When Tajikistani singer and social media influencer Abdu Rozik entered the Bigg Boss 16 house, he quickly became one of the season’s most beloved contestants thanks to his infectious energy, catchy songs, and warm bond with host Salman Khan. However, despite his popularity and time on the reality show, Abdu now claims he never received any payment for his participation.
Speaking on the House of Zen podcast, Abdu alleged that the people managing him at the time pocketed all of his earnings. “In this world, people don’t care about you. I worked with them for three or four years. They helped me grow, but the money from the shows I did, they took it. Imagine, I didn’t get paid a single dollar for Bigg Boss. They scammed me badly. They took everything,” he claimed.
Abdu said that while many assume he is wealthy because of his fame, the reality is quite different.
Salman Khan with Abdu Rozik. (Photo: Abdu Rozik/Instagram)
“When people see me, they think I am a millionaire, but they don’t know what I am carrying on my shoulders. In front of the camera, you are happy, smiling, taking pictures, but when you go home, you feel the stress of all the problems. People think I am loaded, but they don’t know I don’t even own a car or a house. It is very important to work with good people. My only request is for people to be honest and work clean. Don’t scam me. I guess because of my height, people underestimate me and think they can fool me. But in reality, I understand everything they are trying to do. We need to be very careful about who we trust and do business with,” he said.
‘People don’t take me seriously’
Abdu also spoke about how his physical appearance often leads people to underestimate and dupe him. “Whenever I go out for work, people rarely speak to me directly. They assume I may not understand things and prefer talking to my team. I notice the difference in how they treat others versus how they treat me,” he shared.
Living with a growth hormone condition
In the same interview, Abdu opened up about his health condition and the challenges he faced growing up. “I have a growth hormone condition, and I am proud that despite everything, I am supporting seven people in my family. I come from a poor family living in the mountains. Everyone in my family is of average height except me,” he said.
Abdu Rozik responds to trolls. (Photo: Abdu Rozik/Instagram)
According to Abdu, he developed the condition when he was around three or four years old.
Story continues below this ad
ALSO READ | ‘Got carried away’: Pranit More shares video apology for Rs 370 biryani video
“I suddenly fell sick and it affected my bones. It was a shock for my parents. A professor advised me to take fish oil with every meal. It cost around $300, which was extremely expensive for my family. Doctors also recommended injections that would have cost around $15,000 until I turned 16, but we simply couldn’t afford them,” he recalled.
Bullied by classmates and teachers
Abdu revealed that his childhood was marked by relentless bullying, not just from fellow students but also from teachers. “At school, they wouldn’t even give me books. They would joke that the books were bigger than me and that I wouldn’t be able to carry them. They told me I would never become anything more than a farmer. Some teachers bullied me and even asked me not to come to school,” he said.
(Photo: Abdu Rozik/Instagram)
“The children were even worse. They would beat me. My school was two hours away from my house. For normal people, it was only a 40-minute journey. Because of my height, everything took longer. During winters, I would freeze outside waiting for teachers to let me in,” he added.
Story continues below this ad
His bond with Salman Khan
While Abdu claims he never received the money he earned from Bigg Boss, he says one thing nobody could take away from him was the relationship he built with Salman Khan during the show. “Salman Khan is like family to me. He is like a brother and a teacher. I learn so much from him,” Abdu said.
Abdu Rozik appeared on multiple Indian shows
Following his stint on Bigg Boss 16, Abdu Rozik made special appearances on several popular television shows, including Khatron Ke Khiladi and The Kapil Sharma Show. Most recently, he was seen on Laughter Chefs – Unlimited Entertainment Season 2, where he was paired with fellow contestant Elvish Yadav.
When Abdu called off his marriage
Abdu was last in the headlines for calling off his engagement and wedding to his Emirati fiancée, Amira, in September 2024. He had announced the engagement in April that year and was initially set to tie the knot in July. However, the relationship eventually came to an end, with Abdu citing cultural differences as the primary reason behind the split.
Later, the reality TV star revealed that the intense trolling and online negativity that followed the announcement of his engagement had also taken a significant toll on the relationship, ultimately contributing to its breakdown.
