'Bigg Boss' winner Juhi Parmar says honesty key to win

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Honesty and a "non-political" disposition helped Juhi Parmar win the fifth edition of the reality TV show "Bigg Boss", the actress said.

Parmar, 31, was declared the winner of the popular show over the weekend, trumping actors Amar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Saigal, Siddharth Bhardwaj and dancer Mahek Chahal to bag 10 million rupees in prize money.

"I won because I was very honest," Parmar told Reuters in an interview. "People think you have to play politics to win Bigg Boss but I did exactly the opposite."

"If I had a problem with someone, I would go up to them and tell them."

"Bigg Boss", India's take on the reality TV show "Big Brother", follows the international format and features celebrity contestants closeted in a house near Mumbai for three months with no access to the outside world.

The inmates of the house are subjected to a life of constant scrutiny, with dozens of cameras and microphones focusing on them. Each week, one of them is voted out.

"Bigg Boss", which saw ratings slump this season, started off with 12 women and one man -- Bollywood villain Shakti Kapoor -- in the house, but several male housemates were introduced in later episodes.

"They (the producers) thought that perhaps more women would mean more fights but in fact the opposite happened," says Parmar.

"When there were only women, there were no fights, only disagreements."

Contestants in this year's edition included adult film actress Sunny Leone, transgender activist Laxmi Narayan and Afghan model Vida Samadzai.

Cricketer Andrew Symonds, activist Swami Agnivesh and sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama made a guest appearance on the show.

Parmar, who made a name for herself acting in daily soaps, says she plans to use her winnings to secure the future of her children.

"I don't have kids now but one day I will, and I want to use my prize money for their future," she said.

As for what next after "Bigg Boss", Parmar says she hasn't thought about it because "it's still sinking in".

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar)