Abhilash Thapliyal and the team of Aspirants reunited for the third season, which began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from March 13. He returned as Shwetketu Jha in the iconic TVF (The Viral Fever) show.
Before its release, Abhilash, Naveen Kasturia and Shivankit Singh Parihar collaborated with Bigg Boss 19‘s finalist Tanya Mittal for an interesting promotional video. In an exclusive interview, Thapliyal admitted that he did not know who she was before meeting her on the set. Amused by her love for baklava strictly from Dubai, the actor was also surprised to see the fan following she enjoys on social media.
Abhilash Thapliyal did not know Tanya Mittal
Talking to Zoom, Abhilash said, “Humne ke saath ek sketch kiya. Hum jab normal Reel daalte hai toh kuch nahi hota. Yeh Tanya Mittal ke video pe 4,000 comments aa rahe hai. Mujhe pata nahi tha voh Tanya Mittal hai. I met her and asked what projects have you done. She said Bigg Boss 19 aur voh apni silver colour ki bottle leke aayi thi. Voh boli main sirf isi mein paani peeti hu aur Dubai se baklava khati hu. Humare sketch mein baklava tha.”
(Translation: We did a sketch with Tanya Mittal. When we put out a reel, the response is okayish. But, for the video with Tanya, we got over 4000 comments. I did not know she was Tanya Mittal. I met her and asked what projects have you done. She said Bigg Boss 19. She had her silver bottle and said that she drinks water only from that and buys baklava from Dubai. Our sketch had baklava.)
Abhilash Thapliyal on Tanya Mittal’s fan following
He added, “For a show like Aspirants, which is so different from Bigg Boss, you are doing this to get numbers. Business aisi hi chalta hai. I was shocked. Bigg Boss contestant hai aur unke bade saare followers hai. Humko pata nahi hai kyunki dekhte nahi hai. Main social media khol raha hu, 1,000 comments aur kitne hazaaron likes. Business ab aise hi chal raha hai.”
(Translation: For a show like Aspirants, which is so different from Bigg Boss, you are doing this to get numbers. This is how business functions now. I was shocked. She was a Bigg Boss contestant and has a strong following. I did not know because I’ve never watched that show. When I opened Instagram, I got to see thousands of comments and likes. Business works like this now.)
Abhilash Thapliyal rejects Bigg Boss offers
Abhilash revealed that he was offered for many years, but he chose not to do it. “Mujhe bohot saare calls aaye Bigg Boss ke liye 2017 se ab tak, lekin abhi toh bilkul nahi karna. Voh format alag hai aur meri aspirations alag hai. My trajectory is very different right now, so abhi toh nahi. Tabhi bhi zyada interested nahi tha, abhi bhi nahi hu. Comments toh bohot aate hai Bigg Boss walon ko, yeh main samajh gaya,” he signed off.
(Translation: I received many calls for Bigg Boss. Since 2017 till now. But I don’t want to do that show right now. My aspirations are different from what the show has to offer. My trajectory is very different right now, so I would not be keen on doing it. Back then, too, I wasn’t interested in signing it. I have understood that Bigg Boss contestants get a lot of likes and comments on social media.)