Bigg Boss 15: Forming a lasting bond with Pratik Sehajpal to being called 'buddhi' by Afsana Khan, a look at highs and lows of Shamita Shetty's journey

Shamita Shetty's popularity has soared with her participation in the reality show, Bigg Boss 15, where she is seen as a contestant and a strong contender for the trophy. The actress started her journey with Bigg Boss OTT which was launched in August and continued it by joining the 15th season of the television show. With several months inside the house, the actress has not had it easy. While there have been many highs, she has faced the lowest lows, too. Here's looking at her journey:

It's not just in Bigg Boss OTT but also Bigg Boss 15 where Shamita found lasting friends in Nishant Bhat, Pratik Sehajpal and Neha Bhasin. While Neha stayed briefly in BB 15, her bond with Nishant and Pratik became one of the most talked about. She stood up for them when needed, not paying attention to her own game.

Shamita and Raqesh struck a great bond in Bigg Boss OTT. Their friendship soon turned into love and the two were often seen indulging in PDA in the house. Even after the show, they met a couple of times. Later, when Shamita entered BB 15 without him, she was often teased with Bapat's name. She openly acknowledged he is her boyfriend and was thrilled to welcome him in the house. However, his stint was a short one and he had to exit the house due to health reasons. Later, Shamita told Nishant that she wants to get married but she doesn't know if it is Bapat yet. She was also seen asking her mom when they connected via video call if Bapat is still her boyfriend.

During her stay in BB 15, Shamita was constantly criticised for being favoured by Salman. It was not just the inmates but the buzz was on social media platforms as well. It was said that Shamita gets away easily while others in the house are targeted by the host. However, there were times when Salman did not agree with Shamita. Her disagreement with Abhijit Bichukale is one of the examples where the latter was supported by Salman.

In the show, Shamita was age-shamed a number of times by both Afsana Khan and Tejasswi Prakash. During their tiff, Afsana called Shamita 'buddhi' in a fit of rage. Another time she threw a 'chappal' at her. Shamita retorted by calling her a 'ghatiya aurat'. In a recent fight, Tejasswi lost her cool after Shamita climbed over Karan to give a massage during a task and ended up calling her 'aunty'. This received massive criticism outside the house from celebs like Bipasha Basu, Gauahar Khan and others.

When Bigg Boss got Rajiv Adatia, Neha Bhasin and Raqesh Bapat in the house as wildcards, inmates discussed how unfair BB was to others. The makers were accused of being biased even outside the house. The show was called 'biased' for roping in Shamita's brother, her best friend and lover, increasing her support in the house.

Despite having her people around, Shamita did not find support in Rajiv or Raqesh. She played it pretty much on her own. While Rajiv chose to save Tejasswi when he entered with special powers, Raqesh left the house due to health issues. Even with others around in the house, Shamita has played a solo game and stood up for her friends.

When Shamita joined Bigg Boss 15, housemates often discussed her career and how she is only known for being Shilpa Shetty's sister. Even Devoleena, who entered as a wildcard, questioned, "What the hell is Shamita Shetty without her 'Shetty' surname?" This is something Shamita even addressed in Bigg Boss OTT. She said that she wanted to create a name for herself and not just be known as Shilpa's sister. With her success in Bigg Boss, she has certainly managed to do that.

Shamita has seen her fair share of fights in the house. While she had a heated argument with Abhijit Bichukale over his language and for speaking ill of women, she has had terrible fights with Devoleena Bhattacharjee as well. The two went physical in their fight and even ended up abusing each other. Even Afsana and Shamita had wild fights, one of which eventually led to the former's eviction.

In the last few weeks, Shamita was constantly dragged into Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash's relationship. While Tejasswi's actions hinted about her insecurity with Shamita, it was Salman who began teasing Shamita with Kundrra's surname. He joked how by marrying Karan both the Shetty sisters will have the same surnames. Just a few days ago, Tejasswi got all annoyed with Shamita for getting on top of Karan for a massage during a task. She taunted her for not playing any other task seriously and even called her 'aunty'.