Bigg Boss 9

After a week of standing for what she believes in, Bigg Boss 9 housemate Mandana Karimi got loads of accolades for her looks too.

Actor Shahid Kapoor who entered the Bigg Boss House with Alia Bhatt for the promotion of Shaandaar, told the housemates that people outside are quite enamoured by Mandana’s looks. Akash Soni, senior anchor from IBN 7, Delhi, broke into a Persian poetry song for her and called Mandana “the only realistic and honest person in the House.”

Even Sonam Kapoor, who joined Salman for the promotion of their movie Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, judged Mandana her favourite. She praised the Iranian import for improving her Hindi and making good rajma (kidney beans) on the show.

As if that was not enough, actor Ayushmann Khurrana who was also a guest on the weekend episodes, applauded her for “understanding the Bigg Boss game and planning the best.” Salman retorted in jest that Ayushmann was calling her “manipulative” and “scheming”, but Mandana said that going by the format of the show, she takes Ayushmann’s comment as a compliment.

“I have asked Mandana to be herself on the show; but expressive and assertive in difficult times. And that is exactly how she is facing the situations inside. Am proud of her grit and determination,” tweeted her publicist Dale Bhagwagar.

“We have seen the brainy and strong side of Mandana, but she also has a very emotional as well as glamourous side,” he revealed on social media, indicating that she is still an unexplored package on Bigg Boss.

Meanwhile, the highlights of the next episode showed the gutsy gal countering her partner Keith Sequeira, who she is tied up with. “I’m not going to get brainwashed by you,” she was heard telling Keith during a task.

In a surprising turn of events, the third day at Bigg Boss 9 House turned out to be the day of the lady. And what a lady she has turned out to be. Iranian import Mandana Karimi who has begun her innings in Bollywood, unexpectedly emerged the new woman of substance.

The hottest face of BB9, subtly put everyone from Suyyash Rai and his girlfriend Kishwar Merchant, her tied-up partner Keith Sequeira’s girlfriend Rochelle Rao, Aman Verma and Prince Narula in place just in a day.

She reminded Keith and Suyyash to converse in Hindi (as per the rule of Bigg Boss) and requested Keith to ask his girlfriend to “chill” about their partnership. All this prompted Keith to caringly tell her that she may make enemies in the House if she continues to put her foot down. But that hardly stopped a strong Mandana, who immediately confronted Suyyash for taunting about her foreign accent.

“I have always maintained that one should expect the unexpected from Mandana. She may be a lovely and ravishing looking lady, but those are not the only qualities she has. Mandana is gritty, gutsy, emotional, sharp and intelligent — a lethal mix for Bigg Boss,” says her publicist Dale Bhagwagar, who has earlier handled the hype and hoopla for Shilpa Shetty during the international racism controversy in UK’s Big Brother.

So was his brief to Mandana similar to that of Shilpa? “It is not at all fair to compare two individuals. Their minds, backgrounds and personalities are very different. However, I have to admit that I’ve given certain similar tips,” says the PR specialist who has looked after promotions and crisis management for a full 20 controversial names which have appeared on Bigg Boss since the first Season.

Dale reveals, “I’ve asked Mandana to always stand for whatever she believes in and stand firmly. Bigg Boss is a reality show where everything gets magnified manifold. Mandana’s thoughts are clear, but she is still working on her Hindi, and her accent. So to make up for that drawback, I’ve asked her to never shy from expressing her thoughts and emotions.”

Apart from Mandana, the public relations man has handled the media for some of the most controversial Bigg Boss names like Rakhi Sawant, Kashmera Shah, Sambhavna Seth, Sherlyn Chopra, Pooja Misrra, Diana Hayden, Shamita Shetty, Vindu Dara Singh, Zulfi Syed, Ashmit Patel, Salil Ankola, Upen Patel, Anita Advani, Amar Upadhyay, Aarya Babbar, Sonali Raut, Rahul Mahajan. This Season, he is also looking after the publicity for Vikas Bhalla and Aman Verma.