One contestant from Splitsvilla 16 has been grabbing eyeballs ever since the show’s premiere, and it’s neither Gullu nor Yogesh. Meet Sadhaaf Shankar, an Afghanistan-born model who has been living in India for the past 10 years. Splitsvilla 16 premiered on January 9, 2026, at 7 PM, and Sadhaaf has already emerged as one of the most talked-about faces of the season.
Splitsvilla 16: Who Is Sadhaaf Shankar?
Sadhaaf's official Instagram handle is @sadhaafshankar, where she has 162K followers. She describes herself in the bio as: "I'm famous, world just doesn't know it yet (sic)." Sadhaaf is a model originally from Afghanistan and identifies as a devotee of Shiva. According to her Facebook profile, she has recently started her professional journey as a model.
Sadhaaf's profile in Splitsvilla define her has"Unapologetic, sassy and impossible to ignore! Sadhaaf is here to serve some killer looks, aur jo bhida uske liye ek death stare hi kaafi hai (sic)."
In the first episode of Splitsvilla 16, host Karan Kundrra asked Sadhaaf why she has “Shankar” in her name despite being a Muslim and originally from Afghanistan. To this, Sadhaaf replied that she believes in Shiv, aka Mahadev, and therefore decided to add the name Shankar to her own.
Demonstrating her devotion to Lord Shiv, Sadhaaf shared on Instagram: "My Shiv, I’m keeping this fast for You, not because I have to, but because I want to. Because somewhere inside me, I’ve always felt You…This fast is my way of saying, I love You (sic)."
Sadhaaf is of Persian origin but now resides in Mumbai, embracing Marathi and Indian culture. She describes herself as: "Desi in spirit, filmy in vibe, and thodi si drama queen by birth." Not much is publicly known about her parents, schooling, or personal life, as she has not shared any information about it on social media.
Splitsvilla 16 airs its new episodes three days a week, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The new episodes can be watched on MTV India or on Jio Hotstar.
