Rashami Desai said, "I was just 16 back then and he tried to get me unconscious"

Rashami Desai said, "I was just 16 back then and he tried to get me unconscious"

The South Asian author and winner of the 2017 Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival's Grand Prix spoke with Eleanor Wachtel on stage at the festival in Montreal.

In an exclusive conversation with International Business Times, India, Rashami Desai spoke about her stint on BB 13, when things about her personal life were blown out of proportion, how the industry has changed over the years after the OTT boom, whether she will be part of any more reality shows, and more. Read on.

Desai, a former journalist, is also a former racing steward and thoroughbred horse breeder, draws from his deep knowledge of the racing world and brings his signature storytelling style to craft a tale that combines authenticity with a Hitchcockian level of suspense.

Presented by Unity Church of the Hills in Austin, Texas

"In all these years, we had not remained shut for even a day," says Nitin Desai, who closed the doors of ND Studio last month in the wake of the pandemic. At the time, a lavish set had been constructed for The Battle of Bhima Koregaon, a period drama featuring Arjun Rampal, and the Raigad fort recreated for a Marathi film. Desai tells mid-day that he has decided to forgo the rent of the sets standing unused at the Karjat studio.

"I am not the only one suffering losses at this point, the entire world is. So how can I expect them to pay the rent when everything has come to a standstill? I will also appeal to other studios to follow the same practice," he says, adding that despite the adverse conditions, he is continuing to pay his staff.

File photo of Panipat set created at ND Studio

The studio was handling several projects when the shutdown was announced. "We had created a huge battlefield and three villages for Arjun Rampal's film, and a haveli [palace] for a yet-untitled web show. Construction of huge sets was underway for two shows of Zee and Star," he adds."

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On Monday evening, the hashtag #FraudArhaanKhan started trending on Twitter following claims by netizens that actor and "Bigg Boss 13" contestant Arhaan Khan has taken Rs 15 lakh from his former girlfriend Rashami Desai's account, and is allegedly threatening her. Arhaan withdrew the money when Rashami was still inside the "Bigg Boss" house, it has been claimed.

The accusations have mostly been levelled on Twitter by netizens who claim to Rashami's fans. They also shared screenshots of bank statements of monetary transactions from an account with the name Shivani Ajay Kumar Desai.

A user tweeted in Hindi claiming Arhaan Khan has taken Rs 15 Lakh from the actress' account in 15 days.

Another user alleged that Arhaan has even taken money for subscribing to a popular OTT platform.

A Fanclub of Rashami Desai tweeted: "We need justice for @TheRashamiDesai. She has earned money with lot of her hardwork and #FraudArhaanKhan misused her money. What a shame to society."

Calling Arhaan a "gold digger," Rashamians, as Rashami's fans like to call themselves claimed in a tweet: "This is a call to all fandoms - any and everyone who is sane enough to see the wrong in this situation- keep aside your Bigg boss grudges for once and please help us expose and shame a gold digger. #FraudArhaanKhan."

However, there has been no substantial basis to any such claim on the part of fans.

During her stay in the "Bigg Boss" house in the latest season, Rashami Desai was heartbroken after learning about Arhaan Khan's child and former wife. The two eventually parted ways. It seems a bigger shock is waiting for the "Naagin 4" actress if allegations made by her fans come true!

While this season of the reality show is already over long back, Rashami Desai continues to remain a favourite with her fans.

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Bigg Boss 13 still continues to be in the limelight and so does its contestants. One of them is Rashami Desai. You all must be aware of the '15 lakh' controversy that happened between her and Arhaan and a screenshot of the same was also shared on Twitter. And now, speaking to Times of India, Rashami broke her silence and slammed Arhaan.

She said, "These transactions were made in my absence, and that too, without my knowledge when I was inside the BB house. When I came out and learnt about it, I shared the screenshots of my personal documents and these transactions with my accounting staff and a few others. Why did Arhaan transfer my money into his account? Also, I don't know the people he has further transferred those funds to."

She added, "Apart from the 15 lakh that Arhaan has to pay me, as can be seen in the screenshots, he owes me more money, which he is refusing to return. Talking about the screenshots, I have no clue who has leaked them on social media. If I had to leak anything, I wouldn't have waited for two months after BB. I don't want anything to do with Arhaan. The whole incident is disturbing and it has taken a toll on me, emotionally."

Arhaan too broke his silence and commented on the entire controversy and clarified his side of the story. He said, "Half the transactions involving huge amounts aren't mine. Rashami had set up a production house, which I had joined as a partner. I have invested equally, both financially and emotionally. Any transfer of funds is either my rightful profit or return of debt. Also, before making such allegations, it is to be noted that transfer of funds wouldn't have been possible had Rashami not given me signed cheques."

He continued, "She had asked me to transfer money to certain people in her absence. It was work-related. She was fully aware of the transactions and I have bills to prove my claim. I strongly believe that this is a curated plan to malign me, as I had received messages, warning me against adversities post April 15. It's unfortunate that our relationship has reached a point of no return."

Will the matter escalate or subsidise as time passes by? Will a legal battle ensue?

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It has been a long and tedious road for Naagin 4 actress Rashami Desai ever since she dealt with her relationship woes on national television on the 13th season of Bigg Boss. Her then-boyfriend, model-actor Arhaan Khan, hid a number of things from her, including the fact that he was married and had a child. 

After a series of allegations and insults thrown at each other, the latest one being Rashami insinuating that Arhaan transferred a large amount of money from her account to his, the actress has taken to Twitter to bare it all.

In one of her tweets, Rashami talks about being a self-made woman who got into something she thought was love. She writes, "Done and Dusted! I don't need to give anyone any explanation I’m a self-made woman got myself into something I thought was love but thank god to all the positive energy’s around me who saved me and made me learn so much more..."

Sharing a quote, this is what Rashami tweeted next:

So on that note! I don’t regret anything because living-in means that I am privileged that I worked hard to have a house of my own so thought to share my house with the one I loved since that person oh well.. #nevermind samjh jao samjh ne walo pic.twitter.com/R1KWDtv8Rc

— Rashami Desai (@TheRashamiDesai) April 23, 2020

The actress then emphasised on all the hard work she's put in to be where she is. She wrote, "#Damn I feel so light! So goodbye to all those so-called sources wale articles and also to my hard-earned money which I lost shall work more hard to earn it all over again because unlike others I don’t use people... #MehnatKartiHoon"

#Damn I feel so light!
So good bye to all those so called sources wale articles and also to my hard earned money which I lost shall work more hard to earn it all over again because unlike others I don’t use people.. #MehnatKartiHoon pic.twitter.com/tQxZ6ZySlN

— Rashami Desai (@TheRashamiDesai) April 23, 2020

Rashami Desai had also claimed previously that Arhaan Khan had used her emotionally. 

On the work front, before Bigg Boss 13, Rashami participated in Comedy Circus, Zara Nachke Dikha, Khatron Ke Khiladi, and Kitchen Champion season two.

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Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news.

Hailed for his stewardship of Titan Industries where he built a premium brand from scratch and won for it international renown, Xerxes Desai naturally has one of the keenest perspectives on Indian industry. But his equally deep insights into Indian society and development become apparent through this interaction with Christopher Lopaze.

Former Bigg Boss 13 contestant Rashami Desai has started her TikTok journey with a bang as she gained a huge number of followers in just one day.

Money Heist director Alex Rodrigo picks picked his choice of cast for the Indian version of show, Rashami Desai joins TikTok. More details in today's entertainment recap.

A growth forecast that is seriously wrong is dangerous - it can lead to revenue projections and spending decisions that become seriously inflationary

Here's what the stunning actress did in Rediff.

It is just one element of the new architecture of macroeconomic policy. Much more is required to shore up the economy

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Change will not occur with the speed and thoroughness that is deemed ideal unless we accelerate the process through forceful and specific interventions.

'Kaala's sin is not that it is presented as a mouthpiece for its director Pa Ranjith's political viewpoints, but that it makes a travesty of them.''Ranjith turns Marx into merchandise, all the while functioning as a hired hand for Brand Rajinikanth,' points out Sreehari Nair.

Renu Desai shuts down rumours of Akira's acting debut

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