'Bigg Boss 15': Wild card entry Raqesh Bapat says Shamita Shetty a strong contender

Ex-Bigg Boss OTT contestants Neha Bhasin and Raqesh Bapat are the new wild card entries in the 'Bigg Boss 15' house. They will join the other ‘Bigg Boss OTT contestants Shamita Shetty, Pratik Sehajpal and Nishant Bhat. Rajiv Adatia had already got a place in the house as a wild card entry.

For Bapat, entering the 'Bigg Boss 15' house after its OTT edition does not come as a big change, despite the platform being different, but he has noticed how the housemates are so different.

"Nothing will change, the format of the game is the same, but yes, on 'Bigg Boss OTT' we were more close-knit," Bapat said in a conversation with IANS. "Here, I can see there are no proper connections inside the house. On OTT we shared a lot of things, but here, they are just playing the game and not concentrating on each other. In fact, I get the feeling that the audience is also not connecting somewhere. The contestants are not connecting well with each other and are in their own spaces."

In 'Bigg Boss OTT' the chemistry between Shamita Shetty and Bapat got a lot of attention. And now that Bapat has entered the house, he is all appreciative of her.

"Shamita is playing a very strong game," he said. "She has a very strong opinion and voice. What is most important is that she is very clear. What she is from outside, she is very much the same person inside."

Talking about his connection with Shamita, he said: "Well, it won't change here too, even if the platform is different. Though she will be playing her game in her own way and our connection is not going to be affected."

On his game plan inside the 'Bigg Boss 15' house, Bapat said: "This time the game will be stronger than what it was on OTT, for here the contestants are stronger. But of course, I will not change as a person. And I would like people to talk more with each other and connect well. My thing would be to make sure people connect with each other and not just keep playing the game using their brain power; using the heart is more important. I see a lot of anger and aggression. I want to change that."

Sharing his view of who the strong contenders for the top spot are, Bapat said: "I think Shamita, Tejasswi Prakash, Karan Kundrra and Vishal Kotian are playing the game very well."

Bapat offered a couple of suggestions for the contestants: "Nishant Bhat is a good player, but he should concentrate more on his own game than on paying attention to the moves of Pratik Sehajpal. I suggest you play the game in a natural way so that people can see if you are fake or real. I will make connections with strong contestants and will form bonds with most of them."

He concluded with words of praise for the superstar host, Salman Khan. "He understands everyone's nature and analyses the game perfectly," Bapat said.