I’ve a soft corner for Monica’

He had publicly declared that he was appearing on reality show Bigg Boss for a special reason — he wanted to showcase his real face to the aam janta. After undergoing a lot of turmoil in his life, he wanted to cleanse his image, which had been tarnished due to various controversies, including a drug scandal and a high-profile divorce. But, after saying boo to Rs 1 crore prize money to protect his friends on the show, Rahul Mahajan seems to have grown in stature. ‘Money doesn’t matter to me’ Rahul was being touted as the most likely candidate to win the reality show, and the satta kings had betted crores on him. But, this scion of Mahajan family decided to quit the show, taking a stand against the punishment meted out to other housemates. Ask him if he has any regrets, and Rahul promptly replies, “Not at all! In fact, I am really glad that I stuck to my guns, and my family is really proud of this fact. I was really upset when Raja and Zulfi were nominated because all four of us had jumped the walls of Bigg Boss’s house when we didn’t get proper food. So, I took the responsibility for the act and decided to quit the show. It’s all about standing for what’s right. Money doesn’t matter to me. ‘I pity my detractors’ Now that the truth behind Rahul’s quitting the show is out, his critics have shut up. In his inimitable bindaas manner Rahul says, “I really pity my detractors! Whether it was my dad’s funeral or my divorce, I stood my ground and faced everything head-on! I have never run away from difficult situations.” ‘I’ll always support my friends’ Those who were charmed by Rahul’s dhamal, masti and light-hearted flirting with Payal Rohatgi and Monica Bedi on the show had lovingly named him as the Krishna. Ask him if that’s how he is in real life, and Rahul says, “It was nothing, but fun and frolic. Both Monica and Payal are my friends — nothing more nothing less. I will never ditch my friends. How can I forget the fact that my friends didn’t ditch me during my bad days?” ‘No marriage for me right now’ There have also been speculations galore about Rahul’s intentions being serious as far as Monica is concerned. Ask him to come clear on his feelings for the gal, and he says, “I have a soft corner for Monica because, like me, she has gone through so much in life. Her past just doesn’t matter to me, and I will always stand by her as a friend.” So, is there any chance of this friendship developing into something more meaningful? Rahul replies, “I have just gone through a divorce, so I am not rushing into a marriage right now. And, nobody knows what the future has in store for us.” ‘Raja should win’ After spending so much of time in the house, who does he think is likely to be the winner of the show? “Raja should win but, honestly speaking, it’s Ashutosh who needs the money the most,” says he before he signs off.