‘Salman Bhai Se…’: Ashneer Grover Offered Bigg Boss 19 As Wildcard Contestant, Rise And Fall Host Shares Screenshot Of Mail

Ashneer Grover, who is currently seen as a host of Rise And Fall, recently revealed that he has been invited by the makers of Bigg Boss 19 to enter the show as a wildcard contestant. On Friday (September 26), the businessman and former Shark Tank India judge shared a screenshot of the official mail he received from the makers.

While the authenticity of the email remains unverified, it was addressed to Ashneer and was apparently sent by Senior Casting Coordinator for Bigg Boss 19.

Taking a dig at his relationship with Salman Khan, the host of Bigg Boss 19, he wrote, “Haha! Salman bhai se pooch le!! Mai to free ho jaaunga tab tak.”

Ashneer added, “Yeh ‘mail merge’ kisi ki to naukri khayega.” For those unversed, the mail merge feature is used to send personalised emails to multiple recipients.

Ashneer had also shared the screenshot on his official X account with the caption, “Itni bhauklahat – kuchh zyaada hi competition de diya Rise & Fall ne lagta hai! Is bechaare casting director ki to khair nahi aaj.”

However, he deleted the post from X (formerly known as Twitter).

The mail praised Ashneer’s personality and stated that he is a ‘strong’ candidate to participate in the controversial reality show.

“Your dynamic personality, engaging social media presence, and unique appeal have caught the attention of our casting team, making you a strong candidate for this exciting role,” a part of the mail read.

Salman Khan and Ashneer Grover’s controversy

The controversy between the entrepreneur and the actor began after Ashneer, in an earlier interview, claimed he was denied the chance to click a photo with Salman during a brand shoot.

In 2019, Ashneer (then BharatPe co-founder) had reportedly approached Salman’s team to make him a brand ambassador. Ashneer later claimed there was a meeting at a shoot, and that he spent hours discussing it.

Ashneer said that although he asked for photos with Salman at that meeting, Salman’s manager refused, saying the actor didn’t like photos at that time.

During Bigg Boss 18, Ashneer had come on one of the Weekend Ka Vaar episodes. Salman had then schooled the businessman for speaking against him and talking about his remuneration. However, after the episode was aired, Ashneer had penned a long note about Bigg Boss and Salman.

Recently, during an interview, he indirectly took a dig at Salman and his style of hosting Bigg Boss 19.

“Reality shows have to be about contestants. Fortunately or unfortunately, in India, we’ve had a very big show with a very big superstar. It’s become more about him than the contestants. Who’s putting in the hours? Bhai, aap to ek weekend mein aa rahe ho,” he reportedly said during an interview.