POPULAR ACTOR DISCUSSES HIS BIGG BOSS EXPERIENCE AND LADY LOVE JASMIN
by ASJAD NAZIR
HE MAY have hit global news headlines this year for finishing fourth in popular reality show Bigg Boss 14 and dating beautiful actress Jasmin Bhasin, but there is a lot more to Aly Goni. He is a talented actor, who has delivered winning performances in a wide array of projects and someone who has competed well in a range of challenging reality TV shows.
Now with impressive momentum behind him, he is looking to take on more challenges, which means his rapidly growing legion of fans will be seeing a lot more of him.
Eastern Eye caught up with Aly Goni to discuss his Bigg Boss 14 experience, future hopes and much talked about bond with his lady love.
How was your Bigg Boss experience?
Before Bigg Boss, I used to think why do the other contestants say it’s a lifetime experience, but once I went inside the house and witnessed it first hand, I realised it truly is. Being a part of the show was an amazing experience. Performing the tasks as well as doing the household chores made me realise I can do anything if I want to. I made great friends and beautiful memories. I am thankful to the show for making me and Jasmin realise each other’s worth in our lives, and for giving me a great friend and brother, Rahul Vaidya.
OPEN BOOK: Aly Goni
Would you have done anything differently?
No, as I mentioned in the show too, I don’t have any regrets. Even if I was given a second chance, I would have done everything exactly the same way.
What’s the biggest life lesson the show taught you?
The biggest lesson would be to never underestimate yourself and others.
Did you learn anything new about yourself?
Yes! The house showed me that I can control my anger if I want to. I was very short-tempered before the show, but now I know how to calm myself.
What advice would you give anyone going into Bigg Boss 15?
Just be yourself, speak what you like, do things the way you would
do outside. Don’t try to pretend anything, just be yourself.
What is the plan going forward?
I did a music video with Jasmin recently, and am looking forward to
doing more good work, for which my audience can remember me.
What kind of projects are you looking for?
I am looking forward to doing projects where I get to prove my versatility as an actor and get to express different emotions. I wouldn’t mind playing a negative character too.
Do you have a dream role?
My dream was to become an actor and since the day I became one every role is a dream role.
LIVING THE DREAM: Aly Goni
You have done various reality TV shows. Are there any others you would want to do?
I have done Khatron Ke Khiladi, Nach Baliye and Bigg Boss, so I have performed stunts, danced on stage and was locked up in a house for a really long time. If there is a new concept apart from these, then why not.
Your bond with Jasmin Bhasin has been written about a lot. What do you most like about her?
I like everything about her, but I love how she doesn’t shy away from speaking what she feels or showing her emotions.
What does the future hold for you and Jasmin?
We have just begun and have a long way to go.
We learned a lot about you in Bigg Boss 14, but tell us something not many people know about you?
I was an open book in the show, so there’s nothing that my fans did not get to see.
What inspires you?
My family.
Finally, would you give a message to your fans and all those who supported you on Bigg Boss 14?
Thank you for loving me and supporting me unconditionally. I am blessed to have so many well-wishers around me and I hope that you continue to love and support me.
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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