Mumbai: While her stint on Salman Khan’s reality show ‘Bigg Boss 19’ made her a household name, entrepreneur and reality TV personality Tanya Mittal admits that the fame came at a price, leaving her wary of returning to the reality TV space anytime soon.
Reflecting on her experience, she claimed that people continue to target and humiliate her in order to gain attention and boost TRPs.
“I felt people only wanted TRPs from me, whether by humiliating me or provoking me,” she said.
However, despite her apprehensions, Tanya revealed that her mother Suneeta Mittal encouraged her to give reality television another chance by participating in ‘Maa Hai Na’.
“I had become completely rigid about not doing another reality show. She told me, ‘If you keep running away from things, you’ll never move forward. Face your fears, and this time I’ll stand beside you’,” Tanya shared.
Tanya further revealed that during the shoot of ‘Maa Hai Na’, she seriously considered quitting after watching her mother endure the same hostility and criticism that she previously faced.
“I was mentally done with the show. I didn’t want to continue. But my mother refused to let me give up and kept reminding me that running away would never stop people from talking,” Tanya explained.
Having often been the target of online criticism, Tanya has learned to deal with it differently by choosing not to respond to trolls, believing that engaging with them only gives them more attention.
“Silence is the most powerful tool you can have. People think my silence is weakness, but it isn’t,” she said.
“No one gets questioned more than I do, yet it doesn’t affect me because I know what I’m doing with my life. If anyone calls me jobless or accuses me of showing off, I don’t feel the need to respond. My purpose in life is much bigger than that,” Tanya added.
Tanya believes the backlash is largely a reflection of society’s bias against successful women.
“I’ve realised I’m too much for people to digest. People aren’t used to seeing women live like this—with businesses, bodyguards and success. They’ve seen men do it, but not women,” Tanya said.
“When a man owns a Mercedes or has bodyguards, nobody questions it. When a woman does, people immediately ask whether it belongs to her father or someone else,” she added.
“I’m not someone who’s dying for TRPs or work. I turned down several offers after Bigg Boss because I only want to do projects that add value to my image.”
The entrepreneur, who previously went viral for saying she wanted to earn enough to give her future husband a monthly allowance of several lakhs, said she continues to stand by that statement.
Asked about her family’s reaction to the viral comment, she laughed. “The family group exploded with everyone asking about the guy. They all want someone well-settled for me, but it hasn’t been easy.”
Tanya admitted finding the right partner has been harder than she imagined.
“Sometimes being very strong breaks you into pieces. I really want someone with whom I can share my life, but I haven’t found anyone strong enough yet. I want to earn so much that I can give my husband Rs 15-20 lakh, even Rs 1 crore if I can. I want to gift him cars, a house and everything he dreams of. I’m just waiting for the right person.”
