As much as it is associated with thriving friendships and romantic partnerships, Bigg Boss 16 is also known for its conflicts and disagreements. We have even said goodbye to a few BB16 housemates, the most recent being Vikkas Manaktala, as we watch them claw and send hearts in the contentious home.
For those who don’t know, Manaktala and Gautam got into a heated dispute about the former heating water during one of the shows that aired in the final week of December. Priyanka Chahar Choudhary nearly got boiling water all over her body when Archana tossed hot water into hot oil after being upset by his presence in the kitchen.
During the conversation with Vikkas Manaktala, he was asked about this incident and whether he believed Archana Gautam should have been penalised because the hot water may have left a person with scars. When we claimed that Priyanka Chahar Choudhary almost got hot water splashed on her, Vikkas responded, “Mere pe bhi paani gira thi.”
Given that an actor’s face is what gets them roles, was asked if he thought Bigg Boss should have taken strict action against Archana Gautam. Vikkas Manaktala responded, “It was very scary.” “It was splashing in the air and it was quite frightening,” the actor from Left Right Left continued. Priyanka baach gayi makes me incredibly happy. She was this close, with her face and torso both in close proximity (he indicated the distance with his hand). Body pe body, khud ke, kapdo ke upar aaya. Garam paani garam tel ke upar gira tha, sirf garam paani nahi tha. It was absolutely scary.”
“Mujhe toh lagta hai ki zaroor Bigg Boss ko iska stock lena chahiye tha aur iske liye kuch decisions, kuch harsh (choice) hone chahiye the, but…,” says Vikkas, revealing whether or not Archana Gautam deserved to be penalised for the same. “Bigg Boss ka game unki game hai, I don’t know.” When pressed further about the incident, the actor responded, “Yeh joh cheese who kar rahi hai… agar thoda woh thoda responsible hoti toh yeh cheese nahi karti. She was very, very irresponsible. Aur usko shayad abhi bhi samaj nahi aaya ki agar 1% bhi kissi ko lag jata toh uske repercussions kya hota ya consequences kitne galat ho sakte the.”
He added, “I also agree Bigg Boss iske liye bahut strict action lene chahiye tha. Pata nahi usne kyu nahi liya.” Talking about Salman Khan ‘lecturing’ her during the Weekend ka Vaar episode, he said, “I thought it was very unfair. Aisa kabhi nahi hua hai ki kissi ke sath bahur issues hote hai – mere Archana ke saath hua pehle, Shalin ke Stan ke sath hua. Humesha sabke samne sabko remand kiya jaata hai aur resolve kiya jaata hai aur samjhaya jaata hai. Toh mujhe laga ki bahut galat hai ki kahi na kafi uske image ko cushion kiya jaa raha hai aur uske galtiyon ko nazar andaaz kiya jaa raha hai. Aur yeh bilkulhi galat hai. It was a very, very unfair and biased approach.”
When questioned if he believed Archana Gautam’s association with a political party was the reason the producers of Bigg Boss 16 were protecting her reputation, Vikkas Manaktala responded, “I don’t know unke kya reasons hai – yeh toh who log hi bata payenge. However, yeh log zaroor unjust or biassed hai unke taraf.”