They seemed like siblings to us: Aasif Khan on Scout-Love Gill's bond on BB 20

Aasif Khan said he viewed Scout OP and Love Gill's Bigg Boss 20 bond as sibling-like. He maintained that both are adults and further speculation serves little purpose.

In Short

• Evicted weeks before finale, Aasif values audience love above trophy success
• Reality television marked a major experiment beyond his established acting roles
• He defended heated house exchanges as human emotions in confined surroundings

The speculation around gaming influencer Scout OP and actor Love Gill's relationship inside the Bigg Boss 20 house may have grabbed viewers' attention, but actor Aasif Khan says he never saw anything beyond a brother-sister bond between them. The Panchayat actor, whose journey on the reality show ended just weeks before the finale, believes their equation was often misunderstood and feels there is little point in speculating further about it.

In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Aasif said, "The way we saw things inside, it was a brother-sister relationship. I never felt that there was something more. I think enough has been said about them; there is no point discussing it further. Also, they are both adults and have an independent bond. Who am I to interfere?"

Aasif's journey may have been cut short just a few weeks before the Bigg Boss 20 finale, but he isn't particularly disappointed. The actor believes he has already won something more valuable: the audience's hearts. He said his motive for participating in the show was always to connect with viewers. For him, the love pouring in from fans after his eviction is as good as winning the trophy.

For an actor known for his work in Panchayat, Mirzapur and Paatal Lok, Bigg Boss was an unexpected career move. However, Aasif says he would have regretted turning down the offer.

"I like to experiment a lot in terms of my roles. This time, I did it in a different domain. It was a complete switch and a major experiment, but I really had a lot of fun. Even my family, who are ardent Bigg Boss watchers, enjoyed my stint. And that says a lot," he said.

Life inside the Bigg Boss house, however, wasn't always a laugh riot. There were arguments, confrontations and moments when tempers ran high. Aasif believes viewers sometimes forget that contestants live together in a confined space, where even the smallest disagreements can snowball.

"At home, my sister and I also fight, but after two hours, everything is fine. We sit together and eat. It's not a war. Similarly, in that house, you have your own highs and lows, but you need to move on. We are all humans, not AI robots. We will feel many emotions, but we need to work around that," he said.

Aasif's equation with Qazi Touqeer also attracted considerable attention, with some of their exchanges becoming talking points outside the house. Asked about Qazi being projected as a potential winner on social media, the actor had a gracious response.

"The one who entertains people the most should win. Whoever is deserving will eventually win. Even if it is Qazi, I will be happy. I will be happy even if it is someone else," he said.

The actor also addressed the backlash over his comment suggesting that men without moustaches were not masculine enough during a conversation with Gullu. Dismissing it as friendly banter between the boys, he explained, "When boys talk to each other, they have a lot of fun. It was more like a diss battle. He said something about my beard, so I shot back about a moustache. Honestly, I have so many men in my family who don't sport a moustache, so why would I even comment on that?"

Among the biggest highlights of Aasif's stint was receiving appreciation from Salman Khan. The actor recalled how the superstar mentioned having seen his memes, which eventually led him to watch Panchayat. However, another compliment from the show left an even bigger impression on him.

During the BB News task, Aasif asked Bigg Boss for a pen and paper to prepare his bulletin. What followed was quite unexpected.

"Bigg Boss said, 'You are a great actor, and you will manage without it.' This compliment was my highest point. I have watched the show for 20 years, and getting so much respect from the team meant a lot," he said.

He also recalled receiving appreciation from Rajkummar Rao, an actor he deeply respects. "He told me that he had seen my work. Almost all the guests told me that they had seen my work. This was a big thing for me," Aasif added.

Towards the end of our conversation, we asked Aasif about his confident prediction that he would reach the two-million-follower mark on Instagram. While that milestone did not quite materialise, the actor insists he isn't losing sleep over it.

"Kanika asked me how many followers I had, and that led to a conversation. Honestly, these things don't even matter to me. Even if I had gained those numbers, I would have been happy. I was on one of the biggest reality shows in the country, watched by millions. What else do I need?" he said.

Bigg Boss 20 airs on Colors TV and streams on JioHotstar.

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