Activity within the student protests against cheating and fraud in NEET exams led several activists to gain fame, among whom was actress and model Riya Ahir. Before participating in the protests, Riya Ahir was little known, but she suddenly became famous due to events in Mumbai.
Her fame arose not from loud speeches or participation in clashes, but because she stopped a police van full of students in the middle of the road. This incident attracted the attention of all media portals and social media pages, after which Riya began participating in discussions and became a face of youth and Generation Z, gaining recognition for her courage.
It later became known that Riya Ahir was a candidate for the 'Bigg Boss 20' project. The project creators put her participation to a public vote. A poll was held between Riya Ahir and Lav Gill, and on September 6th, viewers chose Lav Gill, resulting in Riya Ahir being forced to leave the set of 'Bigg Boss' even before she could enter the participants' house. She met Salman, appeared on camera, and then quietly left the stage, appearing for only two minutes.
Despite demonstrating a fearless image and participating in arguments with Lav Gill, creating drama, on stage, she failed to make it into the show. Viewers expressed disappointment, but many hope that the producers of 'Bigg Boss' will give her a chance in the future. The question arises as to why Riya, being the voice of the people, was not chosen by the audience; perhaps Lav's fandom is stronger, or it was a planned decision by the creators.
Riya Ahir showed great enthusiasm about participating in the show, regularly giving interviews since her candidacy was announced. She stated that she was participating in the reality show for financial gain. Some users began trolling her, claiming that she was pretending to be a defender of students' interests just to participate in 'Bigg Boss', but Riya herself refuted these accusations.