Exclusive - Bigg Boss 13’s Madhurima Tuli on being bullied in school: Girls would say ‘Arre kitni behenji hai’

One has seen her in Bigg Boss 13 house and her heated moments with ex Vishal Aditya Singh. Much before the reality show happened, she was seen in the role of Tanu in Kumkum Bhagya show. Madhurima Tuli left Kumkum Bhagya to sign Akshay Kumar’s film Baby. Here she played the role of Akshay Kumar’s (Ajay Singh Rajput) wife Anjali. But did you know how the Bollywood film happened to her? In an exclusive live chat with ETimes TV, the actress opens on bagging the film, being bullied in school and more. (By: Sukarna Mondal)

It was a dream come true. Neeraj sir spotting me, being a part of 'Baby' and that too opposite Akshay Kumar, was a dream come true moment for me. Akshay sir, Neeraj sir and everyone treated me like a family. I enjoyed a lot. Never felt like an outsider or not known the way they are. They are very down to earth people.

I did a commercial and my haircut became very popular. The ad became an overnight success. Neeraj sir liked the ad and offered me the role. I just got lucky.

I was into sports and thought it will need a lot of hardwork. Didn’t know that acting also requires a lot of hardwork. I was selected for state-level cricket. At the same time I got a call for Miss Uttaranchal in Dehradun. I opted for that and won the contest. Then Bombay dream happened.

In school, I was bullied a lot. I was from Odisha and then I came to Dehradun. When I went to Dehradun, I really didn’t have a good dressing sense or even speak proper English. People used to talk and girls would comment ‘Arre kitni behenji hai’, ‘she is so LS (low society)’ . But after I became Miss Uttaranchal, they all became my friends. They bullied me a lot. But I think it did me better. I became a confident person.

Life has been amazing. I have received a lot of love and it has been overwhelming. I have made a few mistakes as well. When I came back home my parents strictly told me not to be on social media and check comments. They said, ‘You will be receiving a lot of negative comments, you can’t be on your phone’. Bigg Boss has made me mentally stronger and now I have learnt to ignore the negativity. My heart knows what I did is not wrong. Whatever I did was instant reaction and loud.

First time when I stepped out of my house after Bigg Boss, there were women who said they were happy because I took that stand. But there were also men and women who have hated me. I am not very proud of what I have done. He threw water on my face thinking I am his own, I reacted that way thinking he is my own. Couples k beech aisa ho jaata hai. In the end, it became very ugly. We learnt that we are not meant for a relationship. We are just friends.

The kind of love I have received from Kumkum Bhagya is insane. In just six months, the love I got is incredible. People still call me Tanu. It is just incredible. Had I continued doing the show, may be life would have been different. But no complains now. If I get an opportunity in future to play the negative lead, I may take it up. I love to play negative characters. There is a lot of scope. You can flirt with a guy, you can be cunning the next time, you can also be naïve. There are many shades in a negative character.