BJL Articles Archive

First Previous

Page

Next Last

Frequent Posters

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#11

'It's all a TRPs game!'
By: Vickey Lalwani
May 28, 2007

Obese nobodies, Gracious D'Costa and Muna Aleem, have now become the talk of the town after their romance on the sets of the reality show Biggest Loser Jeetega became public.

Soon after pictures of them sharing a bed were splashed in the media, HiTLIST spoke to Saveena, Gracious D'Costa's wife, who put on a rather brave front.

Your husband seems to be having a good time with Muna on the show.
I don't think so.

But the media has splashed pictures of him in bed with Muna.

I have seen those pictures. This is being done (by the channel) to raise the TRPs of the show.

Aren't you affected seeing your husband in bed with another woman?

I am not affected at all. I am cool about it. One must remember that Biggest Loser Jeetega is a game show (pauses).

Please continue...

Gracious is helping Muna. She was not well. He was simply giving her comfort. Plus, they have been together for nearly four months now. Obviously, there is some bonding between them.

But he is hugging her...

(Interrupts) Why should we object if a guy hugs a girl that is unwell? Muna was shivering, so he hugged her. Big deal! Tomorrow if I am unwell and a male friend comes to help me, will that be wrong?

Do you trust your husband?

I have full faith in my husband. He is a one woman man. We have been married for six-and-half years.

Do you have kids?

Yes. I have two dogs (laughs).

How have your friends and relatives reacted to the pictures?

They are laughing about it. They know Gracious inside out. Nothing to worry about.

But surely you will talk to him about Muna?

By the time he returns home in August, I will have forgotten about it. I will only be happy about the fact that he has lost weight.

Be honest now, are you having second thoughts about letting Gracious go for Biggest Loser Jeetega?

No. Gracious needed to lose weight. When he was in his 20s, he was only 65 kg. Due to work stress and irregular eating habits, he piled on excess kilos.

This was having a toll on his health. Recently, he complained of feeling giddy.

Biggest Loser is a golden opportunity to turn back the clock on his body weight and health. My husband is a highly motivated man. Why fritter this chance away?

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#12

Ande ka funda
By: Tushar Joshi
May 30, 2007

Protein chahiye: Nirmal Soni

Red Team contestant Nirmal Soni has been fighting more than just his craving for food on SaharaOne's Biggest Loser Jeetega.

Nirmal, who weighs 149.8 kg, is Gujarati and a strict vegetarian.

Recently, after a proper study of his nutrition quotient, it came to light that Nirmal's protein intake was below the required quantity.

So his trainer Deepika Mehta suggested that he start eating eggs to make up for the loss of proteins.

A source from the show reveals that Nirmal was shocked when he learnt he had to eat eggs.

"It took quite a while to convince Nirmal to include eggs in his diet. He has been a strict vegetarian all his life, so eating eggs was a big no-no for him."

'Egg'ad!

However, after being convinced by Deepika and realising that he had to have a good protein intake, Nirmal started eating eggs.

Interestingly, the close circuit cameras in the house rarely caught him eating eggs.

"Nirmal knows that everything on the show is being televised and he doesn't want his family to find out he is eating eggs.

So he hides and eats eggs or ducks from the camera whenever he is about to do so! He is scared that people back home will be upset," says a source working on the show.

However, Vimal Soni, Nirmal's elder brother, says that he isn't worried about him eating eggs.

"If he wants he can quit eggs and resume his normal diet when he comes back home. We are Gujaratis but not the hardcore type. I don't think there should be a problem if he has to eat eggs.

At the end of the day, it's a competition and he should try his best to win it. If that will happen by eating eggs, then so be it."

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#13

'I will never compromise on my values'
By: Tushar Joshi
May 28, 2007

Lost chance: Kiran Jethwani

She dreamed of being the biggest loser on SaharaOne's Biggest Loser Jeetega.

However, Kiran Jethwani, who weighed 113.7 kgs before she joined the show, was the first contestant to be eliminated.
We ask her why her team voted her out.

How does it feel to be out of the show?

I'm feeling bad, but I've learnt so much during the show that I can't thank Sunil Shetty enough.

I joined this show in spite of having a thyroid problem, and gave it my best shot.

I wanted to lose more weight but I managed putting off 9.4 kgs. I will definitely practice everything I have been taught on the show.

Why do you think your team voted you out?

I was never here to play politics or make strategies or play games. I came with the simple motive of losing weight.

There were some people who wanted to please others and make sure their names weren't taken. I would never compromise on my values just to remain in competition.

At the end of the day, I respect their decision to vote me out. But I am glad I didn't bow under pressure and compromise on anything.

Who will win the show?

I think Ajay (Nagrath) will stay till the end. He's the youngest of all and very hardworking. I wish he loses the maximum weight and wins.

You also developed a bond with your trainer, Yusuf.

Yes, he was absolutely brilliant. I can easily say he's the best person I have ever trained with.

Besides being a true professional, he is also an amazing human being. I won't ever forget all the hard work he made me go through

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#14

T he battle of the bulge is an issue that concerns many. We're insensitive when it comes to overweight people. Our you-go-girl, underdog-loving cul- ture tells us to support them. Yet our obsession with willpower and persistence limits our patience with people who can't trim the fat. This ambivalence is showcased in Sahara One's Biggest Loser Jeetega, in which two teams of eight participants each, try to out- wit and outsmart each other and lose weight to win. Team play Each week, the weighing scale shows which team has dropped the most kilos, and the losing group must send someone packing. Sunil Shetty brings a fresh and spontaneous approach as the host. His humour is not one that makes fun of the contestants and his advice is based on years of being a fitness freak. Situated amidst the pure envi- rons of Aamby Valley City, it also focusses on the value of setting goals and working as a team. Real people Rarely has reality TV seen such a fun-loving, supportive group of folks. The participants are a refreshing change from the wannabes who tend to populate reality television. It remains to be seen if the team spirit continues to be high as the competition comes to its end. Moods and sentiments may change when the prize money dan- gles large over their heads. The person who loses the most weight wins a cash prize of one lakh per kilo lost. The eliminated contestants can return as the wild card entry With . Shetty's presence, many film stars are sure to make an entry to boost the contestant's confidence and create the necessary spikes for the show. Although Biggest Loser.. lacks some of the sexiness and drama of reality shows like Bigg Boss, there are still plenty of times when the going gets tough. When teams lose tasks, they argue fiercely over who caused the loss or didn't work hard enough. The struggle with fat is more than aesthetic; it has to do with strength and safety There will be . times when they are tempted by high-calorie foods and get fed up by the strenuous daily workouts. Testing limits What little action there is - exer- cise routines, a weekly weigh-in and tasks that, for obvious rea- sons, lack athleticism – but the determination of each contestant is worth a watch. Care should be taken that tasks shouldn't be manipulative since it will under- mine the purpose of the show. All reality shows are a mind game but in this case, no point in having tasks that have no goal but give plenty of scope to ridicule or punish them. Also, the competi- tive weight-loss angle could poten- tially encourage impressionable viewers to slim down quickly without a doctor's supervision. It would be easy for the show's producers to hype the vanity angle of weight loss. One is constantly reminded that the point of losing weight isn't to look like a super- model, but rather to live longer and healthier lives. As Shetty says, "The premise behind the show is to teach weight-challenged participants how to eat healthy and exercise in order to achieve a radical physical makeover without any kind of surgery ." So, on Biggest Loser Jeetega, quitters never win and the win- ners are actually losers.

TOP

www.bodhtree.com

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#15

Good Gracious me,I'm in love

By Subhash K Jha

Losing weight and still throwing it around isn't hard to do. Ask the Sahara's Biggest Loser Jeetega contestant Gracious D'Costa who was in the news last week for collapsing while trying to climb up a wall, is now driving all the other contestants up the wall.

Gracious has fallen in love with fellow-contestant Muna Aleem.

Says a source from the show, "One doesn't know if it's love or just a home-sick attachment. But yes, Gracious is showing more than a normal interest in Muna. This isn't going down well with the other contestants specially those in the Blue Team where Gracious and Muna belong. So it's a war-like situation."

Apparently there's a full-blown revolt brewing in the ranks.

When contacted the show's lynchpin and anchor Suniel Shetty currently touring North India with the team of his new release Shootout At Lokhandwala, had a good laugh.

"I'm not supposed to talk about this. But yes, attachments of these kinds are bound to happen. Gracious went through a panic situation last week while climbing a wall. He needs to be treated with care."

Suniel has become extremely fond of all the contestants. "It's good to see them become so motivated and lose so much weight."

Apparently all the contestants have lost 50-60 pounds.

Says Suniel, "One contestant Sandeep looks like a movie star now. Even now as I travel for my new film people hound me with questions about Biggest Loser Jeetega.

And when I get a message saying, 'You've made fat look beautiful' I feel I'm doing something that's touching lives in unexpected ways."

Suddenly Suniel has become everyone's favourite dietician and psychiatrist.

"I'm being asked the secret formula for losing weight and how to cope with the depression that follows regimented dieting. The biggest winner while doing this

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#16

The fat factor

Going Footloose: Sunil Shetty gets jiggy with the contestants

To have some fun and de-stress the contestants, choreographers Lolly and Longi have entered the house of SaharaOne's Biggest Loser.

The choreographers take contestants by surprise and train them to compete for The Oversized Idol competition.

Joining them in all the fun and excitement is Sunil Shetty, who too has decided to let his hair down and dance.

Catch the dance and drama this weekend on SaharaOne at 8 pm.

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#17

Not so Gracious
By: Tushar Joshi
June 6, 2007

Don't mess with my friend! Gracious D'Costa

He's one of the most cheerful contestants on SaharaOne's Biggest Loser. However, Gracious D'Costa has been anything but gracious to his teammates the last few days.

The 31-year-old recently went into a violent fit, hurling furniture and threatening contestant Nirmal and even calling the girls in his team filthy names. The reason was the ouster of his best friend, Muna Aleem, who he had grown extremely fond of.

A source from the show reveals, "The red team was determined to break the tota-maina jodi (the name they gave lovebirds Gracious and Muna).

They had already decided that Muna had to go, even though she was working hard on losing weight. She was a major distraction for Gracious and was bringing everyone down.

Ever since she got eliminated this weekend, Gracious has been showing violent behaviour. In fact, the entire team was scared and requested that a security guard be posted outside their room. Things only got under control after Sunil Shetty intervened."

Feeling down

Sunil is shocked by Gracious's behaviour, but says he understands why he reacted in such a way. "Gracious is a darling. All the kids are really fond of him and he's a gem of a person.

I think the reason he got aggressive was because he felt let down by his group. He never thought Muna would leave the show. It was sad to see him turn so violent towards everyone around him," Shetty says.

He adds that he calmed Gracious down and told him to look at the bigger picture. "If you want to win, you have to work as a team and not isolate yourself. Muna was definitely becoming a distraction for Gracious and that's what the team felt as well.

I told Gracious that he shouldn't let his emotions rule his decisions, and his violent behaviour wasn't helping much. So much so, that Nirmal got scared and talked about quitting the show!"

An optimist, Sunil thinks Gracious is a tough candidate and has good chances of winning the competition. "He's a toughie from the outside but a complete softie from the inside. I am very fond of him and hope that he makes it to the end."

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#18

S he's the third contestant to be eliminated. Last week, Muna Aleem was in the news for her closeness to another team member, Gracious D'costa. And, it's this very relationship that has made the other team members vote her out. Her ouster from Sahara One's Biggest Loser Jeetega has made Gracious a very angry man. Muna speak Having lost 8.9 kilos, Muna says she has another 24 kilos more to reduce to reach her ideal weight. About being on the show, she says, "It was an experience of a lifetime. I want to return as the wild card- entry." How has it changed her as a person? "I didn't have this positivity and self confidence when I first entered the house. I've tried every method from gyms, diets, wraps and medication to lose weight but have never succeeded like now. "Also, I'm an only child and have never ever lived with so many people. It was difficult living with people who had dif- ferent natures and temperaments." Is she happy with her elimination? "It's a game. I'm not going to indulge in any blame game," she replies. But adds, "Their reasons didn't make sense to me. Firstly, I don't think I'm too thin and secondly, I feel they were threatened by Gracious and myself since we're both very strong individuals." On her relationship with Gracious, she says, "My swimming sessions hurt my knees and I could barely walk. The doctors asked me to keep ice packs. I think Gracious had the guts to come and comfort me. The others also could have helped me but no one came forward and for that, I will always respect and adore Gracious." How does she react to Gracious' anger towards other team members on her ouster? "No one can think of Gracious without thinking of him using fowl language or being vocal about his feelings. He's aggressive but he's harmless." Host speak Sunil Shetty, the anchor, says, "Well, somebody had to go. Muna is someone who can lose weight on her own. The team thought her relationship with Gracious would harm the team.. it's a game." Gracious has been a favourite with Shetty. How did he react seeing Gracious' outburst after Muna's ouster? "He hasn't been gracious at all," says Shetty. He feels that while the Red team have to eliminate members more intel- ligently, the Blue team have become overcon- fident and need to get their act together. "Now, they actually feel that they know more than the trainers," he quips. Shetty is pleased at the response towards the show saying it has given rise to 16 ambassadors who will go a long way in inspiring viewers to lead healthy lives. Channel speak Starting this Friday, Biggest Loser Jeetega will be aired from 8 p m onwards. Confirming this, the channel's programming head Kalyan Sundaram says, "It's a research–based decision from women who want to see it at this hour. They are our core audience. It's a niche pro- gramme and we're glad that Sec A and B are glued on to it."

TOP

www.bodhtree.com

Quote

Supriya

@Miss.Supriya

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 18 years ago

#19

Losing hearts!
By: Vickey Lalwani
June 14, 2007

Weight loss be damned, Sandeep and Ajay are vying for Natasha attention on Biggest Loser

Ek Anar Do Bimar: Natasha, Sandeep and Ajay (clockwise)

After the romance between the Red Team's Gracious D'Costa and Muna Aleem was cut short recently (after Muna was voted out of SaharaOne's Biggest Loser Jeetega by her teammates), the Blue Team's Ajay Nagrath, Natasha Grover and Sandeep Sachdev are now love-locked in a triangle!

Losing sleep...

A banker by profession, Sandeep has expressed his feelings to Natasha, who has preferred to ignore his amorous intentions. The reason? She has developed feelings for Ajay!

The duo spends a lot of time together at the picturesque Amby Valley (Lonavala), where the show is being shot. They even stay up late in the night talking to each other.

Ajay is producer-director Anil Nagarath's son, and has acted in over 150 films. He has even written dialogues for Big B films like Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Mard.

However, Sandeep has not lost heart and continues to woo Natasha. What's more, he's been losing sleep trying to think up ways of distracting her attention from Ajay.

As a result, this has started affecting their workout sessions. More often than not, Ajay, Natasha and Sandeep report late for the morning exercise sessions.

... and losing focus

Blue team trainer Yusuf is hopping mad at this situation. "They sleep very late and I don't like this. I had to warn them three times, but they didn't improve. I've given them a last warning now. If they don't mend their ways, I'll simply stop training them," he says.

Adds a source from the set, "Thankfully, neither of them are married. Else it would have been a very embarrassing situation (like Gracious, who is married). We just hope this threesome regains their focus and doesn't push Yusuf to the edge!"

Meanwhile, anchor Sunil Shetty says, "It's fine if there is a romance brewing between two consenting individuals, but I don't like the idea of a love triangle!

They are young and they are starting to look attractive again, so this is bound to happen. But they shouldn't lose focus about the reason they are here."

Quote

ADITI

@-aditi-

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 18 years ago

#20

Biggest Loser on celluloid
By: Tushar Joshi
June 15, 2007

Sunil Shetty is planning to make a film with contestants of the SaharaOne reality show

But Seriously: Sunil Shetty

Over the last few months, Sunil Shetty has acquired a brand new family.

The actor, who is producing and hosting SaharaOne's reality show Biggest Loser Jeetega, says that the 16 contestants on the show are no less than family to him.

He is so impressed by their dedication that he's now planning to put them on the big screen!

"I'm in awe of the hard work and determination that these guys are showing. Each one of them is a hero and has a story to tell.

I plan to make a film with all 16 of them. They are such interesting characters and the audience will be able to relate to them immensely."

Nothing serious

Talking about the project, Sunil says it is still in the early stages of conception. "It would be interesting to see these people in the setting of a chawl.

I think they would look cute and make for some fabulous viewing."
When asked if he would provide them with formal training in acting, he says, "All that will be worked out at a later stage. But there is a lot of talent in each one of them.

For instance, Sandeep (Sachdev) is quite a good-looking guy and will look good on screen. Similarly, Gracious (D'Costa) has a lot of spunk and has natural charm.

One has to remember that all these guys are gutsy and ready to take risks. I'm sure they'll be up to the challenge of becoming actors."

Saying that the film won't belong to a serious genre, Shetty says, "I plan to make it a romantic comedy. However, it will also touch on some important aspects and maybe talk about some of the true life incidents of the contestants."

Quote

1 2 3 4

BJL Articles Archive - Page 2

Good Gracious me,I'm in love

Related Topics

Explore Topics