One of the contestants who drew attention for her much-talked-about secrets on the widely popular Lock Upp 2 was Akanksha Chamola. She announced her divorce from television star Gaurav Khanna and confessed that she was bisexual before her marriage to him.
In an exclusive conversation with Mid-Day recently, Akanksha Chamola opened up about how Gaurav Khanna found her bisexuality "hot."
She said, "I have very specifically mentioned that I was bisexual before I got married. My husband accepted that because he did find it to be a very hot thing. Guys find it very hot. I don't know why people can't accept that. The majority of men find it very hot."
On Commitment After Marriage
Speaking about how being committed to Gaurav Khanna after marriage was part of her personal journey, Akanksha Chamola added, "I did not pull myself out of it. But I chose, like I said, I will not cheat on my husband. I have chosen to be with this one person. I will stick to that one person. And then after that, when I'm saying that I've reached a point where I'm asexual, there are many heterosexual females who turn asexual after a point of time. So what is the big deal when I'm saying that I was bisexual, then I got married, now I'm asexual?"
She clarified further, "I'm talking about myself. I'm not talking about them. I'm not their spokesperson." Addressing the possibility of identifying differently in the future, she said, "Tomorrow I might go ahead and declare to the world that I'm pansexual. What can you do about it? I'm talking about my own self."
On Being Trolled After Tejasswi's Podcast
In a post-elimination conversation with Tejasswi Prakash, Akanksha Chamola was slammed online for defending the remark "sexuality is a phase."
Addressing the backlash she faced, she said, "See, even when I went for Tejasswi's podcast, I think that was also heavily edited. They very smartly edited the portion, keeping only the part where I was actually arguing with her."
On Bisexuality Affecting Her Career
Speaking of her bisexuality being known and its impact on her television career, Akanksha Chamola said, "We've seen so many such people in the industry. I don't think that's a problem. But I think we're missing out on the positive side too."
She recalled a comment about her future career, "I think that person mentioned that I'd get work in OTT or web, but not in TV. So let's look at the positive. If I was getting it in OTT or web, I'm happy about it."
She added, "But TV, I don't think even TV works like that. Nobody will cast me on the basis of whether you're heterosexual, homo, or bisexual. Nobody will ask that. If it's in my craft and if I'm the requirement they want, they will definitely cast me. If not, it will not be on the basis of whether I'm bisexual or not."
For the unversed, Akanksha had previously revealed that she is bisexual and does not wish to have children. She also spoke about the reasons behind her decision to divorce Gaurav. She clarified that she does not want to have children even through adoption, as she has chosen to remain child-free, while Gaurav wants to become a parent.
Akanksha Chamola and Gaurav Khanna first met during an audition in 2015. After dating for a brief period, the couple married within 8 months of their first meeting. Akanksha publicly confirmed their divorce during the premiere of Lock Upp Season 2.
