Model-actor Rhiya Ahir never imagined that a moment during a protest against NEET paper leak would become one of the most defining chapters of her career. After a video of her standing in front of a police van during the protest went viral, Rhiya suddenly found herself at the centre of public attention. Later, reports suggested that the actor was set to enter Bigg Boss 20, prompting social media users to allege that the viral van episode had been a planned stunt to get herself noticed and eventually land a spot on the reality show. Speaking to us, Rhiya denies the claims.
“If I had to do this, I would have done it a long time ago,” says Rhiya, pointing to the physical and emotional toll the incident took on her. For her, there is little point in trying to convince people who have already decided what they want to believe. “People who are bound, who are adamant on misunderstanding you, you can never prove yourself to them. So, I don’t want to spend my whole life proving them.”
What makes the allegation particularly difficult for Rhiya is that she never anticipated the protest moment would go viral in the first place. “Never, in my wildest dreams, saw it going viral. I just knew I had to take a stand against what was really happening,” she says.
Recalling the days that followed, Rhiya shares how she was functioning on “autopilot” while dealing with the sudden attention, even as she struggled privately with its aftermath. “The first five days, I couldn’t sleep. I was suffering from insomnia. I had dry nostrils, blood clots. I was nauseous in the mornings. It was a shock for my nervous system, right? That this has happened,” she shares, adding, “During the day, I could do interviews because I’m used to cameras, but at night my body would get stuck.”
Questioning the theory that the entire episode had been orchestrated, she says, “Will people say that I planned the aftermath too? That this was also scripted? I had told my body that I will stop the van, and I will send the police there. Come on, make it make sense.”
Recalling when she first saw reports of her participation in Bigg Boss circulating on social media, Rhiya says she was on holiday and scrolling through her phone when she came across comments accusing her of orchestrating the protest episode for publicity. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, what has happened?’ And then they were like, ‘She has only done the whole thing for publicity.’ I was like, ‘Oh, people are this jobless in life. What is wrong with them?’”
Interestingly, Rhiya herself was initially unsure about being a part of Bigg Boss 20. Having watched the show since childhood, she was curious about what the experience would be like, but also wondered whether it was the right decision for her. “We’ve seen Bigg Boss since childhood. I have always thought, if I go, how will I be inside? But initially, I was like, this is not for me because little girls look up to me. I felt responsible towards them,” shares Rhiya.
It was a conversation with her father that eventually made her reconsider. “I spoke to my dad and he was like, ‘Let’s talk to the channel. There’s no harm in it. Just know what’s happening.’ They told me how I react is up to me. Nobody is going to force me to fight or be angry. They will put me in situations where my limits will be tested. But I love challenges.”
Ultimately, Rhiya says her decision to enter Bigg Boss is not about proving anything to her detractors or trolls. Instead, she sees it as another challenge and an opportunity for audiences to see the person behind the viral protest moment. “I am a person of my heart. Like, I lead with my heart, not my brain,” she says, adding that the same instinct guided her during the protest. “I think what took me there to the protest was my heart.”
And while she is aware that Bigg Boss can bring scrutiny and shape public narratives, Rhiya says she is more interested in facing what comes next than dwelling on what has already happened. “I see what’s in front of me,” she says. “Like that day, I was standing in front of the van, in front of the driver, with my eyes closed, and my destination is in front of me, not behind me.”
She believes that mindset could work in her favour inside the Bigg Boss house, particularly because she does not want to hide or alter who she is for the cameras. Having watched contestants such as Shehnaaz Gill and Sidharth Shukla, Ahir says she connects with people who remain true to themselves despite the pressures and equations inside the house. Rather than entering with a fixed game plan, she believes authenticity will be her biggest strength.