Roshni Chopra

After bowling over the audience as a glamourous cricket commentator on Fourth Umpire a few years ago, she is now the country’s first desi girl. In a keenly contested finale, Roshni Chopra was crowned Desi Girl on the Imagine TV show by the same name. t2 caught up with an “elated and ecstatic” Roshni minutes after the winning moment…

What was the winning moment like?

It might sound very, very cliched, but I was completely numb. The moment was incredible, something that you want to capture in your mind and keep it there forever. I was excited, dumbstruck and super, super happy all at the same time. Considering that it was just Kash (Kashmera Shah) and me in the finals, I was totally prepared that she would win, considering that she had been the most popular contestant throughout the show. The moment my name was announced, I was in total shock. All the memories of the four weeks spent at Sialba Majri came flooding in. And the tears followed.

In these four weeks, when did you first realise that you could be the Desi Girl?

When the other contestants on the show said on camera that I did not deserve to be in Desi Girl. I was shocked and saddened by how rude some people could get and the lengths they could go to win a show. But, in retrospect, I am glad that all this was said about me because it just egged me on to put in my best. I won all the tasks after that and it was then that I realised that I could win the show.

Who was your toughest competitor on the show?

It would definitely have to be Kashmera. She was my greatest ally but also my toughest competitor. She played the game very well and won the hearts of her co-contestants as well as the love of the villagers. I would just say that I was first among equals.

Looking back, what do you think worked in your favour?

Everyone concentrated on winning the tasks, I concentrated on winning the hearts of the people. I had gone to Sialba Majri to live and interact with the India that lives in the villages. In the process, I found myself falling in love with these people.

How was your four-week-long stay at Sialba Majri?

It was truly an incredible experience. It was like being reborn in a different surrounding. I felt that my ‘parents’ in the village were my real parents. The entire period was one of rediscovering myself and connecting with the simpler, less complicated aspects of life. I have faced tough times in the village. In the first 10 days, there would be 20 times a day when I would think of running away from Majri. I missed my life in Mumbai and I really missed my husband (filmmaker Siddharth Anand Kumar). But I am glad I stayed on because it has made me a better person today.

What will you miss most about Majri?

I will miss my Maaji. She never spoke much in front of the camera but I know that she loves me to bits. After I won, she came onto the stage to hug me and I felt her trembling out of nervousness and happiness.

What next for Roshni Chopra?

I definitely plan to go back to Majri and share some of my prize money with my family in the village. As the first Desi Girl, I want to do as much as I can for my village, in my own small way. I am already sponsoring the education of a couple of girls from the village. In the next year or so, I want to travel to a lot more Majris. This Desi Girl is here to stay!