Ashneer Grover, the former judge on Shark Tank India and entrepreneur, has responded to reports that he was invited to join Bigg Boss 19 as a wild card entry with a characteristically blunt and humorous remark.

Grover has confirmed that while he was offered a spot on the show, he declined the offer. He quipped that the only way he would consider participating is if his compensation exceeded that of the show's host, Salman Khan. In a lighthearted jab, Grover's response, "Salman Bhai se pooch lo," implied that the decision wasn't his to make but rather hinged on whether the show was willing to pay him more than its established star.

This isn't the first time Grover's name has been associated with Bigg Boss. He made an appearance in Season 18 during a "Weekend Ka Vaar" episode where Salman Khan confronted him about remarks Grover had made outside the show. According to Grover, the incident was blown out of proportion to create drama for television and boost TRPs. He clarified that he hadn't said anything negative about Salman and was, in fact, praising him.

Despite this past interaction, Grover claims there are no hard feelings between him and Salman Khan. He recounted meeting Salman in 2019 to discuss the possibility of the actor becoming a brand ambassador for BharatPe, the fintech startup Grover co-founded. Grover spent nearly three hours with Salman at the JW Marriott in Juhu, and successfully negotiated the ambassador fee down from ₹7.5 crore to ₹4.5 crore.

Grover's fans will see him in a new role as the host of "Rise & Fall". He emphasized that reality shows should focus on the contestants and the content they create, rather than being dominated by big personalities who appear only on weekends. He noted that "Rise & Fall" breaks stereotypes about who can participate in reality television.