asked me to rest my head on a pillow and kept it on his shoulder. The penetrating lights installed in the garden area were troubling me, and this is why he closed my face with a Kambal. And he kissed me on my cheek when I was trying to find some sleep. Let me tell you, we both are young but we have never crossed any limit.

Now that you are out of Bigg Boss, do you think the show will lose its spice?
I have not viewed the previous seasons' episodes, and I have not viewed the episodes when I was inside. And I do not care about it, because Bigg Boss as a show has a certain image and viewers will watch it. I am sure viewers would have found me interesting, and even now they will feel the show interesting as there are many other people inside the house.

Now that you are out, will you clear your differences with Dolly Bindra, once she gets out?
Not at all. I am not the type of girl who will go back to talk to a person who does not have manners. When Dolly entered the house initially, nobody liked her and it was only me who stood for her. She has some goodness in her, but there is one big bad thing about her that wipes out all the goodness that is in her. That might be her style, but I will prefer to not talk to such a person.

What do you think are Ashmit's chances of winning the show?
Viewers want to see a genuine person winning the show. Ashmit is strong, and he is one person who has been there from the start of the proceedings. Dolly, Sam and Khali have got a break in between. Ashmit is sick, he is emotional and has not harmed anyone in the house. He has always been tortured for food, and for all these reasons he has to win the show.

Who do you think will win Bigg Boss now?
After coming out of the house, I have seen the real faces of all. Ashmit is a young guy, who is sick. He has always stood up when allegations were put on me. He has been targeted because he was my friend. So I feel he has to win. 

Shweta has also remained in the house like Ashmit from Day One. What do you feel about her chances of winning Bigg Boss?
Shweta is healthy while Ashmit is sick. Shweta from day one believed that this was a game, while Ashmit cared for relationships. This is Ashmit's first reality show while this is Shweta's 13th reality show appearance. Ashmit loved all and stood for his friends whether it be me, Sara, Hrishant etc. But Shweta has always been shielded by Sam. I do not think you know that Ashmit is so bad in health that when he cleans his nose in the morning daily, he bleeds. I saw it once, and was shocked.

There are reports in the media that Sara and Ali have separated. As a close friend, will you try to bring them together?
Sara is very close to Ashmit and he sees her as his sister. She is also like a sister to me. But I always believe that we do not have a right to interfere in their personal relationship. They were in love and got married before us, but that does not mean that we have a right to interfere in their personal life.

What are your future plans? Will you return to Pakistan or will you stay back in India?
Yes, I am going back to Pakistan now. But I will be back for the Finale of Bigg Boss to show my 'Jalwa'all over again.

As a final word, what would you like to tell your fans?
Bigg Boss is a show where recording takes place for all the 24 hours. But footages of only 5-10 minutes pertaining to a person, are shown. I do not know what was shown and what was not. But I am happy that with whatever was shown about me, people loved me genuinely. They accepted me as their 'Sweet Heart' and I would want to thank them for it. I can only say that for all the love they have shown towards me, I would love them ten times more.

Reporter and Author: Srividya Rajesh