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Just three days after its debut, Amazon MX Player’s reality competition series Rise and Fall Season 2 has courted major controversy after two of its contestants — Shehzad Poonawalla and Siwet Tomar — clashed on camera inside the house, leaving the former with torn clothes.
What happened between Shehzad Poonawalla and Siwet Tomar?
In a recently aired episode of the Virender Sehwag-hosted show, Shehzad and co-contestant Swara Bhasker were seen arguing, which soon escalated, with Siwet jumping in, purportedly taking offence at certain remarks Shehzad made. As the ruckus grew, Siwet was seen grabbing Shehzad by the neck and pushing him down, resulting in Shehzad’s torn clothes. This incident subsequently led to Siwet’s eviction from the show.
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Now, both Shehzad Poonawalla’s team and Siwet Tomar have reacted to the controversy and what happened inside the Rise and Fall house. While Shehzad’s team gave him a clean chit, claiming that he remained silent whenever anyone provoked him, Siwet maintained that he simply gave Shehzad what he deserved for the “dirty” game he was playing.
“They abused him; he was silent. They mocked him; he was silent. Then they hit him; he was silent,” a post shared by Shehzad’s team read. They further went on to detail his past struggles and the exact reason why he, who served as the national spokesperson for the BJP, joined Rise and Fall Season 2.
“Shehzad lost his father when he was just a child. His mother is growing older, and he doesn’t share an easy relationship with his brother because of their ideological differences. He came to the show to play, work and earn his livelihood, yet you chose to abuse and attack him physically from behind.”
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They added, “Even when you provoked him with your words, Shehzad chose to respond with maturity and treated everyone with respect. That says more about you than it ever could about him. People are watching. You can abuse him, try to silence him or push him down, but you cannot defeat his spirit. He will rise again, every single day, stronger than before. Thank you to everyone for this overwhelming love and support.”
Siwet Tomar reacts to fight with Shehzad Poonawalla
In a lengthy selfie video shared on Instagram, Siwet Tomar explained his side. “First of all, raising hands at someone is wrong, yes. But I want to know from all of you… if I go to a show and a man talks about only one thing from morning to evening, which involves religion and caste… I was being told the same thing for four days.”
He continued, “Secondly, many people told me I hit him from behind. Honestly, when I was walking towards him, he turned around. So if you see the next cut, I’m face-to-face with him, I’m holding him by the collar. Then I had five seconds with him when no one else was near us. If I wanted to hit him, I would’ve thrashed him right there. I was just holding his collar and explaining, ‘Babu, you are using religion’s name all the time.'”
He further maintained that he respects all religions alike. “I never had a problem with any religion. I only have a problem with those who spread hatred,” he stated. Siwet then tore into Shehzad Poonawalla by pointing out that he wasn’t born a Hindu. “If he couldn’t be faithful to the religion he was born into, do you think he’ll be faithful to yours? I don’t like any person who uses my religion just to cause riots or fights because it’s not written anywhere.”
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“This man was in Congress before 2017, and at that time, he spoke wrongly against the other side. Now he’s in the BJP, so he speaks wrongly against its opposite side. He’s just someone who will speak well of whichever side he is on. Because of that guy, I left the show that I actually wanted to win. What did he bring in there? Religion and caste,” he stated.
Siwet Tomar on Swara Bhasker’s Padmaavat controversy
He also maintained that he began talking to Swara again, despite his earlier statement that he wouldn’t speak to her ever, because she apparently apologised to him and expressed her willingness to apologise to the entire Rajput community over her controversial comments on the Jauhar scene in director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat (2018). However, he noted that those scenes were cut when Rise and Fall Season 2 aired.
Siwet Tomar added that he, too, is a BJP supporter but doesn’t constantly discuss religion and caste. “On a concluding note, I just have to say: move forward in life, move the country forward, become a nationalist. There are many Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Buddhists who are doing good for our country.”
In a separate post, he wrote, “If you think you can mislead people and I’ll simply walk away, you clearly don’t know me. I have said it once, and I’ll say it clearly: I will not play with or engage with someone who has wronged me until there is a sincere apology. That isn’t ego — that’s my boundary. And when I give my word, I stand by it.”
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He added, “Stop misleading innocent people and dividing them on the basis of religion for political advantage. Start putting humanity above every political agenda. I won’t back off because everyone stands against me. Even if I have to stand alone, I’ll stand my ground. Because for me, a word is a word. The earth belongs to the brave.”
On the clip shared alongside the said post, he wrote, “He (Shehzad Poonawalla) chose to play dirty, I chose to give him what he deserved.”
Disclaimer: This article covers a physical altercation and personal disputes between reality TV show contestants as reported on social media. The claims and statements expressed by the individuals reflect their personal perspectives and have not been independently verified.