Mumbai, Feb 1: TV actor Gautam Gulati was tonight crowned the winner of the eighth season of reality TV show 'Bigg Boss- Halla Bol' as he beat four other contestants in the grand finale after his stay in the house for 132 days.
The show, initially hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, was extended for a month with director Farah Khan taking over the duties of the host. Farah handed the trophy and Rs 50 lakh as prize money to Gautam.
"I cannot believe that I have won. It has been an exceptional journey with plenty of ups and downs but it is an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
"I am greatly indebted to my family, friends and fans who have supported me throughout my journey on Bigg Boss, and cannot thank them enough. Emerging victorious is like a dream come true and I am now ready for the next phase of my career," Gautam said after his win.
The 27-year-old actor beat Karishma Tanna, Pritam Singh, Ali Quli Mirza and Dimpy to become the winner of the longest season of the controversial reality show that has celebrities holed up inside a house with cameras watching their every move.
Ali and Dimpy became the first two champions to be evicted on the finale, leaving behind Gautam, Karishma and Pritam in the race.
"It is an achievement that I came this far. Being a non-celebrity, it is a big thing. I think I took the right decision to quit the show with Rs 25 lakh," Pritam told PTI after coming out of the house.
The top three finalists were then offered an amount of Rs 25 lakh and an option to quit the game. RJ Pritam accepted the offer and exited the show.
Finally Gautam was declared as the title-holder, with Karishma finishing as the runner-up. Interestingly, both started out as enemies on the show, when it began but developed a cordial relationship in the last few weeks.
"I am happy that I have finished as the runner-up but at the same time I am feeling bad that I did not win. The show's win mattered to me. But I am happy for Gautam," Karishma said.
Dimpy was the first to get evicted with Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha taking her out of the house after grilling all the finalists. Ali, who became second to lose in the race, had an uncomfortable exit as he was escorted out by Ajaz Khan.
Ajaz, a previous 'Bigg Boss' contestant, had entered this season as a challenger, along with four others - Rahul Mahajan, Sambhavna Seth, Mahek Chahal and Sana Khan. But he was evicted in the second week after he allegedly hit Ali during a fight.
The finale was attended by some of the ex-contestants of the season - Praneet Bhatt, Puneet Issar, Sonali Raut, Diandra Soares, Mahek, Sana, Sambhavna, Upen Patel and Rahul.
Gautam, who is known for his role in TV show 'Diya Aur Baati Hum', entered the show as an underdog. He was sidelined by the house mates after he abused Karishma in a task, where the actress put chili paste on his face.
Karishma blew up the matter and while she gained sympathy in the house, Gautam, who was a new face for the audience, ended up earning fans outside with his devil-may-care attitude. He later became a member of the 'P3G' group that included Gautam, Puneet, Praneet and Pritam.
Karishma and her friends-- Diandra, Upen, Sushant Digvikar and Arya Babbar-- were called the 'Bedroom Gang'. The 'P3G' group broke up with wild card entry of Dimpy but Puneet and Gautam remained close.
Gautam's romance with Diandra gained him some notoriety, while Karishma too found love in Upen, who re-entered the show to confess his feelings for her.
The 31-year-old actress, who had a boyfriend outside the house, accepted Upen's proposal, thus breaking up with her ex.
The show saw a performance by Malaika Arora Khan inside the Bigg Boss house. Adding to all the entertainment was Khatron Ke Khiladi's stunt architect Rohit Shetty who came crashing into Bigg Boss house through a glass wall while taking the finalists back to the outside world.
Ex-contestants from the show Upen, Puneet, Diandra, Sonali Raut, Praneet Bhatt and the challengers Ajaz Khan, Rahul Mahajan, Sambhavna Seth, Mahek Chahal and Sana Khan cheered on the finalists.
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