Actor Manish Goel's son Aryaveer has publicly defended his father following a controversy inside the Bigg Boss 20 house involving co-contestant Qazi Touqeer, calling the allegations made during a prank 'a line that was crossed' and warning that those who disrespect his father's character 'will NOT get away with it.' The family's reaction comes after Manish reportedly broke down in the nomination room following Qazi's remarks on 11 November.

What Happened Inside the House

The controversy stems from a role-play activity in which Qazi Touqeer portrayed a female character, dressed in a lehenga choli, and Manish Goel participated in the playful interaction. What began as a lighthearted game turned contentious when Qazi later accused Manish of touching him inappropriately during the act, stating the interaction made him uncomfortable. Qazi reportedly escalated his remarks further by comparing the alleged behaviour to conduct associated with eve-teasers who harass women on the road — a comparison that left Manish visibly shaken.

Manish, while in the nomination room, became emotional and broke down while defending himself, repeatedly invoking his relationships with his wife, daughter, sister, mother, and female co-stars as evidence of his respect for women. He also cited actor Juhi Parmar, with whom he has worked for several years, saying she had always felt safe around him. Fellow housemates — including the women in the house — came forward to vouch for Manish's character and said they felt completely safe around him.

Aryaveer's Social Media Response

Aryaveer took to his social media account and posted a series of stories addressing the episode directly. In his first post, he acknowledged having previously supported his father's friendship with Qazi but drew a firm line at the prank-based allegation. 'My dad played along too, and nobody had a problem then. It was all fun and games until he decided to pull a prank by making an accusation as serious as inappropriate touching,' Aryaveer wrote, questioning the gravity of such allegations being deployed as humour.

He pushed back against viewers who accused Manish of 'playing the wife-and-kid card,' writing, 'Maybe question why you've become so accustomed to fake faces and manufactured emotions on Bigg Boss that you cannot recognise a genuinely good, mature man when you see one.' He concluded his first post with a direct message: 'You can dislike his game, disagree with him or criticise him. But you will NOT get away with disrespecting his character.'

Clarification on Death Threats

In a follow-up post, Aryaveer clarified that part of his earlier remarks had been in response to what he described as an 'outright death threat' received by his family. 'I cannot respond to or defend against everyone saying such things,' he wrote, adding that some had misread his comment as targeting a particular country, which he said was never his intention. 'Nothing against any country or its people, and no intention of hurting anyone's sentiments,' he stated, while acknowledging that he had been 'overwhelmed' and had not articulated his thoughts clearly enough.

Housemate Reaction and Context

Notably, all housemates who had initially treated the role-play interaction as a joke later came forward in support of Manish once Qazi's accusations escalated. The near-unanimous backing from inside the house has amplified the debate outside it, with viewers and fan communities sharply divided. Manish Goel has denied any inappropriate intention and maintained that the entire interaction was part of a mutually initiated joke. The incident adds to a pattern of Bigg Boss controversies in which in-house pranks and role-play activities have spiralled into serious personal allegations with real-world consequences for contestants and their families.