Television actor Karan Veer Mehra emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss 18. The actor, known for his role as Naren Karmarkar in the hit serial Pavitra Rishta, recently opened up about his bond with the late Sushant Singh Rajput, whom he met on the show's sets through Ankita Lokhande. Mehra opened up about Sushant's tragic demise, stating that he regrets not being there for him.

Speaking to Pinkvilla, Karan said that he really misses Sushant and he fondly recalled their bond, revealing that they used to call each other "Kameeni."

He added, "I wish he was here to see this because he vouched for me that I'm talented to be here and taste the success again and again. In my lowest phase, he has been there to pick me up and tell me, 'You are better than me.' When he used to say this, I used to wonder how he could say this. He is such a big star, and how can he call me better than him? To boost me, to give that energy behind me."

Karan shared that Sushant's passing was "very untimely and heartbreaking." He admitted that he still doesn’t know how to process it, as there has been no closure to his death yet. "I regret and curse myself for not being there for him. It would have taken just a moment to say, 'Kamini, mai aa raha hoon.' But I couldn’t do it—it just didn’t happen. I’ll carry this regret to my grave, knowing that I couldn’t be there for him when he was always there for me," he added.

He admitted that he couldn’t fathom something like this ever happening. "When I got a call from my friend, I initially thought he was talking about Rajput's manager. I was in Delhi at the time, and when I informed my family, we kept flipping channels. For almost three hours, we didn’t react or speak to each other. We didn’t know what to do or where to go, especially since it was the COVID lockdown and it had happened in Mumbai. It was very disturbing."

Reflecting on the loss, Karan said, "Whenever this question is asked, I go down memory lane, and I want to punish myself. That is why I am so forgiving in life."