Television host and anchor Raghu Ram recently revealed that he and his twin brother, Rajiv Lakshman, made the decision to end their stint on the popular reality TV show Roadies due to excessive interference from the channel. According to Raghu, they were pushed to adopt a more aggressive approach towards contestants, a style that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for them.

Raghu and Rajiv were known for their tough, confrontational techniques when interacting with contestants, often challenging them in harsh and direct ways. However, the pressure to amplify this aggression ultimately led them to step away from the show.

Also Read: Roadies winner Ashutosh Kaushik recalls his clash with Raghu Ram: ‘Not here to listen to your abuses’

In an interview with Untriggered with AminJaz podcast, Raghu opened up about why he quit the show after 11 years of hosting it in 2014. He said, “In those times I have behaved in a manner with which people would have a problem with it. But I was doing a job, is it right, is it wrong, I don’t know. It’s the same thing, influencing, Poonam Pandey, I don’t know… If you hate me for what I did then guilty as charged. I am not apologetic to you about it.”

“As you grow bigger, you feel the pressure to cater. I felt it; that’s why I left Roadies. Rajiv and I walked off because there was too much interference. We were told to scream at people. It’s either that, or you have to dance to their tune. It’s a good problem because you are a success, but now you are no longer you. You belong to them,” he added, noting that the once-popular show now doesn’t connect as much with the audience because it “lacks honestly”

Further, Raghu said that what Roadies is today, is exactly what the makers want it to be. “It’s not what I wanted to make,” Raghu said.

He even admitted that his on-screen persona was a reflection of his extreme rage with society and everything he was going through in his personal life. “I was going through a f****d-up time where that guy (the Raghu on Roadies) was an extreme expression of my rage and relationship with society, with God, and with the concept that I felt I was lied to by society. So he came out, and it connected because I was honest… It didn’t come out because I thought it would work. Probably you are not connecting with it (now) because it’s not honest.”