Mohan Vaidhya: Eviction doesn't necessarily mean I was at fault

For celebrities, perceptions can make or break a career. And when you are part of an intimate setup like in Bigg Boss, it is almost impossible to remain unscathed. "I put this out as a request on behalf of all the housemates. Don't come to hasty conclusions about our characters. Don't write vile things about us. It hurts a lot,” begins Mohan Vaidhya.

Over the past four weeks, a constant source of criticism against Mohan has been his public displays of affection with the other house mates. "There is no perversion in my mind. If my hugging them was wrong, the housemates would have told me so. Even if one person was uncomfortable with it, I would have taken a step back. They didn't tell me that because they wanted that affection. The fault lies in the perspective of those who see wrong in those gestures," argues Mohan.
 

Mohan's brother, popular musician Rajesh Vaidya, had warned about the former's anger, when talking about his participation in Bigg Boss Tamil. However, barring a couple of situations, Mohan hardly lost his cool. "I came into this show to change this facet of mine. I learned a lot of lessons from the house. Keeping things festered will lead to increasing hatred. My father always told me that anger was my biggest drawback, and that I would be a more beautiful person without it. I consider Bigg Boss to be an opportunity where I could fulfill my father's wish."

On the contrary, Mohan was a contestant who broke down easily. He agrees that he needs to stop getting driven to tears so easily, but believes it to be a nice thing that the audience thinks of him as a sentimental person. "It is far better than being thought of as an angry person. People's words motivate us to change ourselves, and also help us understand what we should retain." 

Mohan’s reaction to his eviction betrayed a lot of disappointment, and perhaps it came as a bit of a shock given that he was saved from eviction just the previous week. What does he think went wrong? "Eviction doesn't mean I am at fault. Perhaps the people wanted to see 'Naina' a bit early? Perhaps they didn't want someone like me to go through more trouble inside the house?" suggests Mohan. You can see why he would think that given that the Bigg Boss house is constantly riddled with conflict. Be it the Madhumitha fiasco in the first week or the Vanitha outburst in the second or the triangular melodrama between Sakshi Agarwal, Kavin and Losliya, there has been no dearth of fights. Mohan himself was involved in some, but stayed away from others. "I didn't quite like it when people fought, but I did sympathise sometimes. It is not right to instigate those who are already fighting, so I prefer to wait and watch. Everyone needs to give others, space. Sometimes, I was not even sure if the fights were natural or orchestrated to grab the audience's attention."

This wait-and-watch attitude of Mohan came to the fore especially when the house was divided due to issues between Kavin, Losliya, and Sakshi. Mohan tried to maintain a dignified silence throughout. "They can make their own choices. I didn't find it necessary to involve myself in that conversation. I spoke to Sakshi only after she broke down, and advised her accordingly. With Kavin, I tried reaching out, but he wasn't in a space to listen. Moreover, who am I to tell them what is right and what is wrong? I am also a contestant like them. What if they just ask me to mind my own business?"

No interview with Mohan, after his stint at Bigg Boss, can be without a question about Sandy, the resident mischief-maker of the Bigg Boss house. Though they had ups and downs, the combination of the veteran dancer and the choreographer made sure there were few dull moments in the house.  "Sandy can make everyone laugh, and I'm happy I was part of it. We provided the laughs, and I don't see anything wrong in being the butt of the jokes. In fact, there are people asking me and Sandy to do films together. They believe it would be on par with Senthil-Goundamani. The fact is, I love everything about Sandy, from his songs to the way he calls me Naina. When I saw him imitating me the day after I was evicted, I understood how much he missed me."

Does he miss the Bigg Boss house? "I will happily go back into the house if they invited me in again. I am constantly thinking about what’s going on inside, and how they are coping with my absence. Are they happy? Only my body is out here, my mind is still inside the Bigg Boss house."