Bigg Boss 19 started with high-voltage drama in the very first week, and actor Kunickaa Sadanand has been at the centre of it. Last week, after Farrhana Bhatt dragged Kunickaa’s sons into a spat, Salman Khan called her son Ayaan Lall onto the stage. Ayaan spoke about his mother’s struggles, leaving even Salman visibly emotional.
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Ayaan reflected on the house dynamics, defending his mother against accusations of bias and targeting. He also warned that Tanya Mittal might not be the friend Kunickaa thinks she is.
Ayaan on Kunickaa’s decision to participate in Bigg Boss 19
Ayaan reflected upon the family’s reaction when Kunickaa decided to enter Bigg Boss and said, “We are a very open family. We talk about everything, anywhere. It’s okay for us, we like to have an open conversation. She didn’t ask us if she should do Bigg Boss because women in our family don’t ask; they do. She came to us and said, I am doing Bigg Boss. She then took a pause and said Okay, fine, tell me your opinion. Then we all gave our opinion, keeping forward the good, the bad and the ugly, and then she ended the conversation saying Okay, I am doing Bigg Boss. That’s how simple the conversation was. No questions asked, just go with the flow.”
Ayaan Lall says my mother is not bossy
On being asked whether Kunickaa is as “bossy” at home as she appears in the house, Ayaan replied, “Her moral compass is the most important thing to her. Nothing wrong should happen to anyone. She has told me never to lie. She is very smart. She taught me this and then told me I won’t support you only because you are my son. She is like this at home too. She is not a bossy mother, but her whole job is to show lessons.”
He added that motherhood defines her more than any other role, “They say maa bhagwan ka roop hoti hai (mothers are next to god), and it’s god’s work to show us lessons. Unfortunately or fortunately, she is wired that way. She has been a mother since she was 17. The longest role she has played is that of a mother, and not an actress or a lawyer. At the age of 61, you can’t ask her to now switch the roles up. It’s impossible. The fact that she is like this, people are saying you are not somebody’s mom there. Boss, you want her real personality, or you want her to play a game? If she were playing the game, she wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”
Ayaan defends Kunickaa Sadanand’s decision to give up captaincy
In the first week, Tanya Mittal made Kunickaa the captain, but three days later, Kunickaa gave it up after housemates accused her of getting it unfairly. Ayaan defended her decision, “Her moral ground is so strong. She saw that Ashnoor’s tiles were more than hers, but then Tanya chose her. Aur voh mummy ko bol rahi hain ki aap mat stress lo (And she is telling mummy, ‘Don’t take stress’), why are you boiling your blood, and she was like, ‘No, do what is right’. So she was like, ‘Whether Tanya chooses me or not, I will have the most tiles’.”
Ayaan said that Kunickaa was going through an emotional turmoil and said, “Ashnoor had the most tiles we all saw it. So that inner turmoil was too much for her, and she had to give it up. She was just finding a reason, and she got it when all of the housemates started saying to her that she got captaincy unfairly. So she just did it. It definitely made me feel something, but there was no hatred towards anyone. I will be going against my mother if I say that I am angry with them or hate them because that’s not what she’s taught me. She has taught me to see things through other people’s perspectives. They are also playing a game.”
Ayaan says Bigg Boss or Salman Khan are not biased towards Kunickaa
When asked about allegations that Bigg Boss and Salman are favouring Kunickaa, Ayaan dismissed them, “Bigg Boss said the two trending people will get access to the app room. Mridul, you know his army, it’s crazy. I salute them for that. But the second trending topic in the house is my mother. Now, if she’s trending and in nominations, then it’s not her fault. If she is trending, then she is. This is not information for Endemol or JioHotstar, it’s live information. If you can get to know that she has low votes, then you can also know who is trending. Everyone says unki age hai, but kya unke paas choice tha ki voh kum kaam karen? If every episode was not her taking her stand or saying things, so she wouldn’t be trending. So Bigg Boss didn’t save her; she saved herself.”
He further dismissed any partiality towards Kunickaa and said, “I don’t think there’s any favouritism. Even if it’s from Salman sir’s side. He is the host. He sees intentions, not the situation. People would go crazy if Salman pulled up Abhishek Bajaj about how he held Farrhana, but he didn’t do that. He saw Abhishek’s intention. So you see the intention of the person and then say if Salman was right or wrong. He is fair, we all know this. Voh aapne liye jitna nahi karte dusron ke liye karte hain. This Bigg Boss season no nobody spoke before my mother made sure they spoke. Gaurav was not talking, so my mother made him talk. Baseer was not talking; the first fight was with him. Awez, she has tried, she is trying with Amaal now. When Salman sir said to my mom that you are going to be eliminated, you should have seen Awez, and Nagma’s reaction. Because they know that this lady is not that I have won and I am taking the trophy home. She wants people to call this Bigg Boss season the best, and that is what she’s trying. If people don’t see this, then I don’t know what to say.”
Ayaan also reacted to Zeishaan Quadri’s angry comment—“Is aurat ko toh main aukaat yahin dikhaonga (I will show this woman her place here)”—after a food fight and said, “It definitely made me feel something that someone is going so low while talking to my mother. But he was triggered. His remark came from anger, and anger comes from fear. So I think he got a little scared because he saw a stronger contestant than him, and he reacted in such a way. I appreciate that he got angry because that means he is scared.”
Finally, Ayaan advised his mother to be cautious with her alliances, “Neelam is the purest heart, soul. I love her for what she is. But Tanya hai thodi si yahan ki baat vahan karne waali (Tanya is someone who gossips. So I think mummy should be careful of Tanya and show Neelam respect and love till it’s reciprocated.”
