The ongoing season of Splitsvilla has got much more twists, intense fights, and heartbreaks. Recently, the show saw an intense dumping of actor-model Joshua Chabbra. To know the other side of the coin, we connected with Joshua, who opens up about being in the show, being backstabbed by his best friend in the show, and much more
Amartya Smaran
From being a kid who was mocked at school for being overweight, to the youngest winner at Gladrags 2016 Mr. India contest, Joshua Chhabra has seen it all. His recent stint at Splitsvilla season 14 led him to recognition, as a result of his dominating yet endearing performance, along with his camaraderie with fellow contestant Kashish Ratnani.
Joshua Chhabra’s career took off like a rocket, when he won the Bombay Times Fresh Face Award at the age of 17. The handsome hunk turned into a sensation in 2016, after bagging the Gladrags Mr. India title.
This sportsman turned model/actor began his career in the fashion industry at the tender age of 17 when he was offered to take part in several fashion shows at college. The top model even represented India at the Mr. World contest in 2018 and was honored with the Indus Award for Sexiest Indian man 2019. The same year, he made his acting debut with the song– Selfie Queen and went on to feature in various songs and web series.
On the sports front, Joshua played tennis at an international level and, captained the Bombay U-16 and U-18 cricket teams for three years before taking a deep dive into the tinsel town. Are you wondering why Joshua didn’t continue in the realm of sports? He says, “Despite being extremely good at sports, I was subjected to internal politics and that was disheartening. When I ultimately won Bombay Times fresh face at 17, that’s when I decided I’d become a full-time model and an actor. I was in a spot where I had to either pick sports or modeling because I knew it wouldn’t be possible to do both.”
Therefore, the Selfie Queen actor made a firm decision to make it big in the film industry. So big, that he considers Shah Ruk Khan as his potential competition. “The desire to be the best at what I do has always been there. I don’t consider Shah Rukh Khan my idol, I see him as my competition in the next two years. I want to compete with these big people and that drive has helped me to achieve so much at a young age. I want to be around and rule this space as much as can,” ambitiously shares Joshua.
Looking back at his time on the reality dating show Splitsvilla, the model comments, “I wouldn’t say it was amazing but my experience was kind of bittersweet. I was very excited when I was offered the show because I thought it’d be a great way for people to know me for who I am. To be honest, when I look back, it wasn’t all that fun. Staying in a confined space with a bunch of toxic people drains you. I am a mentally strong individual but if I’m saying this one can only understand how difficult it was.”
People who have watched Splitsvilla, very well know that the alpha male was cornered for just being himself. “People are of two kinds, either they are dogs or lions. People over there turned into dogs and targeted me. All of them ganged up against me and treated me the wrong way. Dealing with people who were jealous and insecure was not easy. They were intimidated by my personality. So, they were looking for ways to assassinate my character and get me out of the show. Surviving in such a negative place mentally and emotionally drains you out. I kept fighting every single day and never gave up.”
Shows like Splitsvilla often bring out adorable friendly relationships in the open. The rapport that Joshua and Kashish shared on the show has had a separate fan base, for a very long time. Speaking of it, he expresses, “Time spent with Kashish is the only nice memory that I have from the show. As long as she was with me on the show, she was my source of strength and comfort. That was enough for me to fight everyone on the show. Obviously, interacting with Sunny Leone and Arjun Bijlani felt really great. They are two wonderful people to be around with. Otherwise, I would never meet all the other people outside the show. Another beautiful part is the kind of love that people are showering on me after the show. I never put anyone down and kept to myself. I entered the show with an image of a playboy and they all had a perception about me but I exited as someone who is loyal towards people and stands up for what he says.”
The Charmsukh Trapped star also shared a good bond with fellow contestant Justin D’cruz but that relationship came to an abrupt end went the latter chose to play the safe game. “Justin was my only friend in the house. I always defended and protected him. In one of the episodes, I was accused of something that was shameful. I’m grateful to my audience for seeing through the ugly plan that was devised against me. Justin could have stood up for me and said all that was inaccurate but he chose to be a part of the majority and decided to be nice to everyone in order to maintain a good relationship. He made me the scapegoat and chose his selfish reasons over me. He went ahead knowing that his decision could’ve affected my career if it would have gone the wrong way. There’s a saying, right? “Don’t be a snake”, I’d say, “Don’t be Justin”. He showed his true colors. He’s worse than a snake. It’s okay to be a snake but don’t be a Justin to anybody.”
The ambitious young macho man is gearing up for a Hollywood project which will most probably go on the floors in March ‘23. “Hollywood happening before Bollywood might be on the cards and I’m excited about that,” adds the aspiring star. A leading Bollywood production house is in talks with the actor. However, nothing has been confirmed yet. Good news for Joshua fans, as he hinted at taking part in the next season of Hindi Bigg Boss.
“Throughout my life, I have consistently dreamt of being a Bollywood star,” expresses Joshua, and concludes, “Splitsvilla helped to get that visibility. People who didn’t know me started taking notice of my personality and talent. Bigg Boss is also on the cards for this year, but I will only consider that offer if my movie aspirations don’t materialise.”
