Zaid Darbar says authenticity was the one promise he made to himself before stepping into Alliance. While the reality show tested friendships, alliances and strategies at every turn, he chose to rely on his real personality instead of creating a game persona.
“Main clear tha, agar aap ek character le jate hain andar, there are two personalities which you carry, I feel. To reach the goal, itna aasaan nahi hai. Usme game khilna hota hai, usme logon ke saath game khilna hota hai aur I don’t know meri personality us cheez ko match karti, nahi karti, mujhe nahi pata tha,” says Zaid, adding that rather than changing himself to fit the game, he chose to rely on the person he had always been. “I thought that I am going to take the personality I have always been outside into the house and play my game with full heart.”
Asked if there were any tips or advice from his wife, Gauahar Khan, who has herself been both a contestant and winner of Bigg Boss, Zaid calls her his “tuition teacher for reality shows”. He says she never blindly sided with him but always gave him honest, objective advice, even when he was wrong. “She gave me two simple pieces of advice: ‘Just be yourself’ and ‘don’t abuse’.” Recalling her words, he shares, “She said, just be true to yourself. Automatically people are going to love you for what you are, and I have that much trust that I know people will love you for what you are.”
During his journey on the show, Zaid also found himself standing by fellow contestant Kushal Tandon on several occasions. Asked what made him continue supporting Kushal even after the latter’s comments about Gauahar, the actor admits it was frustrating when fellow contestants repeatedly approached him with comments and warnings about Kushal. According to him, it was evident that some contestants were trying to create a rift between them and influence his perception.
{{/usCountry}}During his journey on the show, Zaid also found himself standing by fellow contestant Kushal Tandon on several occasions. Asked what made him continue supporting Kushal even after the latter’s comments about Gauahar, the actor admits it was frustrating when fellow contestants repeatedly approached him with comments and warnings about Kushal. According to him, it was evident that some contestants were trying to create a rift between them and influence his perception.
{{/usCountry}}Asked why he continued to stand by Kushal despite viewers feeling the support wasn’t always reciprocated, Zaid says he simply couldn’t bring himself to dislike him, even though other contestants repeatedly tried to influence his opinion.
Recalling a conversation with Sohail Khan, Zaid shares, “Main Sohail bhai ko hamesha bolta tha, ‘Yaar Sohail bhai, main isse na literally hate karna chahta hoon, but ho nahi paata mujhse.’ Toh Sohail bhai ne mujhe bola, ‘Aapka dil na maa jaisa hai.’” He adds, “This was whenever I used to get frustrated about someone coming and telling me about Kushal. Kyunki yeh toh mujhe dikh raha tha saaf ki woh log make sure kar rahe the… ki we don’t go to him. But woh log bahut zyada make sure kar rahe the, that I understand that, you know, you can be played well.”