CM Devendra Fadnavis applauds Shehzad Poonawalla for his decision to donate ‘Rise and Fall’ prize money to Maharashtra’s farmers

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Shehzad Poonawalla on winning the reality show Rise and Fall. He also lauded his thoughtful gesture of donating the prize money to the state's Relief Fund to support drought-hit farmers.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Shehzad Poonawalla on winning the reality show Rise and Fall. He also lauded his thoughtful gesture of donating the prize money to the state’s Relief Fund to support drought-hit farmers. Extending his best wishes to Shehzad, Fadnavis wrote, "Congratulations, Shehzad! Your decision to donate the prize money to CM Relief Fund for Maharashtra's drought-hit farmers is truly appreciated. Thank you for standing with our Baliraja. @Shehzad_Ind #Maharashtra #CMReliefFund."

Responding to his tweet, Shehzad thanked Fadnavis and also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “inspiring him to always think of farmers.” "Thank you @Dev_Fadnavis ji PM @narendramodi ji & you have constantly inspired me to always think of our farmers and our citizens first Happy Diwali to you Jai Maharashtra . Jai Hind," she wrote.

Backed by a powerhouse creative team led by Banijay India, MX Original Rise and Fall Season 2 was hosted by former cricketer Virender Sehwag. Reflecting on his victory, Shehzad said he was grateful to the audience and credited their support, his mother's blessings and God's grace for his win.

“When these three things are with you, a chaiwala can become the Prime Minister of the country, and in my case, I was an istriwala, so the istriwala won the show,” he told ANI. He described his victory as particularly special because he had entered the show as an outsider, competing against contestants from the entertainment industry.

“I was a complete outsider in this show. If you saw the finale, the six people who were there, and then the five who remained, were all from the entertainment industry. They were actors and reality TV stars. Some had won big shows, while others were prominent television or film actresses. I was an outsider from the media industry, having spent some time in media and politics,” he said. Shehzad said he and other contestants had devised a strategy by bringing together people from different sides of the game, which eventually proved successful. He also thanked viewers for supporting him throughout the show.

Drawing a parallel between the show's title and the ups and downs in his own life, Shehzad recalled losing his father when he was five years old and said his family had faced a sudden change in circumstances. “The name of the show is Rise and Fall, and my life has also been full of rises and falls. When I was five, my father passed away at a very young age. At one point, we were in a very good position, but overnight, life pushed us into the basement. After that, I struggled for several years. I entered politics, where there were ups and downs, and then I was in the media, where there were also rises and falls,” he said. (ANI)