Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You were recently part of Bigg Boss 13 that got the highest TRPS as compared to all seasons, talk about your journey and why did you think about being a part of the show?
Ms. Shefali Jariwala:
Oh, my Bigg boss journey was nothing short of a roller coaster ride, I had never followed any of the previous seasons and Bigg Boss was offered to me time and again, in fact all the way from the first season. But I was a different person back then, a lot more naive and Bigg boss is the baap of all reality shows and you need to be really, really strong in order to survive in the big box. I was mentally, physically and every which way.
So I don’t know. I think also certain things are destined. I mean, when this Bigg boss was offered to me, everything fell in place. And then, of course, one of the biggest reasons for doing Bigg boss was Salman Sir. So Yeah, so that was Bigg boss for me. It was a rollercoaster ride. I was in for 13 weeks. It’s longer than most seasons, actually. This season was extended by five weeks, so I was eliminated two weeks short of the finale.
But yeah, I mean, I was considered as a very strong contender. And you know, I did make my mark in the Bigg boss house. And it’s really, really tough. You know, it’s not as easy as it looks in living, you know, away from the world, absolutely cut off from the outside world and all with that many people and limited rashan. And you’ve got to, you know, survive the daily challenges and the tasks that are given to be performed in the Bigg boss house.
So it’s not as easy as it looks. I mean, the game is about willpower, patience and courage. And in fact, this season being the top rated season, it was because there were so many good players usually there are three -two good players, as I’m told. But this year every single participant was a good player and which is why I think the content was great and Bigg boss was, you know, the highest ever TRP of all the seasons.
So I’m glad that it also happened. This year, I was part of the season that was the most successful seasons. I think everything happens for the best all these years for some reason or the other, I did not do Bigg Boss. And this year when I decided to do it, it had to be this way because it was going to be at the highest, highest rated season ever. And I think I’m really, really lucky with things in my life.
You know, right from the moment Kanta Laga was offered to me, I believe I am God’s child. I’m very lucky. You know, every time I decide that I wanted to do something different, things just fall into my lap. I’ve never had to struggle. But, yeah, I work very, very hard and much disciplined. And I give my 1000 percent to anything that I’m committed to do. So I guess that’s the reason why I could also make my mark in the Bigg boss house without knowing anything about the show before entering the house.
And yeah, so I thank my stars.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
When you were lockdown in the house for 3months, how did you maintain your diet and workout routine considering the limited food options?
Ms. Shefali Jariwala:
Yea, been locked up for 13 weeks, so, you know, diet and your fitness routine can take a toss. Because we are used to eating, very very, extremely healthy and protein rich food at home. But in the big boss house, we were given a limited ration and we didn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing what we wanted to eat. The same food was made for everybody, and most of the times it fell short or there were these other friends of mine who were hungry and I used to give them my share of food.
But I think it all worked out fine because I did have my protein powder with me inside the house. They did have a limited sort of workout setup and I used to try and work out every single day. I’ve been working out for a lot of years and I think that is probably the reason why 13 weeks in the Big Boss House didn’t really do much damage to my fitness because the body has now adapted to that sort of lifestyle.
So if I have sudden weeks of not working out that religiously, it doesn’t really matter. Plus, I think that we perform very, very physical and very, very strenuous tasks. So, you know I think that I was getting my workouts three times a week, extremely strenuous workouts just by participating in the task. So, yeah. So I try to work out every day. We had a small pool.
I used to use the pool, you know, for resistance training. I used to. I’m very used to doing heavy weights. I kind of work out like a man in the gym. And of course, we have the people in the house who are also very particular about fitness. So we had this little group of ours that used to work out together and it was not really that bad. You know, I mean that when there’s a will, there’s a way.
I did find the time to work out every single day. And I did watch my diet. I tried to consume less oil and I tried to get a lot of fiber. And for the protein part of it, I had my protein powders. I used to have a protein shake every day. I love milk. So I used to drink a lot of milk in the house and it just worked out fine for me.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What is your favourite form of exercise? How do you workout?
Ms. Shefali Jariwala:
For me, my favourite exercise, I think any exercise is great exercise. I wake up in the morning and start my day with an hour on the stationary bike. I kind of like cycling because it’s gentle on my knees and it’s a spin bike.
So, you know, if you know how to do it, you can kind of work out on all parts of your body. I do ashtanga yoga, advanced ashtanga yoga.
I’ve been doing that for a long time as well. So I really like yoga that helps me with my stretching and my lung capacity, the breathing exercises and kind of for the mind. It’s a great workout, for the mind as well as the body. So I do love yoga and I go to the gym three times a week. I do have a personal trainer and we try and do various different kinds of exercises and different routines every now and then to give the body a shot.
But yeah, one thing, that I do extremely heavy weights and because I believe that if you want to look like a goddess, you’ve got to train like a beast. So I do train like a man. I do train like a beast. And I guess I have a very strong core. I have developed it through the years. And I was always a chubby kid. You know, in my early 20s, I thought I was chubby.
I look back at myself now, even when I shot for Kaanta Laga I seemed very chubby. And as you are aging, you know, you as a woman especially, you have to make sure that you keep your weight under control because it tends to get difficult as you age, you know, to drop the weight. So I make sure that I don’t, you know, from my range of weight, I don’t kind of put on more than 2 kilos ever, because then it becomes difficult to, you know, take longer also from being a lot of effort to drop that.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you follow any particular diet? What is a big no-no in your diet?
Ms. Shefali Jariwala:
As far as diet is concerned.
I’m not much of a foodie anyways. I don’t have a sweet tooth. So I think that what works really well for me through the week, I’m eating extremely healthy, getting my protein. So my dinner is always salads.
And some dal there are nights you want to sleep better. I eat a little rice then. That’s absolutely all right. You know, it’s all about portion control. So I eat everything. But, you know, I might keep that portion control in check.
And one day in a week or one meal is a cheat meal for me. And I don’t hesitate eating whatever I want to eat, whatever the mood is, you know, whether it is Chinese takeout or, you know, desserts or anything that I want, anything that my heart desires. So I do reward my body and myself with one cheat meal in a week. You know, for all the hard work and all the discipline, you know, it’s important to do that.
So, yeah, and I also believe that the body’s made in the kitchen and not in the gym. 80 percent of your body depends on what you eat and what is cooked in your kitchen. You know, and gym is just for strengthening and toning up. But even if I didn’t have the gym around, if I just eat right, that would not cause much harm to my body. So I do eat right. I eat healthy and I reward myself every now and then with a cheat meal.
And I think that just works fine for me.