"Around 60 to 70% of the contestants are cunning"- Mandeep

How has the journey been in Bigg Boss Season 5?
Extremely uncomfortable and a huge compromise on the lack of sanitation and hygiene. 

We have actually seen a lot of actors and directors from the film fraternity taking up Bigg Boss for limelight and projects. As a media person what was the key reason for you to take up the show?
My basic motive was to develop a working relationship with the agency and the inmates. I left my job because I was going to LA and it was not that I was not off from the job for years and years that I needed limelight. And it was not possible for me to take an off for five months, but at the same time I wanted to go to states. I was flying back and forth between LA and Delhi and when I got the call I was in LA. When I was offered the show, I thought it might be fun and I didn't really know about the show. So I did not really take up the show for the usual reasons of work to come to me. I thought let's just do this and have fun.

Being an opinionated person yourself, what is the one aspect or situation in Bigg Boss, be it the fight or anything, that you felt unfair?
The thing is that there were so many things that were wrong. It is very hard to limit one because there isn't just one. And if I start to list out one by one then probably it would take till tomorrow to name them all. As a general overview I think the fights were for reasons that do not exist and just to grab the attention of the viewers. I mean, they should at least have an issue that makes some sense to make it interesting. Even if the fight is fake bring about your mind to create an issue. Be a little creative with the issue and don't fight on petty things, bartan vartan etc. People will also feel bored. For me it is not fun to see this kind of stuff. 

Talking about the fights, there has been a recent fight that broke between Akashdeep Saigal and Mehak wherein personal issues were brought about. What is your opinion on that?
When that fight took place I even got involved in the fight as I was trying to make them understand on what is the basis of fight. It was turning physical; he is asking you to leave him alone and then run after him. So the basic reason for the fight is lost. When he says leave him alone, we should do that and we should be keeping a distance between the two of them. When you are running after him and he is running away from you, the fight is lost. We should give it a pause and get down knowing what the fight is all about. Let's not run around and cry needlessly. Let us go back to know what we are fighting for. Let us fight about whether the past should come in or not and what it actually happened for. I really do not know what the format of the show says as frankly speaking I have not read the contract. But as a person I feel why shouldn't the past be brought in? By bringing the past what if you can bring the future up. For example when you say we had met there and we are good friends, there also we are bringing the past in a way. Aren't Raageshwari and Pooja Bedi getting along well because they are good friends. Make it clear whether your past is good or bad or ugly or positive or negative, nahi layenge! When it suits you, bring in the past and when it doesn't suit then you cannot bring in the past. That is not done. Either speak or not speak at all about the past. See if you are trying to hide something then do not come on a public platform, then make it clear that there are certain things from my past that I want to hide. Do not say I do not want to hide anything and act differently. Your actions should match your words.

You were considered as one of the smartest players in the house, at least perceived by your co contestants. Who according to you is the smartest if not you?
I think the fact that they thought I was the smartest player and got into the smartest fight gave me that due diligence and the due credit that she is intelligent.  But I never told that I was playing a game as I was following the rules. And I was not cheating on anybody and was not lying to anybody. The fact that you do not believe somebody across you is because you yourself are not believable. I am happy about the smartest part but the player part they have claimed about me is a little wrong because if I was playing a game and may have, had I not been sleep deprived and had there not been the sanitation standards matched what I like, then I may have played a game. On those grounds I cannot compromise. I do not like being sleep deprived and do not like sitting in a talk. I cannot really point out who is really the biggest player because some of them are equally good and some are equally bad. Around 60 to 70 percent of the contestants are cunning.  

Mandeep you had also mentioned that you wanted to quit the show in between. You did not want to be a part of the show. What went wrong?
I didn't want to be a part of the show from day two because I was physically uncomfortable. Bigg Boss is filled with tough and testing moments. 

So lots of testing times on the show... Which one was your toughest moment? 
There were no testing times for me because nobody really fought with me. And they didn't fight with me because it takes a lot of sense. If there was a place wherein I had to take blame I took more blame than it was necessary. I surrender myself even before others could criticize me. I am truthful and I follow the rules and it applied to me far more than anybody else. I am sincere and they could not catch me on anything and that was the reason they could not fight with me. I would give suggestions to them; I am ok if they take it or not.

Talking about the eliminations, almost all the low profile and the silent logs were going out and the controversial ones are kept inside. This has raised a lot of speculations against the credibility on the elimination and the show over all. What is your take on that?
I think at the end of the day the Bigg Boss viewers want to see conflicts and drama and lying and the superficial stuff. It is entertainment for them and who is anybody to question this form of entertainment. It is not a show that promises to tell you the truth or give health tips or give the philosophy of life. But for me entertainment is not this as I do not like serials and cunning games. I like sitcoms and shows wherein the plot is great.

So do you find any of the eliminations till now unfair?
Not at all, it has been fine. I asked the housemates to nominate me and therefore they did. It is extremely unfair when you request for nomination and expect something else. There has been instance when they have actually said we will do it and shut up. Like Amar for instance, but of course, Amar says something and does something. But Shonali was telling she needs a person like me because the only person who they could trust to keep their secrets was me. From Pooja Mishra, to Shonali, to Shakti to Amar; I've never betrayed on what they've said to me. I never shared their information. And I am not a person who created controversy or drama in the house and that's why they voted me and that is what they want.

Did you find any of the other eliminations unfair?
None.

Future plans?
I have come from LA to do the show and I will be going right back unless I may stick around in Delhi for the construction of our house. Even then I be flying forth and back and also return to the same life which is happy.

A contestant you disliked the most and why?
There are several of them as I do not like the way they operate and that is not my cup of tea. I do not like people fighting for such ridiculous reasons. The fight may be fake but the way they fight is how they fight in real life and I am really put off by this. The way they are fighting is not a drama and the viewers have to decide on that. They can pretend only once and twice but if they are continuing in the same way then it is what they are in real life. As an ex-contestant, I would like to ask the viewers are these people who they want in the show? If it goes on this way then the show might end up giving the prize money to the most despicable person.

Reporter: Rishitu Amarnani
Author: Saranya Valsarajan