After four intense months of “connections”, catfights and competition, Dharamkot boy Gurmeet Singh Rehal and Delhi girl Kavya Khurana were crowned the winners of MTV relationship reality show Splitsvilla 9. t2 caught up with the two — they are now dating even after the show — for a chat.
GURMEET
Congratulations! Describe the moment when you were crowned the ultimate king of Splitsvilla 9....
Oh, I literally had tears in my eyes!
I have waited for this moment for one-and-a-half years. In my previous shows (including Roadies X2), I would come very close to winning and then get eliminated. I recalled the moment when I had started out from home for Splitsvilla 9 and my dad told me to make him proud.... It was an unbelievable moment!
You have always said that you aren’t cut out for a format like Splitsvilla. What do you think worked for you?
To be honest, I was never prepared for Splitsvilla. I have always been a shy person. But, I followed what my heart said.... In the beginning, the journey was like torture! Before I went to Splitsvilla 9, I knew that there would be an equal number of boys and girls. Later, I came to know that this time, there would be only six girls and 15 boys. So, imagine the level of competition! There was no ‘king’ this season, so it was harder for the boys. One really had to have a good connection with the girls to survive.
So far, I have done four reality shows — Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 2 (which he won with singer-actor Anushka Manchanda in 2009), Mr. Punjab (2014), Roadies X2 and Splitsvilla 9. So, I know how to keep my mind together. Whenever there was a task, I used to be very confident. I knew I had to win and give my best. But whenever I had to go on ‘dates’, I would sweat a lot! (Laughs)
This season, there were four other former Roadies contestants (Varun Sood, Martina Thariyan, Kavya Khurana and Nikhil Sachdeva). Was that an advantage or a disadvantage for you?
Our strategy was that we had to stay united because that was the only way to survive till the end. The other guys were like, ‘These guys are from Roadies and have already formed a group’. Later I got to know that they would talk behind our backs. A lot of tasks were in groups and we fared well.
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What was your equation like with hosts Rannvijay and Sunny Leone?
After Roadies X2, I did SquadRann (a web series) with Rannvijay, so there was a comfort level between us. Sunny Leone was very professional. She has a great personality and she encouraged everybody to give their best.
How did Kavya and you hit it off? Did you know each other from before?
We didn’t. I just knew that she was a contestant on Roadies X4 . I interacted with her for the first time on Splitsvilla. I actually never thought that among the six ‘princesses’, I would go with her. But in the very first task, the way Kavya and I played and connected really worked well.
Most often, Splitsvilla’s love connections are only for the camera. What about you?
In the beginning, Kavya and I had no such plans. We didn’t even show that we are a couple. Even the channel (MTV) told us why aren’t we guys showing anything? We didn’t feel like doing anything and had decided that when we will feel like, we will show it. We gave time and won each other’s trust. We went with the flow. We first became friends and we are dating now (smiles).
You also found a close friend in Varun Sood...
Yeah, be it Roadies X2 or Splitsvilla 9, Varun Sood and I have set a trend. On Splitsvilla 9, we became better friends as we got to know more about each other. Now, it’s a lifelong friendship.
What’s next?
I want to do theatre. I am open to any good work. I want to do films and maybe a good finite series on TV. I also want to host shows.
KNOW GURMEET
Age: 29
Home: Dharamkot (Punjab)
Dream: To travel the world
Hobby: Cooking. I cook my own food every day. My omelettes are the best! I am a foodie... I have to eat every two hours
Fitness mantra: I do Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts). I learnt from YouTube that we can do a lot of things with our body weight. So, I go to the gym and use my own body weight. Everyone should give at least 30 minutes to some kind of exercise
Inspiration: My grandfather, parents, cousin brother.... My father has supported me emotionally and financially
KAVYA
From Roadies X4 to Splitsvilla 9... it has been a busy year for you....
Yeah, Splitsvilla 9 just happened. But when I went on the show, I wanted nothing but to win. From Day One, I knew that it’s either Martina (Thariyan) or me. Throughout the show, I was pulled down a lot of times. People said that Gurmeet backed me. But we both protected each other. We were there to win the game.
Are you and Gurmeet seriously dating?!
Yeah, you can say that! (Laughs)
It’s not that we will now marry each other or anything. We are very much into our careers, but at the same time we enjoy each other’s company. We connect mentally and emotionally. I think Gurmeet is the best guy I could have ever met on a reality TV experience. I am proud of him and I am proud of myself to have decided to form a connection with him.
You guys seem very different from each other...
Correct... we are poles apart! We have one common factor and that is we both have a genuine personality. I do things which he doesn’t and he does things that I don’t, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate each other. That’s why we connect so well.
Varun Sood and Martina broke up recently and their fans almost went berserk. Doesn’t this intense scrutiny on your personal lives scare you?
We don’t want to dishearten our fans, but we can’t only do things that they want. We can’t take decisions according to other people’s wishes. Varun, Martina and Gurmeet have become my friends forever. I got along with them very well and they deserve to be in my life forever.
You have a lot of male fans...
I feel on cloud 9! (Laughs) It all started after my Roadies X4 (where she shook a leg with judge Karan Kundra) auditions!
There’s been a lot of talk that Splitsvilla 9 is fixed...
It’s not that MTV was partial towards the former Roadies contestants. It’s not that we were asked to form a connection with a certain person. This season, the makers focused on each and every contestant. This game is based on connections, be it romantic or friendship. In our gang, we had strong points as we had made both romantic and friendly connections.
What’s next?
Good opportunities are always welcome. I haven’t taken up anything yet. I am definitely giving auditions and trying my hand wherever I can. I am chasing people and giving an effort. I respect every profession and I consider acting as one of the difficult ones. I enjoy music a lot so I want to enter the music industry. I am learning classical music. I don’t know where it will take me.
KNOW KAVYA
Age: 23
Home: Delhi
Dream: I want to play the violin and learn how to ride a horse
Fitness mantra: I run and go to the gym
Hobby: I just love to cook!
Ratnalekha Mazumdar
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