'Main ek Marathi mulgi hoon' : Sonali Raut on doing Bigg Boss Marathi 6

Bigg Boss Marathi's most-awaited new season has recently premiered, bringing with it a fresh mix of contestants who are already grabbing attention. Among them is actress and model Sonali Raut, who has made a striking entry into the house.

For those unaware, the Great Grand Masti actress was earlier seen on Bigg Boss Hindi Season 8, where she was eliminated midway but later re-entered the show owing to her strong popularity among viewers.

In an exclusive chat with India Forums, Sonali opens up about what convinced her to say yes to Bigg Boss once again, her expectations from the Marathi season, and much more.

What made you say yes to doing a show like Bigg Boss again?

Kyuki obviously, language change hai aur woh Marathi hai. Aur main ek Marathi mulgi hoon. Main Mumbai se hoon, Maharashtra se.

Toh meri jitni bhi family hai, friends hain, followers, hain, woh hamesha mujhse poochte hain ki aap itni achhi Marathi bolte ho, toh aapne kabhi kuch Marathi kaam kiya hai kya—Marathi film, song ya television?

Aur I think this is the right thing to give it back to them. Is baar main Bigg Boss Marathi mein aa rahi hoon. Toh they are going to see me in Marathi, and speaking Marathi. You know what, mi ek simple Maharashtrian mulgi aahe. And I am sure I will be very relatable.

(Obviously, there is a language change, and this time it is Marathi. And I am a Marathi girl. I am from Mumbai, Maharashtra.

So all my family members, friends, and followers always ask me that since I speak Marathi so well, have I ever done any work in Marathi—be it a Marathi film, song, or television show?

And I think this is the right time to give it back to them. This time, I am coming on Bigg Boss Marathi. So they are going to see me speaking in Marathi, as a simple Maharashtrian girl. And I am sure I will be very relatable.)

During Bigg Boss 8, you received a lot of love, but the journey was also challenging, with tags like being lazy with duties or not competitive in tasks. Do you expect similar labels this season, or has Sonali changed significantly over the last 10 years?

Main toh yehi kahungi ki jab main pehli baar Bigg Boss Hindi mein gayi thi, main koi expectations leke hi nahi gayi thi. Mujhe toh yeh bhi nahi pata tha ki main kitne mahine rahungi, kitne din rahungi, aur log mujhe pasand karenge ya nahi. Lekin mujhe logon ne bahut pyaar diya aur woh show actually mere liye bahut achha saabit hua. Isi liye main Marathi kar rahi hoon, obviously

Main toh yehi kahungi ki mujhe kaafi saare tags mile. But you know, I think har reality show mein tags milte hi hain. Agar aap ek ghar mein rehte hain, itne logon ke beech rehte hain—aapke paas karne ke liye kuch hota hi nahi hai. Na phone hota hai, na television hota hai, na koi entertainment hota hai. Toh aap logon ke saath hi deal karte hain. Aur logon ke paas bhi, you know, negative ke alawa kuch hota nahi hai. Negative ko kaafi flourish kiya jaata hai.

Toh, I think tags toh is baar bhi main expect kar rahi hoon, milenge hi. Aur dekhte hain. But I am prepared. I am ready. Jo bhi hai, bring it on.

Aur agar aap pooch rahe ho ki Bigg Boss Hindi season 8 ne mujhe koi aisa lesson sikhaya hai jo Marathi season mein meri journey mein helpful ho sakta hai, toh I think Hindi mein maine yehi seekha ki you know, just be yourself. Be super confident. Aapke jo bhi vichaar hain, jo bhi emotions hain, jo bhi feelings hain, unhe express kijiye. Logon ko bataiye ki aap kya feel kar rahe ho. Jitna real ho sakte ho, utna raho. Logon se relate kijiye, audience se baat kijiye. Jo host hain, unse bhi baat kijiye.

Toh, I think main yehi kahungi ki jitna real rahoge, jitna relate karoge aur thoda sa respectful rahoge, toh shayad cheezein aur show aapke liye aasaan ho sakta hai.

Watch here:

(I would say that when I entered Bigg Boss Hindi for the first time, I didn't go in with any expectations at all. I didn't even know how many months or days I would stay, or whether people would like me or not. But the audience gave me a lot of love, and that show actually turned out to be very good for me.

That's why I'm doing the Marathi season. Obviously, I would say that I was given many tags. But you know, I think in every reality show, tags are bound to happen. When you live inside a house with so many people, there is literally nothing else to do. There's no phone, no television, no entertainment. So you end up dealing only with people. And people also, you know, tend to focus more on the negative. Negativity is often made to flourish.

So I think this time too, I am expecting that I will get tags—it's inevitable. Let's see how it goes. But I am prepared. I am ready. Whatever it is, bring it on.

And if you ask whether Bigg Boss Hindi Season 8 taught me any lessons that could help me in my journey on the Marathi season, I think what I learned there was to just be yourself. Be super confident. Express your thoughts, your emotions, and your feelings. Let people know what you are feeling. Be as real as you can. Relate to people, talk to the audience, and interact with the host as well.

So I would say that the more real you are, the more you connect, and the more respectful you remain, the easier the journey and the show can become for you.)

Hosted by Riteish Deshmukh, the season features contestants such as Rakesh Bapat, Deepali Bhosale Sayed, Sagar Karande, Sachin Kumavat, Tanvi Kolte, Ayush Sanjeev, Karan Sonawane, Prabhu Shedke, Prajakta Shukre, and Ruchita Jamdar.