JOIN US'I have learnt to take life easy'
Actor and reality show host Akul Balaji, who recently won Bigg Boss Kannada Season 2, says the win feels like a dream come true. “It feels extremely good to have won. A lot of hard work went into it and when I came back to reality, it felt like a dream come true.
The actor has hosted more than a dozen reality shows himself, so how did it feel to become a contestant? “I was surprised when they called me for the first season, but I had a lot of commitments at the time so I had to reject the offer. However, I was just running away so this season I decided to face it and my family supported me. I have always been on the other side and being a contestant was scary,” he says.
He says that it was his family who encouraged him to enter the show. “My wife told me not to run away and that even if I don’t win, it’s okay. She felt I should go and see how it is and come back. When she was asked how she would feel if I joined the show, she said she would be the happiest person. If you have support from home, you can do anything,” he adds.
Akul says he didn’t expect to spend that much time in the Bigg Boss house. “It was a great way to discover myself and take a break from a hectic shooting schedule. After coming out of the house. I checked all the messages that I got, the support I received from people was great.”
Talking about his time in the house, he says, “The initial stages were hard especially the first few weeks. But then I enjoyed myself thoroughly. In between, I would get very irritated because I’m a temperamental person, but I am happy that people have accepted me.”
He adds, “After the show, I have learnt to take life easy. Overcoming a problem is a great realisation and you feel enlightened after that! Now I am more patient.”
The actor/host will next be seen on Pyate Hudgir Halli Lifu Season 3. He says he will be taking back a lot from Sudeep. “I will be getting into Sudeep’s shoes and as a host, he is fantastic.He gave me a lot of inputs. I got a lot of support from him.”
Although he came here to do films, he says it was reality television that gave him support and he will always be indebted to it. “I can never give up on reality television, it is precious to me. It got me really close to the audience and I don’t want to disappoint them. There is a 99 per cent success rate and I get a kick out of that,” he wraps up.