'I got along with all girls except for Roshni Chopra' - Anmol Singh

Anmol Singh, a Delhiite who made her television debut with MTV Roadies and went on to continue her MTV stint with hosting another show on it, now tries her hands at living the simple life on Imagine's Desi Girl.

A girl who swears by her Army Public School etiquette and St. Stephen's sophistication, shares with us her good and bad experiences of being a part of this new reality show.

Over to Anmol…

Why did you agree to be a part of Desi Girl?
The reason I took this show is because this concept is different. Also, I didn't know how to cook or clean. And my parents keep worrying over the fact that I can't do a simple household chore. So I thought being a part of this show will be a great learning experience.

How is Desi Girl different from your last reality show – Roadies?
Roadies involved a lot of plotting and planning whereas in Desi Girl it's more of adjustments and adaptations. You are sent to live with a whole new family in a whole new environment. So here the challenges test your flexibility towards circumstances.

Which luxuries of city life did you miss during your stay in the village?
Initially I missed my cellphone, laptop…but later I didn't even miss my family. Because the villagers are just so unbelievably gifted to make you feel at home.

Is there a lot of politics involved in Desi Girl?
In a reality show plotting and planning will be there. There are two girls staying together so they don't know what the others are up to…obviously there's a tendency to form groups. It's all a part of the game.

How did you tackle all that?
See, I'm the youngest …I'm just 21 and all others are much mature than me at least when it comes to having television experience. So I just tackled everything by being myself. I was silly stupid dumb myself.

So you steered clear of all troubles?
Well I got along with all the girls except for Roshni Chopra because she is extremely fake and a big time liar. On the 1st day I did jhaadoo (I didn't know how to hold a jhadoo can u imagine how I managed to do that?!), pocha, I cleaned the gobar…all of that. And this Roshni goes out for a walk and tells to all of the villagers that she's the one who's done it all. It's all been caught on camera…you can watch it for yourself.

Didn't this affect you?
Initially I used to think- it's ok. I want my family to be proud of me. But I started speaking out because what's the point of keeping all these feelings inside. If I have something to say then I will in front of everyone, because I wasn't doing anything wrong. All her lies and the faces she made has been caught on camera so I'm sure my venting out is justified.

Has this kind of unfair credit snatching happened to you in real life?
No, I have a very small group of good friends. They have never done it nor would do this to me.

What's the major difference in being a city girl and a village girl?
In city, girls get all perks of life whereas village girls have the gift of time. Their life is tension-free and much more relaxed. They get to spend more time with family whereas we don't have that luxury.

Did you do any major goof-up?
Yes, and I repeated this mistake many times over. Whenever, Rohit Roy asked me what chores I did that morning I'd say- maine jhadoo kiya, maine pocha kiya aur maine gobar kiya (I did sweeping, I did mopping, I did bullshitting) and this was a major cause for laughter among the girls (laughs).

How was the off-camera experience?
There was hardly any off camera time. But the overall experience of staying in a Punjabi village was great. I'd certainly go back and meet the families. In fact I want to settle there.

What's your parents' reaction after seeing your performance?
They are shocked and thrilled. My mom is the happiest of all and is celebrating that finally her daughter has learnt a few household chores.

Who do you think will win the show?
I think I will win the show. One other girl who it think has the potential to win is Aushima Sawnhey..

Lastly, is it a truth or a myth that toilets in villages aren't good?
Oh the toilets are not good yaar! They are just some round thingies with just two slabs for keeping your feet on them…I don't know how to use a normal Indian toilet and this was a way more primitive one…oh you've no idea how hard time I had…

Reporter and Author: Susan Jose