Sehwag vs Gulati: What Is The Controversy On Rise And Fall 2?

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Virender Sehwag is known for staying calm under pressure, but on the latest episode of Rise and Fall 2, the host walked off the stage. The reason was a heated moment involving Gautam Gulati, and clips of it have since gone viral.

Photo Credit: Stills from Rise and Fall 2

What Happened On Stage

The episode featured an on-stage argument between Gautam Gulati and Manish Kashyap. During the confrontation, Gulati appeared to rest his leg on the sofa while Sehwag stood nearby as host. That seemingly irritated Sehwag, who left the stage while the argument continued.

Fellow contestant Niharika Tiwari remarked that Sehwag had left while Gulati showed no sign of stopping. When the host returned, he reminded both men that he was not used to being spoken to in that manner.

What Sehwag Said

Sehwag then addressed Gulati directly. He questioned the way he was standing and said that a person who comes to host a show deserves better. He added that being challenged, particularly by a contestant, was not acceptable to him.

He also took aim at the show's atmosphere. Sehwag said he had expected a celebrity show, but it now felt like a "criminal" one, a jab at contestants who, in his view, kept crossing boundaries.

To make his point, he recalled his cricketing days. According to what he said on the show, Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar allegedly abused him during his debut match in 1999. Sehwag said he chose not to retaliate then and let his performance do the talking later.

Gulati's Response

In a clip circulating online, Gulati can be seen apologising to the host. Whether the apology was recorded in full on the episode has not been confirmed, and Gulati has not issued a separate public statement on the incident.

Why It Went Viral

Social media was quick to take sides. Many viewers criticised Gulati for what they called disrespect towards the host. Others pointed to an irony: they noted that he had earlier said he disliked people misbehaving in front of guests.

Gulati, the winner of Bigg Boss 8, entered Rise and Fall 2 as a Ruler. The season, hosted by Sehwag in his debut as a reality-show host and streaming on Prime Video, premiered on 26 September. Contestants are split into Rulers in the penthouse and Workers in the basement, a format built to create friction.

Bottomline

Reality shows run on conflict, but the Sehwag-Gulati moment shows where audiences draw the line: not at an argument between contestants, but at perceived disrespect towards the person running the show. How the host and Gulati move forward in the coming episodes will decide whether this remains a one-day controversy or becomes a defining storyline of the season.