This reality show was an attempt to be zara hatke. Delhi guy Puneesh Sharma became a part of it, and had to stay on an island with minimal facilities for almost four months. There were no cellphones and the co-participants weren’t all that cordial to live with ‘coz they bitched and backstabbed each other to win. Puneesh beat all that to win a whopping Rs 1 crore as the prize money. When we caught up with Puneesh after his win, he was on cloud nine. “I’m on top of the world. This is my moment of glory. I wanted to win but I wasn’t sure if I would,” Puneesh said. He says that the show hasn’t made him just a crorepati but a mini celeb too.“People recognise me now and they even run after me. It feels great. I am a mini celebrity!” says a very thrilled Puneesh. Mini celeb toh ho gaya, poora celebrity kab banega, we ask him. “I’m looking forward to working on TV and getting promoted from being a mini celeb to a celeb,” pat comes his reply. No films? “I want to play a gangster in a movie ,” he says. Any offers yet? “No! And that’s because everybody thinks that I am still on the island,” he adds.
Was it difficult for a businessman like him to stay on an island without any technology and just the basic facilities? “It was very difficult to adjust to a life of that sort. Survival was tough. I was used to a comfortable life, but on the island, we had to do everything on our own – from cleaning to making bridges!” he recalls.
And now that he’s back, has he gotten back to his previous life? “Re-adjusting to the lifestyle in Delhi took some time. I find cellphones irritating now. They disturb my peace and calm. I’ve stopped taking things for granted. Earlier, I didn’t know mujh me kitna dum hai. Now, I know my strengths and weaknesses. I can live under any circumstances now.”
Remembering his days on the island, he says that the toughest was to walk on coals. “I was sceptical about walking on coals, but because I wanted to be the best, I kept trying. I finally did it – I was burnt, blistered and bruised, but I kept going on,” Puneesh says. Once back from the island, he has been watching the episodes of Sarkaar Ki Duniya on Real and surfing his name on the net. “Whenever I watch myself, I think what I could’ve done better. I also realised that the I love the camera and the camera loves me back. I’ve been browsing for my name on the web and I come across both fan and hate mail. But that’s part of being a public figure, some hate you and some love you,” says Puneesh.
And the winner of the show puts fame over money. “Money wasn’t what made me participate, it was the fame, and the zeal to be the best man on the show, that encouraged me. Along with fame, I’ve won some friends for life too – Kazi, Rashid, Neeru, Riya,” says Puneesh. What next? “I’m going to send my parents on a one-month holiday to some phoren destination where they can relax. Then I’ll go on a holiday with my girlfriend and friends,” he says. Quite a plan, we say!
source: Times of India
