Last Sunday, as Rubina Dilaik was announced as the winner of Bigg Boss 14, there was an outcry on social media over Aly Goni’s premature eviction from the show. He was the first finalist to be evicted from the Salman Khan-hosted show for getting the least number of votes. The actor, who entered as a wild card contestant mid-season, managed to entertain, connect and add the required drama to the show like no one else.

The Yeh Hai Mohabbatein actor, however, has made peace with the defeat. In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, he explained that he was proud to have won hearts, if not votes of the audience. He shared, “Everyone is telling me that I entered with a clean image, and going back the same way. In a show like Bigg Boss, that’s quite a task. If not votes, I did win hearts, and that’s more important to me.”

Aly Goni recently flew off to Jammu to celebrate his milestone birthday with his family. Girlfriend Jasmin Bhasin has also accompanied him. Today, as he turns 30, let us tell you what makes the birthday boy truly the king of hearts.

The one with a good heart

Indianexpress.com had reached out to Aly’s friends to know what is that one quality that sets him apart. Bharti Singh, who calls him brother, sent us video clips where she, husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa and Raghav Juyal are wishing him. Given that they shot the videos specially during a working day shows the goodwill Aly has among his friends. While Raghav wished him in his own fun way, Bharti and Haarsh pointed out how it was Aly’s inherent good behaviour that may have lost Ali Bigg Boss, as the show requires one to be manipulative and even bad to win. However, they also lauded him for winning respect on Bigg Boss 14.

 

Yaaron Ka Yaar

On Bigg Boss 14, we saw him stand by Jasmin Bhasin and Rahul Vaidya throughout. In his own words, the actor is ‘protective’ of his friends, and the same was witnessed by the world. Time and again, he fought for them and fans even suggest that his persistence to play for his friends cost him the trophy. However, refuting that he was playing a kingmaker, the actor told us, “Honestly, I have always been protective and supportive of my friends in real life too. And Rahul and Jasmin both made their ways on the show themselves. As for the saying, I think I was the true king in the house as no one ever challenged me.”

 

Best boyfriend

Aly Goni and Jasmin Bhasin may not have realised their love for each other before entering the house but their bond was always very strong. When Bhasin had a breakdown after a fight with Rahul on the show, Aly immediately got his team to contact Bigg Boss and entered the house to be there for his bestie. And as they spent time together, they realised that they wanted to be together, forever.

On his birthday, Bhasin shared a lovely post expressing her love for ‘her hero’. Sharing a photo of the two smiling as they looked at each other’s eyes, the actor wrote, “Happy birthday my hero😘 This smile on my face in the picture is because of you and you always kept this smile on ,since I met you. Looking at your eyes everyday , you remind me of everything that makes me smile, you have changed my life ever since you came into my life,love you with all my heart my best friend and my love ❤️.” In his inimitable style, Aly replied to Jasmin writing, “Thank youuu meri Laila ❤️❤️❤️❤️.”

 

Not shy to show his emotions

Men don’t cry- Aly refused to kowtow to the mores of toxic masculinity.

The actor never shied away from showing his emotions on a public platform. And this quality brought him closer to his fans. Remember how he wept like a baby when Jasmin was getting evicted? His tears even made host Salman Khan emotional. The iconic moment would be remembered for years, and it’s only because Aly did not fear expressing his emotions wholeheartedly.

The ability to look forward

In a time and age, when people have so much stress and negativity, here was a man announcing that he wants to live a happy life. Aly, through his stint on Bigg Boss 14, showed the world the importance of moving on. It’s futile to bottle up past angst and issues, and the way to life is to forgive and forget. When Jasmin Bhasin kept bringing up her old matters, Aly was quick to take a pause, and help her shrug off the negativity. Even in the show, the actor never had major issues with any contestant, and if he did fight, he would be seen chilling with them a few hours later. Isn’t that truly the mark of a good human?

Happy Birthday, Aly Goni.