Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 16: Actress Tanushree Dutta, who grabbed headlines two months ago with a tearful Instagram video, has revealed in a recent interview that she has been offered Bigg Boss repeatedly over the past 11 years. The Chocolate actress disclosed that she recently declined a Rs 1.65 crore offer for the reality show, citing her personal principles and privacy.
In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, Tanushree said, "Do you really think I would go to a show like that? I can't stay in a place like that; I don't even stay with my own family. I was never interested in Bigg Boss and will never be." She added that even when offered a lucrative package and personal care from the show's team, she refused: "Even if they give me a piece of the moon, I wouldn't go."
Emphasising her privacy and dignity, she stated, "Men and women sleeping in the same hall, they sleep there, fight there… I can't do that. Do I seem like the kind of woman who will sleep on the same bed with a man for a reality show? I'm not that cheap. My privacy is valuable to me. I know I can earn more than that if they let me work in peace."
The Bigg Boss 19 season, hosted by Salman Khan, is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar, with television telecast on Colours.
Tanushree’s earlier harassment claims
In July, Tanushree shared a video claiming she had been harassed at her own home since speaking out against alleged sexual misconduct in Bollywood during the 2018 #MeToo movement. She said, "I've been harassed so much in the last 4-5 years that my health has deteriorated."
Tanushree had accused actor Nana Patekar of harassment during a 2009 shoot for their film Horn 'Ok' Pleassss. While Patekar denied the allegations, Tanushree first filed a complaint in 2008 with the Cine and TV Artistes Association, which was later dismissed as a criminal matter. In 2018, her legal team requested lie detector and narco-analysis tests for Patekar, choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddiqui, and director Rakesh Sarang. In June 2019, Patekar was cleared of the charges.
Tanushree Dutta, a former Femina Miss India Universe 2004, is known for films such as Aashiq Banaya Apne, Dhol, and Bhagam Bhag.