Statements made by Bigg Boss 20 contestant Rhiti Tiwari regarding her financial struggles inside the reality house have stirred up a major controversy outside the show.
Punjabi singer Ekam Bawa, who claims to be Rhiti’s former stepfather, has publicly challenged her accounts, alleging that her actual lifestyle stands in stark contrast to the modest existence she described on national television.
The dispute follows recent episodes of Bigg Boss 20where Rhiti shared details of her personal finances with fellow contestants. She revealed that her father—actor and politician Manoj Tiwari—provides her with a monthly allowance of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.
Recounting past financial constraints, Rhiti claimed there were times when she survived on two Rs 10 vada pavs a day and could only afford to fill Rs 500 worth of diesel in her car.
In a video circulating widely across social media platforms, Ekam Bawa refuted these claims, pointing to what he alleged is a high-end, luxury lifestyle.
“When you have handbags worth Rs 4-5 lakh… After that you have bought a lot of cars. Range Rovers cost Rs 2.5-3 lakh. Are you talking about Rs 25,000?” (You own handbags worth Rs 4–5 lakhs… and then there are the big cars you have. Just maintaining a Range Rover costs Rs 2.5–3 lakhs. And you’re talking about Rs 25,000?)
Ekam further claimed that Rhiti owns a sports management company with a significant financial turnover and connections to prominent cricketers.
He also questioned the family's real estate holdings in Mumbai. “You have a sports company, you have such a big turnover… That money is coming to you. Where does it go? There are big flats in Bombay too; where does it come from?” (You own a sports company with such a massive turnover… That money comes to you, too. Where does it go? You have huge apartments in Bombay as well; where did the money for those come from?) he questioned in the video.
Elaborating on his relationship with Rhiti’s family, Ekam stated that he resided in the same Mumbai apartment with Rhiti and her mother, Rani Tiwari, from 2020 to 2025. According to Ekam, he and Rani were in a live-in relationship starting in 2020 before officially marrying on February 18, 2022. To support his statements, Ekam shared several photographs featuring himself alongside Rani and Rhiti.
Expressing his personal distress over his time with the family, Ekam remarked, “I have no words for these people. I hope no one ever has to go through what I have been through. I am a very emotional person… But I don’t like lies.”
In addition to addressing her financial claims, Ekam criticised Rhiti’s recent heated confrontation with co-contestant Qazi Touqeer on Bigg Boss 20.
The clash erupted after Qazi staged a fake medical emergency as a prank, leading Rhiti to accuse him of trivialising mental health issues and labelling him a “fraudster” and “dhongi baba.” The argument subsequently degraded into personal insults involving family members.
Calling out her conduct on national television, Ekam urged Rhiti to exercise restraint. “You go and abuse a man? You are hurling abuses at Qazi, using swear words involving his mother and sister… Aap people are being abused. Bigg Boss mein jake aap people ko gaali de rahe hai… Yeh shobha nahi deti baatein,” (Stop fooling people. You go on Bigg Boss and abuse people… Such things don’t suit you) he added.
Neither Rhiti Tiwari’s representatives nor her family have officially responded to Ekam Bawa’s claims, which remain independently unverified.