Splitsvilla X4 winner Hamid Barkzi says he had second thoughts about show: ‘What if I didn’t win after Roadies?’

Splitsvilla X4’s Hamid Barkzi and Soundous Moufakir took home the winner’s title this year after days of drama, cat fights and tasks to survive in the villa. Celebrating their win, Delhi’s Hamid and Soundous, who is Moroccan-French, recently spoke with Hindustan Times about their strategies, people’s perceptions and upcoming work in the pipeline. This season was hosted by Sunny Leone and Arjun Bijlani, while Uorfi Javed was also a part of it.

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Recalling their journey in the show, Hamid opened up about his connection with Soundous. He said, “There was a point when my morale went down. But, after meeting her, someone who is totally opposite, I feel I couldn’t have played with anyone else. I am happy that I made my decision.”

“I entered the industry to become an actor. I wanted to make my journey in Splitsvilla memorable, either by winning the show or doing something different. I believe it wouldn’t be anything if I didn’t have a strong connection with Hamid. He contributed to my win,” chimed in Soundous.

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Hamid and Soundous were part of the MTV Roadies show. Hamid was the winner of Roadies Revolution. Does being a Roadie give them an upper hand in the villa, as many believe? “Never had anything in my mind that after Roadies, I have to go for Splitsvilla,” clarified Hamid. “I mean the experience definitely helped me. Mainly because I was very new in Roadies and got kicked in semi-finale, I made a big mistake as a player. But, I didn’t come to Splitsvilla to win,” shared Soundous.

“The thing is, after Roadies, you get an idea. Their tasks are tough physically but Splitsvilla requires more presence of mind. Anything can happen in the final stage. To be fair, I had it back in my mind, what if I don’t win Splitsvilla after Roadies. Log kya bolenge (what will people say)? I just wanted to make an impact but not as old Hamid. In the villa, I just wanted to be someone who can take a stand for himself and his connection. I know a lot of people have said Hamid show me bohot bol raha hai (Hamid is all talks, he has changed). Do saal me log bohot change hote hai (Two years can do a lot to a person),” confessed Hamid.

“I feel the experience helps to make wise decisions. I had second thoughts about Splitsvilla. I decided to go for it because not everyone gets the opportunity,” the Moroccan-French girl backed him up. But how real is Splitsvilla? “It’s very close to reality, that’s why it’s called a reality show. It’s nonfiction. It definitely puts your mental health down and stamina. This is done to make you react more than you would have reacted in reality,” recalled Soundous.

Before foraying into the showbiz industry, Soundous had a luxurious job in Paris. She did her MBA in finance and is now about to mark her film debut with Deepak Singh’s upcoming Continuity. She explained how it all happened, “A producer had an offer (of a film) for me. I told him I need to go for Splitsvilla first and the dates were the same. He made me choose between the movie or Splits. Because you cannot make the whole cast wait. So, I called the show team and requested to put me as a wildcard entry. I don’t know what happened the next day. I just said ‘I wanna go for the reality show’. I called the director and told him that I can’t (opt for the film). Surprisingly, he said he will wait for me because the character is so close to me. This is how it happened.” In the film, she will appear as Roma. Hamid called it a ‘good decision’ for both of them.