On Sunday night, 27-year-old Balraj Singh Khehra — long considered the underdog — was crowned winner of RoadiesX4, the latest edition of the MTV extreme reality show that was shot in Darjeeling and Bhutan. t2 caught up with Balraj ‘Paaji’ for a chat after the big win.
 
Describe the winning moment when you suddenly realised, ‘Hey, I am a Roadie champ!’

I screamed out loud! (Laughs) Maine poori jaan lagaa di thi! Jeetne ke baad main zameen par leyt gaya tha. Karan Kundra (his gang leader) wasn’t able to speak. He didn’t expect me to win. Woh aankhon aankhon se mujhe bol raha tha ki: ‘Balraj, tu ne mujhe bhi jita diya!’ He came and hugged me.
 
You were pitted against Gaurav and Navdeesh, both considered stronger contenders than you from Day One. What do you think worked for you?

Navdeesh and I had reached the finale. Then suddenly it was decided that one of the already eliminated contestants would be given a second chance to participate in the finale task. Mujhe darr lagaa tha! Mujhe lagaa aisa naa ho jaaye ki koi aur aaye aur jeet ke chale jaaye! I had started having a bad feeling. 
But then I knew that I deserved to win. People had suggested that I should have gone to Rannvijay’s (Singha) gang but I felt that whatever I will achieve, people would always say that it’s all because of Rannvijay. I also wanted to prove that somebody from Karan Kundra’s gang could win. In the finale, I didn’t even think once that I might get hurt or injure myself. Mere andar mein ek aag thi!
Rannvijay and Prince (Narula, former Roadies champ and a gang leader this season) have a bond. Un logo ka game aisa hi tha ki Karan ke gang se sabko nikala jaaye. Rannvijay ne Prince ko banaya... Prince is his chela, toh Rannvijay jo kahega woh waisa hi karega. I had made it a point that I won’t go down in front of anybody, except god. I didn’t want to become anybody’s chela! 
Maine show mein kabhi kisi ka bura nahin kiya. I was popular among all the Roadies. Everybody used to call me Paaji.
 

How did Karan support you as a gang leader?    

Karan wasn’t like a gang leader... he was more like a friend. He would always tell us to play for the gang’s benefit and that he would let us know when we should play individually. He used to call Gaurav and me, Jai and Veeru! (Smiles) Karan is a very good friend. When I was left alone in his gang, I had requested him to trust me and had said, ‘Ek aur ek gyarah hota hai!’ I have kept my word and won the show for Karan.
 
Pick your three favourite moments from the season?

First would be the Pune auditions where I got selected among so many people. Secondly, when I re-entered Roadies X4 with a wild card and last, when I won the title.
 
What was the toughest moment?

None of the tasks were hard for me! The toughest moment was when I was left alone in my gang. I had promised Karan that I would bring glory for our gang. Andar hi andar mujhe aisa bhi laga tha ki maine dialogue toh bol diya magar kuch kar nahin paya toh kya hoga! (Laughs)

And what gave you goosebumps?

It happened in the auditions itself when Neha (Dhupia) ma’am told me: ‘Tere mein mujhe mera husband dikhta hai!’ Isse badaa compliment kya ho sakta hai? (Grins)
 
What was the road trip from Darjeeling to Bhutan like?

It was like a holiday. The best thing was we didn’t have our phones with us so we had the time to talk and know each other. We went to such beautiful places.The MTV crew looked after us like family members. Woh log chahte thhe ki main jeet jaoon kyunki abhi tak koi Sardar Roadies nahin jeeta! 

Didn’t you and Prince participate in the Mr Punjab contest in 2014?

Yeah, I was first runner-up and he was the second runner-up. I felt Prince had won Roadies (the previous season) and so I should also try for it.
 
So, what did you do before Roadies?

At 21, I started working as a personal trainer. When I turned 23, I started my own business, Fitness Freaks. This isn’t a gym... we train celebrities in their homes. I have trained Yo Yo Honey Singh, Jasbir Jassi and many other Punjabi celebrities. Now I have a team of boys who work under me and I manage them.

What next?

I tried to get into films before but in Punjab, most singers become actors. And I only want to become an actor isliye Punjab mein meri dal nahin gali. I wanted to make a name for myself through Roadies X4 so that people know me. Now, I want to get into Bollywood. Aur agar Bigg Boss (Season 10) mujhe paisa dega toh zaroor karunga! (Laughs)
 

Ratnalekha Mazumdar
Did Balraj deserve to win Roadies X4? Tell t2@abp.in