‘Ashmit did NOT know Ali or Sara before Bigg Boss! He is clean’

Even as Ali Merchant and Sara Khan are all set to tie the knot on live television tonight (November 10) on Bigg Boss, rumours are afloat that the couple has been married from a year now. Moreover, reports state that the couple has been good friends with Ashmit Patel from a long time and that the trio had a dinner meeting before Ashmit and Sara entered Bigg Boss.

Strongly refuting the latter part of the rumours, Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar said, “I don’t know if Ali Merchant and Sara Khan had a registered marriage (as reported) last year or not! What I do know is that Ashmit has had no such meeting with Ali or Sara ever. And I can personally vouch for that.”

The PR specialist also denied that Ashmit has been friends with the couple before the show. “To the best of my knowledge and from what I have gathered from Ashmit’s family, friends and managing team, Ashmit hasn’t even known either Ali or Sara in person, before he entered Bigg Boss.”

So with the record set straight from Ashmit’s side and the Bollywood actor being out of the scheme of things, it now remains to be seen, how true the Ali-Sara marriage rumour is!

‘If girls are falling for Ashmit, it’s not his fault!’

While Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel is being cornered by many in and outside the Bigg Boss House, for being extra cozy with television actress Sara Khan and Pakistani starlet Veena Malik, the actor’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar doesn’t seem to be evading the issue either.

Admitting that Ashmit has gone in Bigg Boss with an agenda to promote his career, the publicist denied rumours that his ‘casanova image’ has been engineered. “The allegations about things being stage-managed are untrue. Ashmit is a cool dude. If girls are falling for him, it’s not his fault. We have witnessed in the show that Ashmit has hardly made any advances. It’s always been the girls,” Bhagwagar pointed out. “If a girl seeks warmth, it’s natural for a man to respond and Ashmit should not be blamed for reciprocating,” he said.

Meanwhile, the relationships in the Bigg Boss House are getting more and more entangled than ever. While Shweta Tiwari’s conflict with Dolly Bindra continues, the late-night bitching sessions between Manoj Tiwari and Hrishant Goswami are also being gossiped. And as Ali Merchant gears to wed Sara Khan, Hrishant Goswami has made it clear to Veena Malik that she can have his friendship, but shouldn’t expect romance.

Sarcastic Ashmit confronts unruly Dolly!

Just like a matador would take a bull by its horns, Ashmit Patel confronted ‘the’ Dolly Bindra, even if it was over petty matters in the Bigg Boss House.

 

While Dolly kept close to her typical style of shouting and screaming, Ashmit coolly kept pulling her leg. When her terms like ‘frustrated’ and ‘loner’ didn’t seem to rattle Ashmit, Dolly finally called him a “psychic”.

 

She expected Ashmit to flare up, but to her surprise, he corrected her English, saying, she probably meant “psycho.” At this point, Dolly could hardly bear Ashmit’s sarcasm and remarked on the words ‘Rehab is for Quitters’ written on his T-shirt. She told Ashmit he should be in rehab, least realizing that once again her salvo would go against her argument, simply because she couldn’t understand the line on his T. And yeah, Ashmit didn’t quit either!

 

It was a sight to watch, especially as Ashmit, being the House Captain, was standing up for many, who would love to see a match to the unruly Dolly.

 

While Veena Malik, Sara Khan and Ali Merchant stayed neutral to the panga, Manoj Tiwari later told Ashmit, “Aise logon ke mooh lagna theek nahin,” meaning, “It’s not good to argue with such people.” Meanwhile, outside the House, Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar termed the Bollywood actor’s panga with Dolly Bindra as “his Diwali gift to his fans.”

 

Is Veena Malik double-faced?

We’ve all seen Pakstani starlet Veena Malik kiss, hug, cuddle, fondle, caress and openly flirt with Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel in Bigg Boss. But in a sudden twist of events, throwing out of the window, the so-called culture, ethics and tehzeeb she often speaks about, Veena now says, it was Hrishant Goswami who she was really after, claiming that Ashmit Patel was taking advantage of her.

 

“How can Veena say that about Ashmit, especially after the nation has watched her doing all those things to him on camera,” asks Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar. “It seems, Veena has been enticing Ashmit for fun and playing with his emotions as if he were a toy boy. If that’s the case, she’s double-faced and it’s not fair,” he added.

 

Wonder if Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif (who once fell for Veena’s charms) would love to second that!

 

After all, the Pakistani starlet has indeed been repeatedly caught on camera, chasing, wooing and caressing Ashmit in the Bigg Boss House lawns, giving him a head massage, fondling and cuddling him under the quilt on a bean bag at nights, sensually dancing for him in the kitchen and mischievously playing with him outside the washroom; to the extent of scandalously nudging him with her butt. Now strangely, conspiring with Dolly Bindra, Veena is ‘blaming’ Ashmit for the advances she has made herself.

 

While Veena’s raunchy behaviour with Ashmit is in question, the Bollywood actor has been managing the situation with admirable dignity. In Veena’s presence, he even asked Sara Khan on the show, “Main kya koi Teddy Bear hoon, ke jo bhi aaye, squeeze karke chale jaaye? Mere koi emotions, jazbaat, feelings nahin? Main bhi ek insaan hoon.”

 

Veena stings Sara as Ashmit sleeps!

We all know that things have been rollicking between Ashmit Patel and Sara Khan, but no one had imagined that Veena ‘Vishkanya’ Malik might have had a stinging agenda, throwing in a spanner in the Ashmit-Sara romance.

The starlet from Pakistan may tom-tom about her values, ethics and self-respect when slamming her ex-boyfriend Mohammad Asif, but when it came to Ashmit Patel, Veena didn’t even seem to bother how her colleague Sara would feel, if she found out about her stinging escapade with Ashmit in the darkness of 5am.

When Bigg Boss gave Ashmit and Veena a task to welcome Diwali, the festival of lights, by making sure some diyas kept burning throughout the night besides the House pool, Sara probably sensed danger and wasn’t willing to leave Ashmit alone with Veena. But House captain Manoj Tiwari along with Hrishant Goswami intervened and sent the chirpy Sara to bed, little knowing that some hidden flames were waiting to flare.

Night cameras caught Veena cuddling the Patel boy like a baby while fondling and caressing him with love, as they lied covered on a bean bag. But just as Veena’s fondness seemed to grow into possessiveness, an innocent and tired Ashmit dosed off in her arms.

It was a sight which shocked the viewers, but Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar said, he isn’t surprised. “I’ve always maintained that Veena Malik is a drama queen. She is not what she says she is,” he remarked and sarcastically added, “Just as some people can never change, some flames cannot be extinguished.”

“Who is Adit?” asks Viveka Babajee’s family

On the day of supermodel Viveka Babajee’s death (June 25, 2010), in a message sent to her on Facebook, her boyfriend Gautam Vora had mentioned, “Adit and myself have been trying to call u to see if you are ok, please acknowledge, even if with a simple “yes” as a reply to this. Your phone is off. We are worried. Please get in touch asap.”

Viveka Babajee’s family spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar has revealed that the Babajee family has requested the Police to find out who ‘Adit’ is and if he should also be questioned, or undergo the DNA tests recently conducted on Gautam Vora and Viveka’s ex-business partner Kartik Jobanputra.

“The family has taken up the matter with the Police and are awaiting the investigations to get over for further course of action,” stated Bhagwagar.

The DNA tests were conducted on Vora and Jobanputra after reports from the forensic department, stating that human DNA was found under the fingernails of the supermodel whose body was discovered four months ago under mysterious circumstances; hanging from a ceiling fan in her house.

A few hours before her body was discovered, a harried Viveka was reported to have called her friend Tina Chatwal, a Delhi-based model. “Since Tina was said to be one of the two persons Viveka called before her demise, her family is also keen to know if Tina’s statements have been recorded,” said Bhagwagar.

In his statement to the Police and Court, Viveka’s boyfriend Gautam Vora (who was said to be the last person to have visited her, the night before the incident), denied a relationship with the supermodel, claiming she was ‘just a friend’. The Babajee’s family had alleged that Vora had lied about his relationship with Viveka to the Police as well as the Court, and through their spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar, released seven photographs of Gautam with Viveka, which proved beyond doubt that the couple were in a serious relationship.

“A few weeks ago, Viveka’s mother, Mrs Dayawanti Babajee, returned to Mauritus (her homeland) with a heavy heart. The family wants the truth to prevail. They want Viveka ex-boyfriend Gautam Vora to confess to the Police about what exactly happened in the last meeting on the fateful night before the incident, because it seems to them that there is much more than what meet the eye about the death of Viveka Babajee,” added Bhagwagar.

 

Related links for reference:

1st Official Statement from Viveka Babajee’s family, read out by their spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar on July 1, 2010.

2nd Official Statement from Viveka Babajee’s family, read out by their spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar on July 4, 2010.

Article in OPEN Magagine

Dolly Bindra turns desi Jade Goody!

Bigg Boss participant Dolly Bindra is trying to ape ex-Big Brother participant Jade Goody feels publicist Dale Bhagwagar, who has handled the media for Shilpa Shetty through the thick and thin of the international Big Brother racism controversy two years ago.

Showering shocking insults on co-participant Shweta Tiwari on the reality show, Dolly seems to have taken the easiest way to national fame. But Bhagwagar says, “such publicity could haunt her for the rest of her life.”

 

“Instead of using nasty gimmicks to catch attention, Dolly could have opted to win the love of participants in the House. But sadly, she seems to have made a completely different choice,” remarks the PR specialist.

 

He feels that this “bitter flavour” of downright negative publicity has got Dolly “her 15 minutes of fame, but can be excruciatingly tormenting for her psyche later on in life.”

 

That’s exactly what had happened with Jade Goody. After her slanderous attacks on Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother, Jade got instant worldwide recognition for all the wrong reasons. When she came out of the show, Jade realized, her countrymen had abhorred her behaviour and shunned her. “It was scary. She had become a cult figure for hate throughout the United Kingdom,” recalls Bhagwagar.

 

Let’s see, if Dolly realizes her folly, before it’s too late. We can only hope that good sense prevails on her and she doesn’t end up like Jade Goody.

 

‘Dolly Bindra is an earthquake!’

Sara Khan puts Ali Merchant in jeopardy!

Indicating that her emotions for Bollywood actor Ashmit Patel in the reality show Bigg Boss are genuine, television’s princess Sara Khan (of Bidaai fame) was captured on camera, confiding in co-participant Shweta Tiwari that she was through with her boyfriend Ali Merchant. “I have dignity and I am not the type to say such things for the sake of TRPs,” she quipped on the show, signaling Ali’s exit from her life.

It can be recalled that last week, Ali Merchant went to town giving interviews to the media, stating that the Ashmit-Sara romance on Bigg Boss was stage-managed by the Colors channel, with deliberate intentions of boosting their viewership. Squarely blaming the broadcaster for fooling the public in the name of a reality show, Ali had alleged, “Sara’s footage with Ashmit is specially being highlighted in a bid to create extra masala to spice up the show to increase the TRPs.”

 

When asked, if he felt threatened or insecure about Ashmit, he had asserted, “Our relationship is pure and things will definitely smoothen when Sara gets back from the show. I am 200 percent sure that nothing is happening between them (Ashmit and Sara). He (Ashmit) should back off and not meddle in other people’s matters.”

 

Now, with Sara revealing on Bigg Boss that she feels Ali had been double-timing her (she even narrated instances of her catching him red-handed) the situation has taken a complete U-turn. Sara stated that she does not intend to continue her relationship with Ali on her return from the show, and this has put Ali in the most embarrassing situation of his personal life. Not only has he lost his girlfriend, but he has also lost face in public. Plus, since Ali has already bad-mouthed the channel in the media, his chances of appearing on Bigg Boss too, seem bleak.

 

But Ali has found a sympathizer in the most unlikely person. Ashmit Patel’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar, feels sorry for Sara’s ex. “Ali miscalculated when he attempted to get the media on his side, while an upset Sara is still in the House; seen and heard on national television every day. Probably, he was ill-advised and he chose to jump to conclusions before time, ending up looking like a PR disaster. Hope he intelligently gets over the crisis situation now,” said the PR specialist.

 

 

 

Non-smoker Neetu Chandra has 28 cigarettes in a day!

Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra who is in Pattaya, Thailand, shooting for Tamil industry’s showman Ameer Sultan’s film ‘Aadhi Bhagavan’ is down with a curious case of introduction to smoking.

 

Neetu who plays the leading lady in the Kollywood film opposite Southern superstar Jayam Ravi, had to enact a scene, wherein her character smokes a lot. Though initially, this was a serious issue for the non-smoker that Neetu is, she decided to give it her best shot simply for the sake of professionalism.

 

While director Ameer taught her how to hold a cigarette in different ways, Neetu ended up indulging herself with 28 cigarettes before the scene was finally okayed.

 

“It was fun,” Neetu laughed after the day’s shoot. She wouldn’t have, if she knew that by the time this piece would go in print, she’d be taking medicines for a sore throat!!

 

 

Veena Malik attacks Ashmit Patel

After placing match-fixing allegations on ex-boyfriend and Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif and unceremoniously dragging Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra’s name in the international cricket scandal, Pakistani starlet Veena Malik seems to have surprisingly turned her attention towards Bigg Boss co-participant Ashmit Patel this week.

Ashmit, a favourite with girls on the reality show, has currently been given a kitchen task of cleaning dishes in the Bigg Boss House. But when he stressed on cleanliness of utensils, out of the blue, Veena suddenly lashed out at him. “Aap ko bahut shaq hai baat karne ka, aur main yahan pe relax kar rahi hoon… Go….  Apna kaam karo… mujhpe ehsaan kar rahe ho kya.” When Ashmit started to leave the argument, saying he’s going for a workout, Veena shouted at him again, “Meri bala se workout karo… I don’t care,” she shot and added, “Jhoothe bartan dhota hai, toh khana bhi toh khata hai.

 

From the looks of it, Veena gives more significance to tiffs over emotions of the co-participants on the show. Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar agrees. “Veena is just a drama queen. She talks about tehzeeb (etiquette) and integrity, but seems to do everything for effect,” he remarked.

Undoubtedly, Veena’s attention-seeking antics are questionable, but the irony is that such cocky behaviour has also come to be known as a necessary evil for reality shows, so it has to be tolerated by the other participants. “Ashmit is a responsible person. He might get upset on the spur of the moment, but I’m sure he will get over this volley of words and bounce back with dignity,” Bhagwagar added.

 

It will be interesting to watch how far Veena’s ‘stings’ (she’s been nicknamed Vishkanya on the show) will take her on Bigg Boss. As far as the viewers are concerned, they seem to be lapping up every bit of the drama, as much as they are enjoying host Salman Khan’s dabangg moves and jibes.

 

‘Ashmit-Sara romance NOT stage-managed’

Reacting to claims by television star Sara Khan’s ex-boyfriend Ali Merchant that the Ashmit PatelSara Khan romance in ‘Bigg Boss’ is ‘stage-managed’ by the television channel airing it, Ashmit’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar has said, “Ashmit is just being himself on the show. Nothing about him is fake or stage-managed. Even if his emotions were to be manipulated by someone on the show, he wouldn’t know it.”

Meanwhile, giving interviews against the channel airing the reality show, Ali Merchant has alleged that the broadcaster is deliberately trying to project the Ashmit-Sara ‘relationship’ as a ‘romance’ by showing selective footage to the viewers. “All that gets the channel the TRPs,” Ali has stated. It is surprising that Ali has chosen to adopt this anti-broadcaster stand, inspite of the ‘Bidaai’ fame actress publicly denouncing her relationship with him and bidding bidaai to Ali on the show, while professing her love for Ashmit.

“Since it’s a reality show and almost everything’s on camera, it’s a very tricky situation for all involved,” admitted Bhagwagar. “I understand how embarrassing a situation this is for Ali. I sympathize with him as it must be a PR nightmare for him. After the show, if he goes back to Sara, he would be looked upon as a weak man. If Sara goes back to him, her character could come in question. It’s a complete catch-22 situation, but since we are also talking emotions here, it’s not correct for Ali to blatantly blame the TV channel for his personal break-up,” the publicist added.

 

As far as Ashmit goes, it’s evident from the show, that the debonair is taking things at face value and as they come. No doubt, the Bollywood actor’s approach to Sara’s moves has been responsible and dignified. And that is also one of the reasons he’s emerged a favourite with girls on and off the show.