TLDR;
Farhana Bhat, the first runner-up of Bigg Boss 19, shares her experiences on the show and the challenges she faced, both inside and outside the house. She talks about family issues due to her career choices, her relationships with other contestants, and how she dealt with criticism and isolation. She emphasizes the importance of being real, staying strong, and not giving up, which ultimately led to the audience's love and respect.
- Overcoming family opposition to pursue acting.
- Dealing with trust issues and maintaining a strong persona.
- Learning to value audience support over winning the trophy.
Precap of today's episode [0:00]
The precap highlights Farhana's strong opinions about Gaurav Khanna, stating that he is being excessively praised despite not deserving the star status. She also mentions feeling that she doesn't have the right to live because she doesn't know Gaurav Khanna. Additionally, she touches on the incident where she was asked to clap for Gaurav, which she found unnecessary for his success. She firmly believes that Abhishek deserved to be in place of Praneet if Praneet hadn't eliminated him. Farhana asserts that she has dealt with much worse things in life than what happened in Bigg Boss.
My family hated me because of my acting dreams [1:08]
Farhana discusses the overwhelming love she has received from the public since leaving the Bigg Boss house, which has overshadowed her disappointment of not winning the trophy. She believes her ability to connect with the audience stems from her genuine personality and diverse experiences, allowing people to find something relatable in her journey. Farhana shares that she was always fierce, but she learned to handle situations with time. She comes from an orthodox Muslim family that wanted her to keep Hijab, but she had different aspirations. Her family was worried about her career choices, fearing it would humiliate them and affect their daughters' marriages.
My personal experience made me bitter [6:35]
Farhana explains that she had to face difficult situations because she had no other option, which gave her the confidence to deal with whatever comes her way. She mentions that she has always been in a fighter mode and doesn't expect anything from anyone, leading to trust issues and difficulty in trusting even her close family members. These experiences and traumas have shaped her personality, making her resilient. She emphasizes that the mental state inside the Bigg Boss house is vulnerable, making one feel alone despite being surrounded by people, and it's hard to share your feelings.
Misunderstood Kunicka [11:01]
Farhana felt that Nehal and Kunicka were genuine in the Bigg Boss house. She admits to misjudging Kunicka initially, due to Kunicka's strict and disciplined nature stemming from her army background. Farhana, being someone who doesn't adhere to strict rules, found Kunicka's humble ways triggering. Despite the clashes and trust issues due to the game, Farhana understood Kunicka's deep-rooted personal history. Kunicka was the first person in the house to understand Farhana. An incident during Amaal's captaincy, where Kunicka secretly kept food for Farhana, touched her and made her like Kunicka's presence.
Bonding with Nehal [13:43]
Farhana says that her friendship with Nehal started organically. Initially, Farhana didn't trust Nehal due to disrespectful gestures during her eviction. However, their bond grew with time, although Farhana felt manipulated and emotionally drained by Nehal. She eventually told Nehal that their bond wasn't the same and asked her not to do anything for her. Recently, Nehal was warm and supportive, but Farhana saw clips of Nehal talking negatively about her and Baseer, suggesting they were starting a love angle for the game. Farhana asserts she doesn't need a love angle to survive in the house.
Love Angle with Baseer [15:46]
Farhana clarifies that she and Baseer had a good friendship, but she heard Nehal giving interviews and talking about them adversely. She says that she doesn't need any hashtag to go ahead in the game. She didn't believe it when Sahiba told her about the hashtag "Bahaana". She says that she can't believe anything at first instant. She was okay with the hashtag and thought that if her fans are liking her, they can do whatever they want to do.
Reality of Tanya Mittal [17:09]
Farhana discusses her relationship with Tanya, noting that Tanya approached her when she was alone, leading to conflicts with Amaal. Their friendship had ups and downs, with Tanya sometimes behaving strangely, especially during the finale week. Farhana decided to keep a distance but Tanya returned to normal behavior. Farhana hasn't met Tanya outside the house and finds her personality extreme. She didn't invest much time to judge if Tanya was genuine, but she reciprocated Tanya's good behavior.
I was the real winner of Bigg Boss 19 [19:35]
Farhana recalls feeling confident about winning Bigg Boss 19, considering her journey and the support she received. However, she had prepared herself to lose gracefully. When Gaurav Khanna was announced as the winner, she smiled to avoid appearing bitter. She felt blank but was comforted by her fellow contestants. Gaurav's request for her applause felt like an ego boost. Farhana quotes Salman Khan, saying that sometimes the season is remembered by someone other than the winner. She believes first runner-ups often get as many opportunities as winners.
Gaurav is over confident & image conscious [23:05]
Farhana recalls Gaurav Khanna bringing her back into the house after her initial eviction. She says that Gaurav has a habit of softly making alliances instantly. She says that Gaurav is very image conscious and overconfident. She knew that Gaurav had told people he wanted her back, so he had to get her back. She was monitoring everyone from the secret room and got to know that Gaurav Khanna is very image conscious.
Most difficult phase in Bigg Boss 19 [27:12]
Farhana identifies the letter-shedding task as the most difficult phase, where her friends turned against her, while others remained calm. She was confused by this behavior. Amaal, Baseer, Shahbaz, and Tanya were aggressive, while Gaurav Khanna, Praneet, Avesh, and Abhishek were calm. She felt the need to overreact. She felt demoralized when Amaal called her dark and soulless on Weekend Ka Vaar without being questioned.
Plate breaking fiasco [30:55]
Farhana explains that she doesn't like to take orders, depending on her bond with the person. She recalls a day of arguments with Shahbaz, who was making comments indirectly through Amaal. She was sleepy and avoiding confrontation. Shahbaz looked for a moment to argue. She was sitting on the dining table and Shahbaz saw her plate. She broke a plate because she was triggered by Shahbaz's comments about putting her plate on the bed. She felt bad to an extent.
Salman Khan bashing on Weekend ka Vaar [36:43]
Farhana reflects on Salman Khan creating a dictionary of her words on Weekend Ka Vaar. She didn't understand why the dictionary was made. She was angry and saying anything to anyone. She read the dictionary and laughed, which is a problem in serious situations. She controlled her laughter because Salman Khan is Salman Khan. She didn't know how to react to being scolded by him. She took it constructively and tried to react less.
Gaurav Khanna has nothing to be a star [40:49]
Farhana says that she doesn't want to do daily soaps. She has a personal choice. She knows a lot of people who belong from television. They are wonderful and graceful. She made a personal comment on Gaurav Khanna. She says that he is very cunning. He always used to start these things everywhere. He is very demeaning and disrespectful. He doesn't have any stand.
Mridul should go in regional Bigg Boss [45:31]
Farhana says that Mridul should be grateful for the audience who have voted for him. He was not even a valid candidate for Bigg Boss. She says that he should go in regional Bigg Boss. She says that Gaurav Khanna has done something. He has given his opinions. He has played back and and done back end commentary.
Abhishek was deserving than Pranit [46:07]
Farhana believes Abhishek was more deserving than Praneet, stating he would have been in the top five. She questions Praneet's profession of roasting, saying she has not come at this position where you are making jokes on celebrities. She says that Praneet used to bully Tanya. She never played victim card on all these things because she knows she will deal with it.
Arguments with Amaal Mallik [47:51]
Farhana discusses her arguments with Amaal, noting that she wants to forgive him. She says that Amaal is very reactive in nature. She knows that his heart is clean. He realizes his mistakes after making them. She was not talking to Amaal for a long time. She had that distance. She says that Amaal apologized for her mother and all. She always gives him that benefit of doubt that he has been through a lot.
Equation with Tanya Mittal [51:34]
Farhana says that she won't comment on the factor that Tanya is fake or not. It hardly matters for her. If you are good to me, I am good to you. She can read people. She can get that authenticity of energy. She never felt it from Tanya. She is a big opportunist as well. She made her feel good and all. She is someone who will incite you very humbly and respectfully.
Learnings from Bigg Boss [56:34]
Farhana says that she is not scared of relationships. It depends on what kind of person she is dealing with. She has never thought about it. She says that she had no game plan or strategy. Her game was built by the people there. She was just going with the flow. She says that her personality is enough. She doesn't need any game plan or anything.
Audience love for Farrhana [1:03:06]
Farhana says that she never thought of herself as a girl. She has always seen herself as a strong contestant. She has never used gender biasness in that house. She says that she had zero idea what was going on outside. She says that she was not consciously doing anything. She was just going with the flow. She says that she was sure that girls are liking her more.
I forgot the Trophy [1:05:07]
Farhana says that she forgot the trophy. She didn't even touch that trophy. She didn't even get a photo clicked. She forgot that she had to win the trophy. She says that trophy is a materialistic thing. She says that she is getting all the love and respect. She doesn't need anything else. She says that this is a slap on the face of every person inside who was trying to isolate her.
End Note [1:07:37]
Farhana says that Bigg Boss is the jackpot of her life. She says that she wants to wrap this podcast with this one last question which is what would today's Farhana say to the little Farhana who was dealing with things? She says that if she is here today, it's because she didn't give up. She says that she could do her best in that house.
