Bigg Boss Telugu 4 runner up Akhil Sarthak: I had to do 'faltu' things to impress directors but not anymore

Bigg Boss Telugu 4's Akhil Sarthak, who was one of the title favourites this season, surely won a million hearts with his BB stint. In an exclusive chat with ETimes TV, Akhil opened up about his BB journey, equation with Monal, Abhijeet, trolls and much more. He shared how and why he was always focused on the top two positions since day one, what he learnt in his 106-day-journey in the house, how he wishes to break the jinx in utilising the BB fame. Excerpts...

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It is overwhelming to see hundreds of people outside my house even days after the show got over. I feel I'm truly blessed to have an extended family like them.

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I always had this gut feeling that I'll be in the top two positions. I had always imagined Nagarjuna sir taking me outside the BB house during the finale. Everyone said you should have won the show. I couldn't say that as it would come across as overconfidence. At the end of the day, I'm happy with my performance and the love that I'm receiving.

I was fighting inside while my house was fighting with negativity in the outside world. They were glad that I didn't have to put up with all of that. They were in fact very proud that I was myself and didn't do anything negative in the house.

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Bigg Boss taught me to be thankful for everything. You'll keep getting more if you are thankful. Of course, I couldn't learn pure Telugu (laughs).

I loved the Hitman task. I'd put in so much focus. Sohel was indeed puzzled at my gameplay. He used to ask me how I could be so quick. But the 'Face Kapadukondi' task was horrible. I hated people doing unwanted things to Monal. I felt bad when others went rather overboard in the task.

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I was clear with my game. My journey will be the same with or without the presence of Monal in the BB house.

I can't compare myself with Kaushal or anyone. I have my own personality. He was not as emotional as I am and there are a lot of differences. Had I imitated him, I would have been rejected by the audience long back. They wouldn't have voted for me.

It is a wrong perception. It is all about how you handle it and everyone has their own way to deal with this fame. We have some good examples like Hariteja, Sreemukhi and others. I will utilise this in a good way. I've my own plans. Some people wait and take their own time in moving forward but I want to get started as soon as possible.

I never felt I should pick anything from anyone in the game. People like Sohel used to rather ask me what I thought of a task and how I went about it. I was well acquainted and focused on my game.

Monal is so caring, I can't be as caring as her. I can shout at others except her. I should now learn Gujarati from her (laughs). I should learn how to talk from Sohel. He surely knows how to project himself. I'm thankful for the love we (fondly known as #Sam on social media) are getting.

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I was trolled very badly, especially that 'Puli-Meka' episode in the show. It was indeed so funny. I feel sorry for them but at the same time, I'm impressed with the fact that they invest so much time and effort in trolling me. I find them cute too (laughs). I search for something positive in anything negative. So, mere pe utna asar nahin pada (they didn't affect me).

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No one except for the actor who plays my dad in the show supported me. I felt bad because they used to pretend to be close to me in real life. They were like 'I'm like your brother..mother' and all. But where are you now? When your co-star goes to Bigg Boss, you should support, right? Moreover, I didn't do any harm or negative to anyone. When millions can support me watching me on the show for just one and a half hours, what's wrong with you? In fact you know me better. Somewhere I felt they just couldn't digest the fact that I could make it to Bigg Boss while even many seniors couldn't. They kept me away. They never invited me for any party or award function. They never liked me because I have no filmy background or I don't have any support. I worked hard to be where I'm today."

Earlier, real life was not so good. Now, I want to apply whatever I've learnt in Bigg Boss in real life. Pehle, we had to do faltu (unnecessary) things like muskify (flatter) the director for work. But I was myself in the BB house. I'm loving myself more now and I want to continue being the same in the real world.

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Observe people, game and be focused.