Ashneer Grover, former Shark Tank India judge, recently stirred headlines after revealing that he was invited to join Bigg Boss 19 as a wildcard contestant. On Friday, 26 September, Ashneer took to social media to share a screenshot of an email allegedly sent by the show’s Senior Casting Coordinator, inviting him to enter the popular reality show.

Ashneer shares email from Bigg Boss makers

Though the authenticity of the email remains unverified, the message praised Ashneer’s “dynamic personality” and “engaging social media presence,” while describing him as a “strong candidate” for the controversial show.

However, Ashneer responded to the invite with his trademark sarcasm. Taking a subtle jab at Salman Khan, the host of Bigg Boss, he wrote:

“Haha! Salman bhai se pooch le!! Mai to free ho jaaunga tab tak. (Haha! Ask Salman Bhai. I would get free till then. Yeh ‘mail merge’ kisi ki to naukri khayega.(This mail merge will take away someone’s job)”

(For context, ‘mail merge’ refers to a tool used to send mass personalised emails implying the invite may not have been personally crafted.)

Ashneer and Salman’s controversy

This isn’t the first time Ashneer and Salman Khan have clashed publicly. Their alleged fallout dates back to 2019, when Ashneer, then co-founder of BharatPe, approached Salman’s team to onboard him as a brand ambassador. According to Ashneer, during a meeting at a shoot, he requested a photo with the superstar but Salman’s manager refused, citing that the actor wasn’t comfortable with taking photos at the time.

Their strained dynamic resurfaced during Bigg Boss 18, when Ashneer appeared in a special Weekend Ka Vaar episode. On the show, Salman publicly reprimanded him for comments made about his fees and public persona. In response, Ashneer later posted a detailed note reflecting on his experience and the show’s format.