Tanishaa Mukerji calls Bigg Boss a game of manipulation, says she was brainwashed into relationship with Armaan Kohli

Tanishaa Mukerji says Bigg Boss producers created situations that encouraged emotional bonds between contestants.

Bigg Boss has often been a breeding ground for drama, unexpected romances and relationships that keep viewers hooked. During the seventh season of the reality show, actor Tanishaa Mukerji, sister of Kajol, grew close to fellow contestant Armaan Kohli. Years later, Tanishaa has opened up about the relationship in a recent podcast, describing Bigg Boss as a game of manipulation and claiming she was ‘brainwashed’ into getting involved with Armaan.

Tanishaa Mukerji and Armaan Kohli participated in Bigg Boss 7.

Tanishaa Mukerji on relationship with Armaan Kohli

In a chat with YouTube channel Unfolding Humans, Tanishaa said she had entered Bigg Boss without fully understanding what she was getting into. She admitted that she had been naive and unprepared for the experience, adding that people should approach the reality show with a better understanding of the show. She also said that relationships and friendships in life stem from karmic connections and advised people to be cautious while participating in Bigg Boss.

She explained that the Bigg Boss team puts people in certain situations to make two people feel like a team and loyal to each other. Tanishaa added, "They manipulate you into these things. They put you together in dump situations, in jail together, so again you are sympathising with each other over your misery. All these experiences build fake emotions in you which are not really yours. The emotions that have been built up are because of the experiences you have had together, which, again, you didn’t choose to have. These are the situations determined by the people controlling the game show. These are the things I realised later."

She claimed that the makers subsequently placed her and Armaan in the same team, creating more opportunities for them to interact. Tanishaa said she felt an immediate sense of familiarity with Armaan Kohli because he, too, came from a film industry family. She added that she found it easy to be around him because he had a film industry vibe that nobody else in the house shared.

She added, "And then the situations put us into those moments where there was a lot of trauma bonding. After I came out, I had to go to a psychiatrist. It took me six months to break out of Bigg Boss brainwashing. You have to be very careful when you go into these reality shows, and today kids are a lot more sorted. I think it is because of the background I come from, as I was living in a bubble. I was in a very live-and-let-live, easy space. I didn’t experience manipulation until I entered the Bigg Boss house."

About Tanishaa Mukerji and Armaan Kohli

Armaan and Tanishaa's relationship began during their stint on Bigg Boss 7 in 2013. Their closeness on the reality show, including their romantic moments frequently made headlines. After the show ended, the couple continued to be linked romantically, with Armaan describing Tanishaa as an important part of his life. However, their relationship ended in 2014, after dating for about a year. Tanishaa later said that they were very different people with different ideologies.