Bright lights. Drops of sweat. A popular celebrity host. Hundreds of enthusiastic viewers, a TV audience running over a million. Series of unexpected questions and a huge prize money.
It was in this anxious moment that 10 Ka Dum first commoner winner Vipula Raina was born.
Back in 2008, exactly a decade ago, the first season of 10 Ka Dum was launched with Salman Khan as the host. While the launch was followed by a successful second season in 2009, the reality show had to wait for 9 years for its third season.
While majority of the viewers have watched the first episode of the show's third season by now, join us as we find out what the first winner of the first season is up to today.
The confidence with which she played and her subsequent win as a commoner had tears streaming down our cheeks (because if it can happen to her, can happen to us too), and it’s a memory many of us – just like Vipula - can’t forget.
Even though Vipula wasn’t keen on participating in 10 Ka Dum, it was at the constant prodding of her mother that she answered a question and got selected for the audition round. “I was asked - what % of people have milk on their wedding night. I answered the question and forgot about it. Call it destiny because I was busy getting my daughter’s laptop repaired at a shop in Nehru Place, when I got a call from SET to come for their audition round on May 17, 2008. I was obviously surprised. Lekin maine usko zyada importance nahi di. Garmi mei subah 8 baje CP ke kisi address pe jaana tha. While I had already forgotten about it, my driver took me to the venue and despite being late I was allowed to participate."
As luck would have it, she won her ticket to fame by becoming one of the biggest winners in Indian TV history. The cameras continued to roll, Vipula received congratulatory embraces and high-fives from Salman and her family on the sets, and she reveled in the moment unlike any other.
Fast forward 10 years and the 57-year-old Vipula says her “money is gone". She doesn’t have a roof over head, her prize money has dried up, and is still struggling to find a job. “I have sold my cars. I’m almost on the streets now. My current condition is very sad," she rues.
As Vipula recalls, she had invested her money in husband’s fledgling business, a decision she doesn’t regret. “Maybe I owed the money to my husband in previous birth," she says, adding, “At that time, my husband said he bought a new house and that I was a 50% partner. He asked me why I couldn’t give him the money which he had to pay to the bank. It was the year of our 25th anniversary. And I couldn’t have refused."
Even though her children had asked her not to take hasty decisions about money at the time, Vipula couldn’t foresee an unexpected set of problems it triggered. “My kids fought with me. They said, ‘We have nothing against our father, but there is no point putting this God sent money into a dying business. You are just giving it away.’ Honestly, I knew it wasn't going to yield any returns."
Vipula, a freelance consultant then, had multiple loans to pay off, which, as expected, had jeopardised her other financial goals. As she says, it felt everything she had worked for in her entire life was slipping right through her fingers. “Uss samay maine ghar ki registry karane ke liye bhi loan liya tha. Woh bhi utara. Personal loan bhi liya tha. I had to pay all EMIs for my car."
Had someone guided her about the smart money moves she could have made to improve her finances, she wouldn’t have had to face a formidable tidal wave of anxiety, horror and stress.
“That time I didn’t have any knowledge of the stock market. Had I invested in the market I would have made another 50-60 lakh. I asked a few people and they advised me to invest in FDs. But that didn’t help much."
While she appreciates her daughter Richa for being with her through thick and thin, she is determined to get back on the show, play the Rs 1 crore question and win money to improve her financial status. “Since 2012, Richa and I have struggled in a rented apartment. Till 2016 she has been a big support to me. She is married now, and has additional responsibilities. But still, she and her husband continue to be a source of love and support in my life. my son lives in Bombay and though he tries his best to be there for me, he is still struggling to find his footing in his career. Even though I landed a job in Gurgaon post her wedding, I lost it because my company decide to restructure the team. Now I’m just doing small bits of freelance which is about 1/4th of my salary. I have cut down my expenses, moved from a 4 BHK to a smaller apartment. I have gone through a lot."
Even though Gurgaon-based Vipula, who has been playing the game on the app, is yet to make it to the list of shortlisted contestants, she is sure that she wouldn’t share her prize money with anyone. “I would sit on the money. There is going to be no bachcha, no husband. Iske liye chahe log mujhe gaaliyan dein, ya kuch bi bolein. I don’t give a hoot to anyone’s opinion. I don’t know if I have 8 months to live or if I will live up to 80. Mujhe kaun dekhega? Main logon se help maangti rahungi kya? My mother stays at old age home. I don’t want that life for myself. This is what I ask God everyday. Mujhe Mummy wali haalat mat dikhana. I have to get back on the show and win it. I have to do it. Maine apni speech ready rakhi hai – ki mai aa rahi hoon 10 saal baad 1 crore jitney."
Comments
0 comment