No regrets: Ankita Lokhande on her ‘Bigg Boss 17’ stint

Actress Ankita Lokhande, who emerged as the third runner-up on Bigg Boss 17, says controversial or not, she has no regrets about showing her true self on the popular reality series.

Hosted by superstar Salman Khan, the latest season of Bigg Boss premiered on Colors channel on October 15, 2023, and ended on January 28, 2024. Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui was named the winner of the show.

Lokhande, who entered the show with husband Vicky Jain, made headlines due to their fights and arguments.

"I've been there with all my heart. Whatever emotions I felt, it all came out. I would often say I've shown my true self on the show, I'm not hiding anything. Even if I tried for a controversy to not happen, it happened. I was tired of myself, (but) it's okay. It's a part of me. I can't help it; I was what I was. No regrets," the Pavitra Rishta star told PTI in an interview here.

The actress said it is difficult to know what's happening outside when one is cooped up in the Bigg Boss house with 20 other contestants.

"But when I learned about my eviction, I was quite okay with that. I was not upset, I was shocked. I thought I had a fandom that was supporting me but I think somewhere it was lacking. I have enjoyed the journey," she said.

Now that the show is over, Lokhande said she needs to "recover" from what all she went through on the reality TV series.

"I feel I need to recover from that because it's taken a toll on my mental health. I was never a deep thinker but the situations were such that I became one. I'm trying to recover, and understand a few things of what has happened in my life. It will take time but eventually, I'll come out of it.

"Vicky is there, my family, my mom and everybody from Vicky's family is also there but eventually it's about how I take things and move on. I'm trying to cope with things," the 39-year-old added.

On the show, Lokhande had hinted about taking a break from their marriage or seeking divorce. Looking back, the actress said she should have been more sensible.

"We got married after being friends for years. We just say things (in jest) and it was taken seriously. I'm not sensible and I need to be more sensible and be aware of what I speak when I'm in front of the camera. I'm still learning," she said.

The actress believes her relationship has become stronger after what they went through on the show.

"If our relationship was not that strong, then maybe we may not even fight. The only difference is that our fights came out on TV, which may not happen in the case of other normal couples. But because of all this, our relationship has become stronger. I could understand where I was going wrong and he could understand where he was going wrong. We are stronger than before."

Lokhande, also known for films Manikarnika, and Baaghi 3, is looking forward to the release of her upcoming film Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, a biopic of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar starring and directed by Randeep Hooda.

It will hit the screens on March 22.

"It's a beautiful film. When I got the opportunity, I couldn't say no to it because I had the chance to be working with Randeep Hooda, who is also directing it. Then my friend, Sandeep, was producing it. I'm eager to watch myself on the big screen," she added.