Being in reality shows is a dream for many but Ashutosh Kaushik says he surprised himself by winning two reality shows back-to-back. He won the Roadies 5.0 in 2007 and later participated in the second season of Bigg Boss in 2008, which he won.

“When I won Roadies, it was a high,” says Kaushik. Talking about the journey, he shares, “I had auditioned many times for Roadies and faced many rejections. Phir ek time aaya, jab select ho gaya. My mum had taught me to keep trying and I did. The experience of Roadies was fun, tough and memorable. After winning, I returned to my hometown in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. A year later, Bigg Boss called me and I was part of the reality show in 2008. After winning that too, I returned home. The journey was good. People of India gave me a lot of love.”

Reflecting on how life turned out for him, Kaushik says maybe he got too much too soon in life. “Perhaps I didn’t know or wasn’t able to appreciate their value in life. Kehte hain azaadi ki value unko pata hai, jinhone ghulami dekhi ho. Had I struggled in life, especially in the entertainment industry, I would have understood what I got and how to take it forward in life to make a career out of it. I couldn’t cash the success. I knew how to run a dhaba and make it success. Back then, I didn’t know.” He doesn’t have regrets about the way things panned out. “I wasn’t ready for that I feel. I kept winning reality shows due to luck majorly and by God’s grace. I hadn’t really worked for it,” says Kaushik, who was also seen in Roadies 8.

The actor featured in some films including Zila Ghaziabad (2013) and Kismat Love Paisa Dilli (2012). He admits he couldn’t stay in Mumbai for longer periods as he had to look after his family. He ensured his sisters got proper education. He explains, “One of my sisters is a dietician and lives in London and another is a beautician and doing well. Main padhne mein naalayak tha par padhane mein badhiya tha (laughs). Following in my footsteps many from my extended family sent their daughters out of town for further studies.”

Today, he is happy in life, especially as he got married in 2020, in the lockdown on his terrace. He also filed a petition in High Court asking videos, links and references to his 2009 drunken driving case be removed from online platforms.

Currently, he runs two dhabas in his home town and has a “kapde ka showroom in Uttarakhand” He says, “Roti ki koi dikkat nahin hai. In fact, we feed people at my dhabas. I also do shows for newschannels in Noida from time-to-time. If I get a call from Mumbai for any project, I go shoot and return,” he says, adding, “I am also developing the entertainment industry. I have shoot equipment and put up local content on my Youtube channel and Facebook page. I have also made films and shows in my town giving chance to local talent. I am a one-man army and handle everything from production to acting to direction and what not (laughs). Naye bachchon ko chance deta hoon sab department mein. Today it is a digital world and one doesn’t need to be in Mumbai to have a successful career. In fact many can’t go to Mumbai or survive there.”