Get to Know Ashay, Serving Extra Spice and Taking Over After Big Brother Mzansi
Who is that humorous Indian guy who speaks Zulu with better fluency than a inkabi in the recesses of KwaZulu-Natal? Such questions and more were on the minds of the Big Brother Mzansi fandom unfamiliar with Top 10 housemate Ashay Sewlall, who stole hearts and rewrote the history charts with his entry into Biggie’s house.
Ashay swaggered into the house as the first contestant of Indian heritage to compete in the show. Breaking frontiers and defying odds, Sewlall’s journey was the stuff of all quintessential trailblazers.
“For me, getting into Big Brother was a huge opportunity and people like me don’t usually get these types of chances. And I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime window that would open more doors if taken, not only for myself but also for where I come from. Coming into the show, I knew nothing about it and I was told by those around me that I should enter because they felt I had what it takes. They pushed me to enter, and so I did. I was met with such a quick response after I auditioned, and it made me realise that it was meant to be,” he said.
Ashay | SUPPLIED
Ashay shared his mixed bag of emotions about his time with the Bazozwa housemates, expressing satisfaction with how he showed up while sharing discontent with coming agonisingly close to the finale of the journey.
“I’m quite proud of the decision I made to go to the show and the game I played while I was in there. The person people saw was Ashay. I think I made it clear to the viewers who saw me that when you are nice, you are nice and there’s nothing anybody can change about that. I was 100% myself all the way.
“I will admit, though, that I wasn’t happy with leaving before finale week. Once you get that far, you want to at least taste being in it even if you don’t win, but then again, I had to accept that it’s part of life and the game,” he said.
He shared the things he would miss the most about the season and singled out winner Liema and Bravo B as his strongest pals during the live TV marathon.
“Now that I’ve left the show, I won’t lie I miss the house. When you’re in there, you find yourself wanting to leave but now that I’m outside it’s a different story. I miss it so much. The bonds, the friendships, and the alliances I had—I think I was one of the fewest in there who didn’t have a problem with anyone. I will miss the likes of inkabi yami Bravo B and the bond I shared with Liema. Those were two of my strongest bonds in there, especially the one I had with Liema, even after our fights,” he said.
Ashay | Credit: Sherwin Pather
He spoke about his dominance during the last few weeks in the Head of House games and his feelings towards Biggie for some of the decisions he made concerning the game’s progress.
“The last few Head of House challenges? Hah, bengim’nandi kakhulu (I was too nice with it). Unfortunately for me it didn’t work out in my favour in the final week, and I still disagree with that move by Big Brother—might get in trouble for voicing that out but that’s my honest opinion,” he said.
Authenticity and cancelling out the noise of how to be cool by abandoning himself was the center of Ashay’s actions in the house.
“The main lesson I learned in the house is that no matter where you go, the space you get put in and the people you find yourself surrounded by, never ever listen to people who want to change you. I went in there being a nice guy and I was told that the nice guy act wasn’t going to work. For me, though, that didn’t matter. That’s why I was cool with everyone. There was no way I was going to start hating someone because I wanted to be part of the game or to go far in it. It was more important to me to leave while being me than to stay while pretending to be someone else,” he said.
Ashay | Credit: Sherwin Pather
For Ashay, the season had two highlights: the first day and his winning streak with the HoH challenges.
“Walking into the house was a big moment for me. That was huge. Seeing all these new people and different personalities. Loud people—I understand why they were chosen. I stood strong despite the feelings of questioning why I was there as the only Indian person. That was a highlight.
“Another highlight was turning up for the Head of House challenges. I didn’t take them seriously in the earlier stages because I didn’t want that responsibility so early. I wanted to be a housemate and not a leader. As we got closer to the finale, survival took over and I ended up winning all those Challenges. I was really focused on getting far. I even told them before leaving that they were now going to be able to win HoH challenges,” he said, chuckling.
Ashay discussed future prospects post-Big Brother.
“Now that I’m out, my goal is to show people that if umnandi umnandi. I want to get into entertainment. Acting, presenting, hosting, TV—I want to be in a movie, series, or soapie. I don’t want to limit myself and close any doors for myself because in the house I showed that I want to work with brands and to put myself out there by any means possible. I think I’ve shown South African enough of myself for them to know that that this one is not some random paprika—extra spice,” he said.
Ashay | Credit: Sherwin Pather
Ashay thanked his fans for the love they showed him in the show.
“To everyone who supported me and to everyone who loved me and showed me appreciation, I am more than grateful. I walked into that house not knowing if I’d reach Week 3, but my supporters kept me in there till Week 9 and they did eveything they could. I also did my part, but unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way we wanted. I’m grateful, and I know I’m nothing without them,” he said.