I’m not at all happy coming out of the show: Upen Patel

Unlike most ­contestants, who feel relieved after being evicted from the ongoing reality show Bigg Boss, where one has to stay locked up and incommunicado with family for weeks in a house, actor Upen Patel is shocked at his ­sudden ­eviction.

Unlike most ­contestants, who feel relieved after being evicted from the ongoing reality show Bigg Boss, where one has to stay locked up and incommunicado with family for weeks in a house, actor Upen Patel is shocked at his ­sudden ­eviction.

Upen-shared-a-special-bond-with-Karishma-Tanna-before-he-was-voted-out-of-Bigg-Boss-8-in-mid-week-evictions

"I’m not at all happy coming out of the show in its 15th week. I thought I will go till the end but I guess even though I was popular among the people inside the house, possibly I was not so popular with the audience... that’s all I can conclude," says the London-based Bollywood actor, who has in the past acted in films including 36 China Town (2006), Namastey London (2007) and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009).

The 34-year-old was often snubbed on the weekend episodes of the show by host Salman Khan — either for his "unsporting" attitude or for his broken Hindi accent. Prodded if he ever felt bogged down by such taunts, Patel says, "On Saturdays, we’d look for ­advice from Salman but ­sometimes he’d pull ­people down, which was a little demotivating at times, but I guess he was just doing his job. And to be fair, at this phase in this show where every minute friends turn ­enemies, and back, each of us got snappy."

Meanwhile, Patel has brushed aside his linkup rumours with co-contestant Karishma Tanna. "We are very good friends. Sometimes one has to go above the game. You can’t be bothered all the time about your game. Bigg Boss is just a voice after all, and not some person. This is just a role playing game," says Patel, who’s now looking forward to the release of his multilingual film.