Social media influencer and national-level weightlifter Rajat Dalal became the second runner-up of Salman Khan’s controversial reality show Bigg Boss 18. While Karan Veer Mehra lifted the trophy and took home Rs 50 lakh cash prize, Vivian Dsena was announced as the first runner-up during the grand finale which took place on Sunday (January 19).
Post the finale shoot in Mumbai, Rajat interacted with media persons, who asked if he thinks Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav is the reason behind his elimination from the show. However, Rajat said Elvish is his ‘brother’ and he is even above the Bigg Boss trophy for him.
For those unversed, Elvish, a popular YouTuber, had entered the Bigg Boss 18 house to support Rajat. During one of the episodes when the media was called to interview the celebrities who came to support the contestants, including Elvish, the YouTuber had an ugly spat with journalists as he called them ‘paid media’ for allegedly grilling him and supporting other contestants like Karan and Chum Darang.
Now, after Rajat came out of the house, he was asked if he thinks Elvish is the reason why he didn’t win the show. To this, he replied, “I was inside the Bigg Boss house. I will have a clear picture of things now that I have come out. Aapko agar kuch bhi lagta hai toh lagta rahe, main kuch nahi kar sakta usme.”
Further praising Elvish, Rajat told media persons, “Elvish mera bhai hai, jeevan bhar bhai hi rahega. Ek trophy bhai se upar toh hai nahi. Mujhe pata hai na mera bhaichaara kaisa hai. Aapke kehne se jo humari yaadein hai, humara rishta hai, uspe thodi na koi farak padega (Elvish is my brother and will remain my brother for life. A trophy is not above our bond. I know what kind of brotherhood we share. What you say cannot change the memories we have or the relationship we share).”
Rajat was asked about his opinion on the Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner calling the journalists who entered the Bigg Boss 18 house ‘paid media.’ Reacting to the Elvish vs media controversy, Rajat reportedly stated, “Maine nahi bola na. Bhai (Elvish) ko laga hoga. Bhai ne bol diya hoga (I did not say it. Elvish Yadav must have felt it. He must have said it).”
Elvish was actively rooting for Rajat on social media and the YouTuber had also asked fans to vote for him. Not just that but he had also announced gifts worth Rs 1.5 crore to their fans if Rajat had won the show.
