EXCLUSIVE! Raqesh Bapat on bonding with Shamita Shetty: It was genuine, staying alone inside was difficult

Raqesh Bapat was one of the finalists on lsquoBigg Boss OTTrsquo where Divya Agarwal emerged as the winner The lsquoTum Binrsquo actor says hersquos glad to return to the real world but admits the show has taught him a lot Raqesh speaks to middaycom and reveals whatrsquos in store nextHow does it feel to be back in the real world and what have you been catching up onItrsquos fantastic Itrsquos like rebooting myself again Itrsquos wonderful to have real conversations and spend time with real people Irsquom not losing my mind over things that were insane and didnrsquot have any meaning frivolous conversations that donrsquot mean anything in the outside world Itrsquos good to be back in normalcyWhat did you miss most when locked in the Bigg Boss houseHome cooked food and my bed I was sleeping on a bunker bed in the house and it was so small one couldnrsquot even turn I had to wake up in whatever position I had slept in I have a huge bed at home and Irsquom crawling and rolling from one side to the other space is what I missedAny of the contestants that you plan to be in touch withNeha Bhasin for sure also Divya Agarwal Shamita Shetty of course Karan Nath and Ridhima Pandit as well Nishant Bhatt continues to be my friendAlso read Exclusive Divya Agarwal opens up on heated exchange with Karan Johar on Bigg Boss OTTBeing one of the strong contenders was Divyarsquos win expected or a complete surpriseI always felt that Nishant Divya and Pratik Sehajpal were the real players they came there to win They had an agenda and were very clear they had to go that way Most of the others like Neha Shamita Karan Ridhima and I were also there for the trophy but we were more for the experience We were taking each day as it comes It was not saamdaamdandbhed karke jeetna hai We wanted to win hearts more than the trophyWhat would you say was the toughest part of the journeyWe were put into one house and the door was locked In normal life if you fight with somebody I would often leave the house and go for a drive Here you have no option but to stay there and face demons It made me realise there is no escape you have to hold the bull by its horns and make sense of the situation It was a learning experienceWhat are the reactions you have been receiving about your performanceVery positive so far so good My mom gave me the best compliment which made me feel like I had won the trophy The first thing I did was call and ask her what she thought because shersquos not a Bigg Boss fan She said that shersquos raised me and done a pretty good job of it Thatrsquos the biggest compliment because my family is also my biggest criticPeople love your chemistry with ShamitahellipIt was genuine staying alone in that house is very difficult Luckily we were connected by the Bigg Boss team Initially it wasnrsquot organic but later it was Shersquos a good human being we are in touch Right now we want to explore each otherrsquos lives and know each other in the real world Letrsquos see what the future has in storeDo you plan to take up more reality shows or return to fictionThere are a few offers which my team and I are thinking about Whatever I decide should come out soon and itrsquos something Irsquom looking forward toAlso read Bigg Boss OTT Raqesh Bapat and Shamita Shettyrsquos bonding is too cute