TV actor Gautam Gulati was tonight crowned the winner of the eighth season of reality TV show Bigg Boss Halla Bol beating four other contestants in the grand finale after his stay in the house for 132 days.
The show, initially hosted by Salman Khan, was extended for a month with director Farah Khan taking over as host.
Khan handed the trophy and Rs5 million (Dh295,000) as prize money to Gulati.
“I cannot believe that I have won. It has been an exceptional journey with plenty of ups and downs but it is an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“I am greatly indebted to my family, friends and fans who have supported me throughout my journey on Bigg Boss, and cannot thank them enough. Emerging victorious is like a dream come true and I am now ready for the next phase of my career,” Gulati said after his win.
The 27-year-old actor beat Karishma Tanna, Pritam Singh, Ali Quli Mirza and Dimpy to become the winner of the longest season of the controversial reality show that has celebrities holed up inside a house with cameras watching their every move.
Mirza and Dimpy became the first two champions to be evicted on the finale, leaving behind Gulati, Tanna and Singh.
“It is an achievement that I came this far. Being a non-celebrity, it is a big thing. I think I took the right decision to quit the show with Rs2.5 million,” Singh said after coming out of the house.
The top three finalists were then offered Rs2.5 million and an option to quit the game. RJ Pritam accepted the offer and exited the show.
Finally Gulati was declared the winner, with Tanna finishing as the runner-up. Interestingly, both started out as enemies on the show but developed a cordial relationship over the last few weeks.
“I am happy that I have finished as the runner-up but at the same time I am feeling bad that I did not win. The show’s win mattered to me. But I am happy for Gautam,” Tanna said.
Dimpy was the first to be evicted with Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha taking her out of the house after grilling all the finalists.
