Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 12 (ANI): From being a contestant on the fourth season of the popular youth-based reality show Roadies in 2006 to returning as a gang leader in its 21st season, Bani J has certainly come a long way.
Her comeback has struck a nostalgic chord with fans, many of whom are thrilled to see her back on Roadies in a new avatar. However, her presence has also drawn criticism from a section of social media users, who have questioned her approach to judging a few contestants during the auditions in recent episodes.
In one of the episodes of MTV Roadies Rebirth, gang leader Bani J had a heated confrontation with a contestant who wrote on his audition form that he wanted to ban the word "aurat" (woman). Bani's reaction did not go down well with several netizens.
While differences in opinion are natural, targeting Bani with a barrage of negative and hateful comments is certainly not acceptable. In a recent interview with ANI, Bani opened up about the online negativity she has been facing.
"I can't deal with it (social media). Main toh apna account deactivate karne wali hoon. Mera yeh haal aa gaya hai," she said.
Drawing a parallel with her current experience on Roadies, Bani recalled how her Bigg Boss stint brought her immense love and appreciation from fans nearly a decade ago. However, she admitted that despite the largely positive response, the sudden fame and heightened public attention had left her feeling overwhelmed. She now finds herself dealing with a different kind of online attention, with criticism surrounding her stint as a gang leader on Roadies.
"Even after Bigg Boss, it was like too overwhelming for me. That was exactly 10 years ago. That was the last reality show I did. I was a lot younger also, but it was so much for me. Itna exposure ho gaya tha ki mujhe bas laga ki I want to crawl into a shell aur main chahti hoon koi meri shakal na dekhe, mere baare mein na sune, na mere na mere baare mein koi baat kare. It was so overwhelming. And for one whole year, I didn't work after Bigg Boss. I had to deactivate my social media once I came out. Aur us waqt toh saara bohot positive aa raha tha meri taraf. Itna saara pyaar aa raha tha, and I went to meet-and-greet in the UK. And I met so many fans everywhere I went. Because Bigg Boss ki following toh kuch aur hi hoti hai. It is just next level. And this was 10 years ago," Bani recalled.
'Toh imagine karo ki agar us time 10 saal pehle mujhe itna itna zyada laga tha aur itna positive pyaar bhari cheezein aa rahi thi meri taraf, and that I couldn't handle, toh imagine abhi meri haalat kya ho rahi hai jab itna negativity ke saath log mujhe spam kar rahe hai. There's literally a lot...(netizens) sab aake mujhe itni band baja rahe mere comments mein. It's too much for me. I can't handle it at all. I keep asking my manager everyday, 'Can I deactivate my social media? Can I please?'," Bani said, opening up about how deeply the online backlash has affected her.
No doubt, MTV Roadies Rebirth has been generating considerable buzz among audiences, and Bani has managed to grab the spotlight. Whether people agree or disagree with her, she has become one of the most talked-about faces of the season.
When asked about her feelings on returning to Roadies after so many years, Bani admitted that the experience was deeply nostalgic and emotional for her. She recalled how her first day at the Delhi auditions, which also involved a press interaction before the shoot, brought back a flood of memories.
Bani shared that while the idea of returning to the show as a gang leader sounded exciting in theory, meeting familiar faces in person made the moment much more emotional. She recalled reuniting with former co-contestants and people associated with the show, including Prince Narula, Rannvijay Singha, and Nikhil Chinapa.
"Nostalgic bahut..I had a full-blown flashback to when I was 18 years old and had met all these people for the first time. It became very emotional for me because I realised that 20 years ago, my mother and grandparents were around, they had watched me on the show, and I was living in Chandigarh. I was dealing with a lot of emotions in that moment, and it was a very emotional experience for me. Being back on the Roadies journey brought back many of those memories, which had always been on my mind,” she shared. (ANI)
