Manav: 'IT HURTS TO BE CALLED A CHEAT'

'It hurts to be called a cheat'

Weeks after he and wife Shweta Kwatra were accused of 'cheating' and 'buying votes' to win a reality show on Tv, Manav Gohil breaks his silence and says he is 'hurt'. Fellow actors too say the duo did nothing 'illegal'.

Reality television shows is ruled by public votes. The fate of a contestant depends on the number of votes (read SMSes) he or she receives.

That is why it created a great hue and cry when Mumbai cops revealed that Tv stars and reality show contestants Manav Gohil and Shweta Kwatra had purchased 200 SIM cards to distribute it to friends and family, so that they could win more votes! Did it amount to 'rigging' the show or was it a case of self canvassing?

Gohil says he is hurt and upset. "We had to go through a media trial. It hurt us tremendously to be called cheats. The fact is that we aren't. I have never denied buying those SIM cards. The show permits us to do that. We haven't broken any rules. All the contestants do this," he reveals.

Gohil says, "The format of the show ensures that only 20 SMSes can be sent through one SIM card. Since we had purchased 200, all we could have got was 4000 extra votes. That doesn't give a person an edge or a lead.

I had various friends and family members who wanted to vote for us. Since each SMS costs Rs three to five, I provided them with those, facilitating their urge to vote for us."