Bigg Boss 7 winner: Who is Gauhar Khan?

At 5' 8" Gauhar Khan might feel even taller after completing 104 days in Bigg Boss house and winning the reality show.

After defeating 14 celebrities and 5 wild card participants in the 7th season of the reality show, the model-turned-actress exclaimed "I on seventh heaven".

The 30 year old toppled co-contestant and arch rival Tanisha Mukherjee for Rs 50 lakh (INR) cash prize and a trophy.

Though audience must have witnessed the loud and dominating side of this tough contestant in the past 104 days but who is Gauhar Khan.

This housemate had actually created a buzz in the house with her opinions and uber-hotness.

But she is best known for her dance numbers "Jhalla" and "Chokra Jawaan" in 'Ishaqzaade' and "Parda Parda" in 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbai'; the actress also featured in Bollywood movie 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year' opposite Ranbir Kapoor.

Gauhar was appreciated for her character role in 'Rocket Singh' and critics gave her a thumps up.

Her career kick-started as a model.

Gauhar created a major controversy in the year 2006 while walking on the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week. She suffered a major wardrobe malfunction while strutting on the ramp.

The stitching of the dress was not properly done and while walking on the ramp she revealed her bare bottom, much to her embarrassment.

Khan has modeled for famous Indian designers Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, Payal Jain and Neeta Lulla.

She has also acted in a couple of television ads Ford Ikon, Bajaj Auto, Opel Car and Tanishq jewellery.

In 2002, she participated in Femina Miss India contest and came fourth and represented India in Miss International contest that year.

Gauhar also made appearances in a couple of music videos and anchored a film gossip show 'Page 3' for Zoom Television.

Her brush with reality show started with 'The Khan Sisters' with her sister Nigaar Khan. The show was aired on UTV Bindass which followed their life extensively and was formatted like the famous 'Keeping Up With The Kardashian' show.

In 2012 she participated on dance reality show 'Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa' and was the first runner up.

Gauhar will also be seen opposite Rajev Khandelwal in Fever, her first film as the lead heroine. Fever is slated for release in January 2014.

Gauhar happens to be from a very conservative Muslim family, and things were not fine with her older sisters living in Dubai.

In one of the episodes of 'The Khan Sisters', we had seen how Gauhar's professional choices had angered her family members and created a rift between them.

A photo from Gauhar's bikini shoot for a magazine was leaked in the newspapers and her TV star sister, Nigaar, had showed it to their eldest sister Zakia Jeelani.

Conservative Zakia had been really upset with Gauhar and her lifestyle. The two were rumoured to have been estranged ever since.

However, Bigg Boss seems to have bridged the gap between the sisters.

Few days back, Zakia tweeted "May Allah always bless you Gauhar...ur indeed the most genuine person in d house! (Sic)," referring to her sister's participation in Bigg Boss season 7.

Clearly the harsh environments inside the Bigg Boss house have not only tested the patience of the inmates, but also melted the hearts of estranged siblings.

Zakia is based in Dubai, along with Gauhar's other siblings, Kausar and Asad.

Gauhar was seriously linked up with model Nihar Pandya. But few people know that shortly before she agreed to go on the reality show, she broke up with Nihar, with whom she was rumoured to be engaged.
 
Nihar and Gauhar had been seeing each other for the past couple of years but they broke up before she went into the Bigg Boss house.

Both were keen to get married but they spilt because of religious differences.

During her stint on Bigg Boss, Gauhar's romance with fellow contestant Kushal Tandon caught everyone's attention and the two openly declared their love for each other.

Everyone was speculating if Gauhar’s budding romance with Kushal Tandon is real or just a convenient link-up for the sake of the show.

After winning Gauhar categorically said that she is not afraid to talk about her relationship with Kushal forward and will not hide it from public.

Gauhar said; "My relationship with Kushal is what it is. I am not going to camouflage it or lie about it outside the 'Bigg Boss' house."

(All pics: AFP)

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