Veteran musician Anup Jalota has now openly addressed the controversy surrounding his presence with Jasleen Matharu on the reality show, more than five years after the notorious Bigg Boss 12 pairing that made headlines across tabloids and talk shows. Jalota has now disclosed that the on-screen chemistry between the two was only a made-up storyline created for the game, even if it was presented as an unusual romance with a large age difference.
“She was my student, nothing more.”
In a recent interview, Jalota clarified that Jasleen was merely his music student who had approached him a few times for lessons. “She came to me about 5-6 times. She was talented, and I encouraged her singing,” he said. The singer recalled Jasleen informing him about an offer to participate in Bigg Boss. Initially uninterested, Jalota said her father convinced him to join with a clear understanding—they would enter the house as guru-shishya (teacher-student).
However, Jalota was in for a shock when, during the premiere episode, Jasleen introduced him as her romantic partner of three years. “When Salman [Khan] asked about our relationship, she said we were together for three years. I was taken aback. Yeh kya hogaya? Yeh toh hua hi nahi tha,” Jalota recalled.
The twist that turned into a PR storm
Jalota believes that the producers or someone from the Bigg Boss team may have encouraged her to present that narrative to create a buzz. “I never confronted her. I figured it was all a part of the game. Maybe someone guided her to say that. It created a wave of speculation, but perhaps it helped her gain visibility,” he added.
Post his exit from the Bigg Boss house after nearly 45 days, Jalota found himself in the eye of a media storm. He promptly held a press conference along with Jasleen’s father to clarify the “misunderstanding.”
“We sat together and addressed everything. We even joked that we’d do her kanyadaan at her wedding. That shut the matter down,” said Jalota. “There were never any sightings of us together off-camera—no dinners, parties, films, or trips. That helped dissolve the narrative over time.”
No contact since the show
The 71-year-old singer also revealed that he has had no contact with Jasleen since their Bigg Boss exit. “I haven’t spoken to her since. I only talk to her father once in a while,” he said.
Beyond the drama
The Jalota-Matharu episode remains one of the most debated pairings in Bigg Boss history. Whether it was an orchestrated stunt or a misguided moment of ambition, it laid bare the lengths contestants (and perhaps producers) may go to for a moment in the spotlight. Jalota’s calm dismantling of the controversy today echoes a larger truth about how reality television can blur fiction and fact—sometimes at the cost of personal reputation.
