She may have been just a contestant on Roadies season four, but she definitely made her presence felt.
It was never hard not to notice her thanks to her spunky look, tattoos and ‘I don’t-give-a-damn’ attitude.
Though she didn’t win that season, Gurbani Judge, popularly known as VJ Bani has made a mark for herself on the television and has never ceased to surprise.
Life-post Roadies
So, how has life been after Roadies for her? “Since then, there has been a lot of acknowledgment from the public towards me.
There’s a lot more recognition.
But thankfully it hasn’t gotten to a point where its intrusive,” she says, adding, “I was 18 when I competed on Roadies and didn’t have a job.
But post that, I have gotten an opportunity to do things I normally wouldn’t have done.
Travelled to places and met some really great people, and of course be in a field that I hadn’t considered being a part of before.
” Bani admits to having different plans for the future.
“I didn’t plan to be in this field at all.
I just thought even while I was on Roadies as a contestant, that I would go back to school and work towards honing my talent as an artist,” she says.
Making a career
Evidently happy with the exposure she has got, Bani says career prospects are many in the television industry, only if one makes the right decisions.
She explains, “Career prospects are endless if you’re motivated and have a great team backing you.
I think, exposure and opportunities don’t come at the same time in this industry.
And there’s just a lucky few who’ve experienced it and made the right choices and have ended up at a better place than where they started off from.
” She also adds that for some it does take time to live their dream.
“I have also realised that for a lot of people, taking the risk to maybe become a huge star is struggling for years, going to a hundred plus auditions and struggling with the ‘not knowing if you’re going to make it’ tension.
It wasn’t my story, but I guess I understand it better now,” she opines.
Not a popularly known fact, Bani had already made her entry into Bollywood much before Rannvijay and Ayushmann did.
“Back in 2007 I was apart of Himesh Reshammiya film Aap Ka Suroor.
I do not have anything lined up yet.
” The inked Diva
Everywhere she goes, her tattoos have definitely brought her all the limelight.
Talking about them, she says, “I got my first tattoo when I was 16.
It’s a Celtic symbol that represents strength.
I love all my tattoos , though my latest which is on my waist, is my current favourite.
” Roadies on the go
She is currently doing city tours for the promotion of MTV Roadies footgear by Mochi.
Emphasising more on promoting Roadies as a brand, she says, “Roadies has really come into its own and is pretty much a brand on its own.
It’s India’s only longest running adventure reality show and now thatMTV is getting into the lifestyle space it made sense to incorporate our biggest show along with the consumer products and create this line of footgear.
” Commenting on the ongoing season of Roadies, she says, “Things have changed a lot since I was a contestant.
The attitudes of the contestants, their goals, their whole reason for being on the show, it’s all very different.
I was pretty aloof when I went on the show.
I was like yeah we’ll get to do a bunch of cool stuff and travel.
That’s not what you think when you watch the show now.
” She further elaborates, “These kids aren’t trying out for this show to do tasks and travel, they’re doing it in the hopes that they’ll get their 15 seconds of fame and maybe that’ll lead to them having some sort of foothold in the industry.
They’re all looking for a shortcut to being rich and famous really.
” Bani who is also shooting MTV’s new digital property show, MTV Drive says, “I have lots of travel in store, but after that I go on a short vacation,” before signing off.