Nikki Tamboli’s ‘big front hug’ post turns heads after Arbaz Patel’s Rise and Fall controversy

Nikki Tamboli has once again shown support for her boyfriend, Arbaz Patel, amid the ongoing buzz around his front hug controversy inside the reality show Rise and Fall. The actress recently shared a series of posts that subtly addressed the matter while cheering for Arbaz’s success in reaching the show’s finale.

Earlier, Nikki had entered the Rise and Fall set to meet Arbaz in person. Their conversation touched upon the viral hug moment involving Dhanashree Verma, which sparked discussions among contestants and viewers. Now, from outside the show, she continues to stand by him.

Taking to Instagram, Nikki posted a throwback video of herself and Arbaz. The clip showed her filming while Arbaz sat in the driver’s seat, both lip-syncing to Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’s title track. Alongside the video, Nikki wrote, “A woman that supports her man, supports HER FUTURE,” tagging Arbaz and adding two red heart emojis.

She captioned another post, “Congratulations darling for winning the heart and ticket to the finale,” adding hashtags like “well deserved,” “Nikbaz,” and the show’s title. Her stories featured clips from Arbaz’s recent task, where he competed for the finale ticket with Akriti Negi.

In one clip, Arbaz can be heard saying, “Best of luck, Akriti, Niki ke I love you ka sab nikalna hai.” Nikki reshared it with a message for Akriti: “I saw the spark in you. I saw that lioness personality in you. I love u meri jaan.” She ended her note with a subtle reference to the earlier controversy, writing, “You deserve my big front hug and big, big thank you, jaaneman.”

The front hug controversy began when Manisha Rani discussed a clip where Arbaz was seen advising Dhanashree Verma not to give front hugs to everyone, suggesting side hugs instead. His comment drew mixed reactions, with Arjun Bijlani adding that “he shouldn’t have said that.”

Nikki later addressed the topic during her meeting with Arbaz on the show, making it clear that she continues to back him despite the chatter.