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Why Sonika Kaliraman opted out of Bigg Boss 5
Indian wrestler Sonika Kaliraman, who is pregnant, opted out of the reality show Bigg Boss, complaining of 'negative energy' around her.
She could not stop talking about how glad she was to be going home, even though she describes the experience as 'fun'. Her fellow contestants were shocked at the news and bid her a tearful farewell with many good wishes.
Sonika chats with Rajul Hegde.
Why did you decide to leave the house voluntarily?
There were too many fights inside the house for the last few days. There was so much negative energy around; I felt it was not good for my baby and me. Though I avoided getting involved in these fights, the amount of screaming on the show was affecting my baby and my health.
After the unstable environment, Bigg Boss offered me an opportunity to leave the house and return home. He also must have felt that since it's a festive season I should be happy celebrating it with my family and live in a better environment. I happily agreed to quit the show because it was getting too much to handle.
How long did you expect to be in the house?
I didn't expect to go out so early. I was laughing nonstop when I read the reports saying that I might deliver my baby in Bigg Boss house. My due date is in January, and the show will end before that. How is it possible to deliver even if I last till the end?
Why did you agree to come on the show?
I was aware of the format and I wanted to face a new challenge. Initially my husband and family members were not in its favour. My husband tried to stop me by saying that it's our first child and it's a risk to go inside the house. Also there would be a lot of negative energy which will affect both mother and child psychologically. But I was adamant and convinced him that I would be fine.
'There was a lot of negative energy in the house'
Was it a gimmick? Had they already decided that you will either be eliminated or volunteer to quit the show?
My contract says that I can leave the house only after I get evicted. But in case of any major discomfort, I could leave the house.
Nothing was planned, everything happened so fast that even I didn't know I would quit. I am glad that after watching the ups and downs in the house, Bigg Boss let me leave.
So why were you so keen on taking part in this show?
I am a wrestler and have always tried to promote this sport, which is not so popular among women.
I always try to do something different from the rest. Within 15 days of my marriage, I was on Khatron Ke Khiladi instead of my honeymoon. I wanted to create a history by being the first pregnant woman to participate in Bigg Boss.
Plus, I wanted to show other pregnant women that even during pregnancy, you can be calm, look good and be happy in a given situation. After I came out I heard that lot of pregnant women were only watching me to see what I ate and drank, and how I behaved and looked.
'I wanted to create history by becoming the first pregnant woman to participate in Bigg Boss'
You said there was lot of negativity around. From whom all did you get the negative vibes?
I got negative vibes from Pooja Missra. She did not try to gel with anyone and also picked up fights with everyone. I am a jovial person but I am very sensitive and emotional. That is one of the reasons why I tried to stay away from her.
On the whole, what was the experience like?
It was fun; I never expected to enjoy myself so much. Everybody was taking care of me; I was over pampered. Vida would wake up to see my baby bump; Rageshwari would come near my stomach and recite Ganesh shlok, which was really nice of her.
Even Laxmi Narayan Tripati would dance for me and make me happy. Shaktiji (Kapoor) took care of me like his daughter. He is a gentleman. I don't know why there was so much controversy around him.
I would jokingly tell him that people are not able to differentiate between his real and onscreen image. He should have done some more positive roles. At least that would have helped him to get out of that negative image.
What was the reaction of the housemates when you left?
All of them were crying and wished me luck. Most of them liked the eyeliner which I was using so I gave to all of them including Pooja Missra.