Rakhi Sawant choses NRI at Swayamwar

Ending speculations, Rakhi Sawant finally chose before millions of Indian TV viewers her groom in a reality show. As expected, Canada-based Elesh Parujanwala clinched the honour in the first of its kind show on Indian television.

NDTV Imagine presented a unique reality show- Rakhi ka Swayamvar , in which Bollywood’s controversial item girl Rakhi Sawant played a game for the viewers as the show traced the journey of a bride-to-be; from selecting her groom to the marriage ceremony, all captured on television.

“I have been watching Elesh from day one. On and off the camera, he has been the same and has really taken care of me, Rakhi said after choosing her husband at Hotel Leela Kampinsky in Mumbai.

“He is everything I was looking for and I am glad to have found him on the Swayamvar. The swayamvar means finding a jeevan saathi (life partner) and I have found Elesh. ”

After testing 16 young men for five weeks, Rakhi Sawant finally chose thirty-year-old Elesh, who won 78 per cent of audience votes beating the other two finalists.

The other two finalists were Manas Katyal, a 22-year-old event manager from Delhi and Chittiz Jain, a businessman also from Delhi.

There was much suspense as the three suitors, decked in traditional Indian wedding wear, waited for Rakhi to walk up to them, garland in hand, to make her choice known to the world. The now ebullient, now coy Rakhi would not make it so easy and playfully walked across them all with small, mincing steps, before turning back to garland Elesh, reported NDTV.

The crowd gathered broke into spontaneous cheer and blessed the couple with a shower of flower petals.

Just like it in a perfect dramatic ‘swayambar’ Before Rakhi made her choice she prayed to God that she be led to make the right decision.

Rakhi and Elesh exchanged vows of commitment and rings, but explained that they would like to get to know each other better away from the spotlight and attention that has been part of their lives through the show. Romance was in the air as the two said ‘I Love You’ to each other.

Elesh’s family welcomed Rakhi, with his father saying that she would be a daughter in the household taking the place of Elesh’s sister who gets married two weeks later.

Over the duration of the show, the prospective grooms were brought together under one roof and put through a series of challenges that had been created keeping in mind the criteria identified by Rakhi herself. Each week, the grooms were put through tasks that tested their personality, character, physical fitness, talent and also their compatibility with Rakhi.