Hyderabadi boy wins MTV Ace of Space 2

Hyderabadi lad Salman Zaidi has emerged victorious in the reality show MTV Ace of Space 2. Salman defeated fellow Hyderabadi Baseer Ali, Adnan Shaikh, Shruti Sinha, Prakruti Mishra, Krissann Barretto and Rashami Jha to take home the winner's trophy and a cash prize of Rs five lakh. Salman, a boxer by profession, survived 73 days in the ever-shrinking space to win the title. The reality series had contestants from various walks of life and some known faces such as a National Award winner, a reality TV star and social media stars were sharing the same roof.

The format of the show is very gruelling, and Salman went through many ups and downs in the show. He was also in the spotlight for his love story with actress Krissann Barretto that bloomed from day-1 in the house. And also, for his altercations with his childhood friend Baseer Ali.

Excerpts from an interview

What 3 things did you plan to do after reaching Hyderabad?

First and foremost, I will eat biryani, I have been missing the Hyderabadi food a lot. Then I will meet my family. And the third and most important thing is, I will meet all my fans and let them know that I was so happy with all the love and support that they gave me.

From contestant to winner how was it in the house of Ace for Space?

The journey was both beautiful and amazing. I was emotionally involved in the show. My fellow contestants on the show were equally good. It's only because of the huge support from the fans that I have reached so far and won the show. From an underdog to now a winner of this show, I've had an eventful journey. So, this is something that I have learned, and I want to tell people that one should not think that anything is difficult and that they cannot do it.

What did you learn from this experience?

I have learnt and understood a lot of things during this show. The show was very closely knit in my life. As the show progressed the most important thing was family, fans became our family, friends with whom we were living became our family and one of the most valuable things that I learned from this show is that you need to stay happy so that you can make everyone and your family happy.

How was it living in ever-shrinking space?

It was really pressurising. Because you are living in a room whose walls are coming close day by day and the area you are living in is getting smaller. In such situations, things keep on changing, claustrophobia kicks in, the pressure is building inside you, but how to keep calm under these situations is something that the show teaches you.

What was your strategy in the game?

I did not have any strategy as such, my only aim was to show my real personality and just be myself, this is one thing that helped me a lot and because of this the fans were able to connect with who I really am and were able to shower their love and support.

You and Krissann have been close since day 1...how did that equation happen?

When we first met, we realized we have a lot in common, she is a gem of a person and our equation just clicked! I'm happy our bond grew with each day and yes, we are really happy together.

There were a lot of altercations between you and Baseer, so in your opinion, what went wrong? Why did it come to such turn?

When two people with very strong opinion analyze things and give their opinion on that, it is obvious that there will be clashes. But both of us have been like this since childhood, we have had fights, but I believe that he is right on his part and I am right on mine. And the thing that matters the most is that we are still friends. This is a part of friendship. We are close to each other and will have our bond stronger in the days to come.

Now that you have won the show...what will be your equation with him?

Our equation has always been clear, we are still friends, we are still like brothers. We will have a clash of opinions in the future as well, but he will always be my friend.

What kind of insights did you get from mastermind Vikas Gupta?

Vikas Sir has taught me a lot about life, how to deal with different situations since the start. He has been a great mentor to all of us on the show.