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Bigg Boss 20 has opened its doors, and among the contestants entering Salman Khan’s house is Kushal Tanwar, better known to viewers as Gullu. For those who follow MTV’s reality television circuit, he hardly needs an introduction. Kushal arrives on Bigg Boss after winning two reality shows in succession, MTV Roadies XX: Double Cross and MTV Splitsvilla X6: Pyaar Ya Paisa.
But television success did not come immediately for the Gurugram-based content creator. Years before lifting his first Roadies trophy, Kushal had already tried to get onto the show and gone home without making the cut.
Who Is Kushal Tanwar Aka Gullu?
Kushal Tanwar, popularly known as Gullu or Gullu Boxer, is a content creator and reality television personality from Gurugram, Haryana.
Before television made him widely recognisable, he pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (IHMCT), Pune, completing the course in 2022.
He also experimented with business before finding his footing online, including co-founding a café. Those ventures did not bring him the recognition that content creation eventually did, with his humour helping him build an audience on social media.
His First Roadies Audition Ended In Rejection
Kushal’s history with Roadies goes back much further than his winning season. In 2019, he auditioned for the reality show dressed as a fake sheikh. The unusual attempt did not get him selected.
He returned to the franchise years later for MTV Roadies XX: Double Cross. This time, Kushal secured a place in Elvish Yadav’s gang. His run was anything but straightforward. After being eliminated by his own teammates, Kushal returned as a wildcard and joined Gautam Gulati’s gang.
Another switch followed after he won the ticket to the finale. Given the opportunity to change gangs, Kushal went back to Elvish’s team.
The gamble ended with him winning the season. In the finale, Kushal completed the decisive task in 1 minute and 16 seconds, ahead of Hartaaj Singh Gill’s 1 minute and 48 seconds. He walked away with Rs 10 lakh and a Hero Karizma bike.
Gullu Then Won Splitsvilla X6 With Kaira Anu
Kushal followed Roadies with another MTV reality show, Splitsvilla X6: Pyaar Ya Paisa, hosted by Sunny Leone and Karan Kundrra.
On the show, he formed a connection with Kaira Anu. The pair eventually reached the grand finale alongside Yogesh Rawat and Ruru Thakur, Sorab Bedi and Niharika Tiwari, and Soundarya Shetty and Tayne De Villiers.
Kushal and Kaira ultimately won Splitsvilla X6, taking home the trophy and Rs 20 lakh prize money. The season also introduced audience voting for the finalists for the first time in the show’s history.
After winning, Kushal credited Kaira for supporting him throughout their journey. “Kaira and I had a bond since day one; she always supported me,” he said while speaking about their victory.
Kushal Tanwar Enters Bigg Boss 20
Kushal’s entry into Bigg Boss 20 now puts him on his third major reality show after consecutive victories on Roadies and Splitsvilla. Reports ahead of the premiere had already named him among the contestants expected to join Salman Khan’s new season.
Unlike his first Roadies audition in 2019, Kushal enters the Bigg Boss house with two trophies already attached to the Gullu name. His television journey so far has included an audition rejection, an elimination, a wildcard comeback, a gang switch and back-to-back reality show wins.
With Bigg Boss 20, Kushal is now moving beyond the MTV formats that established him as a reality television face and into Salman Khan’s house.
