Kushal Tandon Opens Up On Bond With Gauahar Khan’s Husband Zaid Darbar: ‘There’s No Bad Blood’

Kushal Tandon’s equation with Zaid Darbar became one of the talking points during Alliance, largely because of the actor’s past relationship with Zaid’s wife, Gauahar Khan. But Kushal insists there was no uncomfortable history hanging over their interactions. According to him, he treated Zaid as another contestant and eventually developed a genuine friendship with him. Speaking to Hindustan Times after the show, Kushal also addressed the viral remark that sparked chatter about Gauahar and explained why he believes a casual joke between friends was taken completely out of context. Kushal Tandon On Bond With Gauahar Khan’s Husband Zaid Darbar Kushal said he never entered Alliance thinking of Zaid primarily as Gauahar’s husband. “I didn’t see him as somebody’s husband. I saw him as a contestant,” he said. Once they began spending time together, Kushal said they got along naturally and eventually “gelled up like boarding school guys”. As for his history with Gauahar, Kushal sees little reason for it to create friction today. The two had dated after meeting on Bigg Boss 7, but the actor pointed out that considerable time has passed since then. “That’s 15 years back. We all grew up and we are all mature people. And we meet outside also. There’s no bad blood,” he said. What Kushal Meant By ‘Tujhe Saari Meri Cheezein Pasand Aati Hai’ A particular exchange between Kushal and Zaid attracted considerable attention outside Alliance. Kushal was heard telling him, “Tujhe saari meri cheezein pasand aati hai.” Given their connection through Gauahar, the line prompted a very different interpretation on social media. Kushal, however, says the context was far more mundane. According to him, Zaid regularly wanted whatever he happened to be having inside the house. “When we smoke, he wants my cigarette. When I make coffee, he wants my coffee. When I make protein shakes, he wants my protein shake. I told him that ‘You like only my stuff.’ And it was not to any other context,” Kushal explained. He maintained that Zaid understood the humour behind it and there was no malicious intent. “When people don’t get our fights, they should get some spice. But we took that as a joke,” he said. Zaid had previously revealed that Kushal later apologised to him and his family over the comment, although that portion was not shown in the episode. Kushal Claims Vanshaj Singh Turned Contestants Against Him The issue became more complicated after Vanshaj Singh returned to Alliance and informed Zaid about how Kushal’s remark was being perceived outside. Kushal believes Vanshaj deliberately used the controversy as part of his strategy against him. “His game plan was that he would tell everyone bad things about me. He just went and did that. And then the whole house was against me,” Kushal alleged. He further claimed that Vanshaj subsequently admitted to lying about Kushal not apologising. According to Kushal, the objective was to create a rift between him and Zaid so that Zaid would leave his alliance and join Vanshaj’s group. Despite finding himself isolated, Kushal said he refused to abandon the people he had promised to support. “So, I did what I said. I did what I said. And the whole group gathered to make me fall. But no one was able to make me fall,” he said. Ektaa Kapoor Convinced Kushal To Do Alliance Kushal also revealed that Alliance was not a project he would ordinarily have accepted. After participating in Bigg Boss nearly 15 years ago, the actor had decided to stay away from reality television. It was Ektaa Kapoor who persuaded him to reconsider. Kushal said the producer, with whom he has worked on his last four shows, invited him home and asked him to give her a year. She already had two web projects planned with him for a major platform, but wanted him to return to reality television first. “I just did this show because of Ekta Kapoor. Otherwise, I would have not done this show,” Kushal said. Looking back, however, he feels the decision worked in his favour. Kushal believes the reality format allowed audiences to see his personality without the filter of a scripted character. “The world has seen what kind of a person I am,” he said, adding that the experience gave viewers an opportunity to see different sides of him rather than simply forming an impression that he was arrogant.