Bigg Boss changed my life: Rakhi

Love her, hate her, but it is impossible to ignore her. Rakhi Sawant's persona, some would say, has been carved out of controversies.

This police constable's daughter, began her career as a dancer in nightclubs, and came into limelight with the remix number Pardesiya. Bold and revealing dresses, vulgar and obscene gestures, and bindaas comments on all and sundry have been a boon as well as a bane for this struggling starlet, item girl and a participant in television reality shows.

Rakhi Sawant, who was in the city yesterday, talks to NT, clad in a red and green salwar kameez, with heavy zardozi work and a dupatta to match, (she says she has been wearing this for the last four days). She waxes eloquent about the more serious issues of life, her career, and her desire to do social service.

'Television changed my life'

"Whatever success that I am seeing today is all thanks to television. Reality show Bigg Boss changed my life and took me into millions of homes where viewers saw me the way I am-- honest, truthful and straightforward. I am now looking forward to the reality dance show, which will commence soon on television. I am rehearsing hard and am confident of doing well."

'It is important to sport a western look'

"I am basically very Indian at heart. Ek sadharan Hindustani ladki hoon, but if you wish to be noticed today, you need to have a western look. Short dresses, the pout, light eyes and coloured hair get instant recognition in this industry. Only Ekta Kapoor can sell a sati savatri. This industry needs oomph. I had to market myself so I acquired a western look."

'I have removed all the silicon implants'

"I have got all of them removed and I am feeling much 'lighter'. I have to rehearse for the dance show, shake and dance a lot, and the weight of these implants was weighing me down. I got all of them removed, and there has been no change in the way I look. It doesn't matter if you are not generously endowed, padding takes care of it all."

'Whatever I do or say creates controversy'

"Main ek dum sach or saaf baat bolti hoon. Many people don't like it, but I don't care-- I say the way it is. I don't create controversies, they just happen around me. Of course all this has hurt me a lot. I sit before Ganapati Bappa and cry my heart out. But I have no grouse against anyone, I have forgiven everybody."

'Industry has noticed me'

"Finally I have conquered the casting couch. I am still a struggling starlet, but now the bigwigs of the industry at least talk to me. They do not ask for sexual favours, give me work and even pay me for doing it. I am doing an item number for Rakesh Roshan's Krazy 4, and I am eternally grateful to him for making me do such an aesthetically choreographed number. I am also doing Loot, for Suniel Shetty and have a good role in the film, Baltidevi, Queen of Southall, being directed by Aditya Kapoor."

'Change of Image'

"It is impossible to change your image. I feel any effort to change over from being a sex bomb to goodie-goodie types-- is foolish. I will continue to be the way I am and will also continue doing items numbers, television shows and anything that is offered to me."

'I am wearing a lucky charm these days'

"I am very superstitious, and pray a lot to Ganapati Bappa. My Guruji Hari Govind Tripathi guides me in all my projects. He has instructed me to wear a bracelet with nine planetary stones to win this dance competition, he got it made for me at an exorbitant prize of Rs 2 lakh, I will be wearing it all through the dance show, and even after that."

'I want to do social service'

"I have special love for Nagpur because so many of my fans live here. I am aware of the farmers' plight in this region and have also done an item number in a film made about the plight of the farmers of Vidarbha. I have decided, that I will donate a part of my earnings for the welfare of the farmers. I want to feed millions of poor children who sleep on an empty stomach. For this, I want to earn a lot of money."