What comes to mind when you hear the name Raghu Ram? Roadies, correct? Raghu Ram and Rajiv Lakshman, brothers, have long been linked with the renowned reality show. In an interview, Raghu discussed how the show had a negative impact on his mental health, leading to his divorce from his former wife, actor Sugandha Garg.
In a recent interview with India Today, Raghu Ram opened up about having a conflict with the channel. He said, “I was done. I was fed up. I walked away at the peak of it for two reasons. One was because the channel wanted to make the show a certain way, which I did not agree with. Till 10 seasons, I had pretty much a free hand. But in the 9th-10th seasons, I found myself coming into conflict with the channel, because they wanted a certain populist kind of angle to it.”
Raghu also discussed how the show impacted his divorce by putting a strain on his mental health. He shared, “The second thing that was happening was, personally, my life was going through a lot of upheavals because of Roadies and because of the surrounding craze. My marriage was suffering. Ultimately, I got divorced.”
Raghu Ram was married to actor Sugandha Garg for 12 years before the couple split in 2016. They remained on good terms.
He stated that both his mental and physical health were deteriorating, and that he needed to break away. He also stated that he has never regretted leaving the show.
The ex-Roadies judge claimed that the channel requested him and his brother Rajiv to rejoin, but he declined. "We were asked, but I didn't want to. I haven't seen Roadies since I left. It's not 'that' Roadies anymore. It's a whole different show under the moniker Roadies. The format resembles the voice more than the previous Roadies. When Rajiv and I went away that day, the show had ended. Raghu revealed, "That particular format was over."
Raghu Ram and his twin brother Rajiv Lakshman judged the popular show Roadies for ten seasons. Following them, Rannvijay Singha carried the show ahead. The last season included Prince Narula, Rhea Chakraborty, and Gautam Gulati as gang leaders, with Sonu Sood serving as the judge.