Rhiti Tiwari, who was recently eliminated from Bigg Boss 20, has pushed back against a wave of scrutiny following her on-screen revelation that she once received ₹25,000 a month from her father, actor-politician Manoj Tiwari. The statement — made during a vulnerable moment in the house, sparked debate after her alleged ex-stepfather, Ekam Bawa, shared a video questioning its accuracy. He pointed to Rhiti’s possession of luxury bags and expensive cars as evidence contradicting her claim of financial restraint. In an exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal, Rhiti declined to directly engage with Bawa’s assertions, stating only that legal action had already been initiated. 'Since appropriate legal action has been taken, I would like to say nothing about it,' she said. 'But I think the fact that it came at such a convenient time should be an answer in itself.' She emphasized that her comments were never intended to portray herself as struggling or to solicit sympathy. 'I never said I was struggling. This is just my experience,' she clarified. At 25, she explained her family’s stance: 'My dad has been very clear and my family has been very clear: “Beta, you make your own life.” Because if I am handed something, I won’t have any value for it. I will never have that fire within me to achieve something, to do something.' She added that by her age, asking for money felt increasingly awkward. 'You start feeling like, “I should do it myself. Why can’t I do it myself?”' Her upbringing, she stressed, wasn’t one of deprivation. 'It’s not that I don’t come from privilege or that privilege doesn’t exist. It’s just my truth. This is just what happened.' The moment in the house, she said, was simply a rare instance of personal honesty. 'It’s not my struggle story. It’s just my story. I’m not saying, “Please sympathise with me.” If I was asking for sympathy, I would have been asking for it for many years. If this was something I wanted to do, I would have been doing it for many years. It’s just that I became very real there. I’ve just been too real there. That’s basically it.' No further details about the legal proceedings have emerged. The controversy continues to unfold beyond the show’s final episode.