He got a wake-up call last year after being rejected in the Roadies audition because of his weight issues. Determined and perseverant, he again participated this year, shedding those extra kilos and having the gusto to win the battle, this Delhi boy made it to the Roadies X1 finale and won the show.
Nikhil Sachdeva talks about his life after winning Roadies and a lot more. Here's an excerpt from the interview.
What was Nikhil Sachdeva doing before participating in Roadies?
I am a Delhi boy and I have a tattoo shop in the capital named 'Tattoo By Nick'. After finishing my high school, I couldn't go for higher studies because I had to support my family as we were not financially sound. I have done all odd jobs initially to earn my living from working in a BPO to pursuing my tattoo passion by opening a shop.
You had participated in last year's Roadies audition and got rejected, so was your last year's experience at Roadies, the only reason why you decided to lose weight?
Yeah, I had participated in last year's audition and both Raghu and Rannvijay made fun of my weight, they asked me if I could crack jokes and I felt like a douchebag. And when I saw myself onscreen after that, I couldn't believe myself as to how bad I looked then. I determined to workout and change myself. Last year's audition was a reality check for me.
So, what are your future plans, any plans to get into acting?
I did get two TV serial offers from a popular channel, while I was still on Roadies, but I thought it would be too early to go for that. As I wanted to hold my grounds and figure out what I actually want to do, I am still in that process but if a good opportunity comes my way, either from TV or Bollywood, I would certainly go for it.
Don't you think the judges are a bit too rude with the contestants and bully them a lot during the audition?
You know, the judges have really toned down a lot in the recent past. But if we have contestants coming on the show with an abhorrent mindset, they need to be taught a lesson. Like I remember, there was this guy who came with a knuckle cutter to beat up Raghu, tell me why wouldn't judges react to this. Another girl who came said that girls are raped because they provoke guys to do so. Such cases need to be immediately addressed and that's what the judges do.
What's that one thing that took you so far and ultimately made you the winner of the show?
You need to be a performer in order to win the show. I did just that. While the other contestants lost focus and got too busy in creating drama on the show, I gave my 100 per cent to all the tasks. In the finale episode, I even got bruises while completing the last task. You definitely need to have that x-factor in you to be a winner on Roadies.
Who's your favourite Roadies winner so far?
Definitely Rannvijay Singha. He was like an elder brother to me during the show. Rannvijay is an inspiration for many.
We see a lot of unnecessary fights among the contestants, since you have been a part of the show, tell us are these fights always real or scripted most of times?
See, the entire production team of Roadies have no involvement in scripting the fights or anything. It's the attention seeking contestants who go to any extent to grab eyeballs.
So are you going to stick to your tattoo business or you have some thing else in pipeline as well?
Tattoo is my passion and as of now, I am going to stick to it. Tattooing is something that calms me. You know I really wish to make tattoo on Sanjay Dutt's body. I remember an old picture of Sanjay Dutt holding a toy gun in his hand and posing with his mother Nargis. I would want to ink that on Sanjay Dutt if given a chance. Other than that, I am open to any Bollywood or TV projects that come my way. Bring it on!