Bigg Boss Kannada Season 8 Launch Live: Sudeep welcomes the contestants. (Photo: Colors Kannada/Instagram)Bigg Boss Kannada season 8 launch begins. The opening night will be marked by a grand event comprising of various dance and song performances. Kannada movie star Kichcha Sudeep returns as the show’s host for the eight seasons and introduce the contestants.
The director of the show, Parameshwar Gundkal revealed that they have shortlisted as many as 17 contestants to enter the house on the opening night. At least that’s the plan. Given that the show is happening under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, the showrunners are prepared for surprises. All selected contestants have been quarantined for the last two weeks and subjected to multiple RT-PCR tests. The contestants will have to undergo coronavirus test for the third time, and only those who test negative will enter the show. So the number of contestants who actually make it inside the show on the opening night may vary.
Following the footsteps of the Hindi version of the Bigg Boss, the showrunners will also allow the fans of the Bigg Boss Kannada to stream on Voot Select for 24 hours. The live feed will be available from Monday to Friday.
The showrunners also have plans to have a digital replica of the house to provide an interactive experience for the audience. The audience will be able to access every nook and corner of the space virtually.
Bigg Boss gives a quick orientation of sorts to the housemates. And Sudeep gives a closing speech to the audience, noting that this show is a great platform to learn about oneself. He asks us to wait for the three surprises as he signs off.
Award-winning actor Nirmala Chanappa is the 17th and the final contestant to enter the show tonight. She seems to be very philosophical. Sudeep asks her "do you cook?" It seems it is hard to get a direct answer from Nirmala.
Actor Rajeev is the 16th contestant to enter the show tonight. He got famous not for his roles in movies but for the cricketing skills that he demonstrated at the celebrity cricket league. He says he doesn't plan his future and goes into each day without any expectations. He says he will use the same strategy during his stay on the show. Before going into the house, he paid a tribute to Sudeep in how own way.
The 15 contestant to enter the show is Divya Uruduga, a social media star. She is extremely excited and seems like a real chatterbox.
Bigg Boss season 5 contestant Anupama Gowda gives a dance performance before welcoming the 15th contestant of the show tonight.
Prashanth Sambargi is the 14th contestant to enter the show tonight. A businessman who aspires to be a politician, he was in the news when he was summoned by the Central Crime Branch in a drug probe that hit the Kannada film industry. He says he's ready for "mind games."
Raghu Gowda aka Raghu Vine Store is the 13th contestant of the night. He is known for his funny videos, but his childhood is marked by a series of painful stories. He lost both his parents to suicide. His videos became a big hit during the lockdown period.
Chandrakala Mohan is the 12th contestant of the season. She is a seasoned theatre actor who has appeared in several popular films, including Naa Rani Nee Maharani (2010), Bhaktha Shankara (2012), Aantharya (2013), Abhisaarike (2018), MLA (2018) and Udumba (2019).
Divya Suresh is the eleventh contestant to enter the show. She says that she and her mother were taken by surprise when she got to know she was selected for Bigg Boss Kannada. Divya said she has suffered multiple setbacks as she tried to make it in the showbiz and hoped this show will finally bring her into limelight.
Manju Pavagada is the tenth contestant of Bigg Boss Kannada 8. He came to Bengaluru with the dream of becoming an actor but struggled for a long time. His major break came with the opportunity to take part in the talent show, Majaa Bharatha.
Sudeep makes fun of Shamanth 'Brogowda's hairstyle. He is the eighth contestant of the season. He is popular for his funny videos on Instagram. Shamanth has also written, directed and acted in the web series, Virgin Boys. Not just Sudeep, even the housemates crack a few jokes at the expense of Shamanth's hairdo but he takes it in good humour.
Bigg Boss Kannada season 5 winner Chandan Shetty performs his hit song Karabuu from Pogaru.
Women contestants who have entered the house so far are bonding over their mutual dislike for the red colour palette of their room.
Nidhi Subbaiah enters the show as the seventh contestant. She has done several Kannada films, including Pancharangi and Krishnan Marriage Story. She also played a role in the Bollywood film OMG! Oh My God. Sudeep tests her ability to handle a stressful situation by picking a mock feud with her. If her performance here is anything to go by, she has to work a lot on her conflict resolution skills.
The sixth contestant KP Aravind entered the show on his bike. He is an Indian off-road motorcycle racer. He has participated and made a mark in international racing competitions. He says that he has done several television commercials as a stunt double for big celebrities. He also had a cameo in Dulquer Salmaan's Bangalore Days. Sudeep hands him a bouquet and asks him to give it to a girl whom he likes inside the house.
Vaishnavi Gowda is the fifth contestant to enter the show. She became famous for her role in the popular television serial Agnisakshi. She vowed not to lose the smile on her face come what may during the next 100 days.
Singer Vishwanath Haveri is the fourth contestant to enter the show. He is a native of Dharwad and aspires to make it big as a playback singer. He is just 19 and the youngest male contestant in the history of Bigg Boss Kannada.
Shankar Ashwath is the third contestant to enter the show. Son of legendary actor late K.S. Ashwath, he is also an actor by profession. However, he did not make it as big as his father and as he did not get enough acting opportunities, he became a cab driver. He says that he worked on a movie script based on cab services and learned about Uber. When the project did not take off, he decided to become a cab driver himself. He recalls that Sudeep has called him and offered to foot the medical expense when his father was taken ill.
"I am bold and outspoken. I also know how to be diplomatic. It is not in my nature to hurt anyone," Shubha Poonja. She says that she retires to bed as early as 7:30 pm everyday so it may be a bit difficult for her to get used to the schedule on the show.
Actor Shubha Poonja is the second contestant to enter the eighth season of the show. Sudeep points out that the showrunners approached her for the last seven seasons and she finally accepted the offer for the eighth season. She explains that it was her fiance who convinced her to take up the opportunity as he feels that she makes 'boring' choices on the work front.
After a dance performance by previous Bigg Boss contestant Niveditha Gowda, we're introduced to Dhanushree, the first contestant to enter the show. She was a TikTok sensation who now produces content on Instagram.
Sudeep says that three new surprises are awaiting the contestants and the audience today. He is asked by the Bigg Boss to enter the house and is given a basket full of what looks like green tennis balls. He is told to hide them around the house.
The show's host Sudeep begins the show by acknowledging the world had turned into a Bigg Boss show during the lockdown. He keeps the focus on positive things that people may have experienced during the COVID-induced lockdown. "Many wives found out their husband's culinary skills and husbands discovered their wives could sing like Lata Mangeshkar during the lockdown," he said. Clearly, he is a glass half-full person.
So it begins. The eighth season of Bigg Boss Kannada begins with a dance performance. A group of dancers use wearable technology to light up the stage.
Ahead of Bigg Boss Kannada Season 8, host Sudeep revealed that even he gets to know of the contestants on the day the show begins. He said hosting Bigg Boss Kannada was a very stressful job. "Like all of you, I am also curious about the contestants. See, they (showrunners) will bring in the contestants of their choices and put them on the show, but I am the one who has to deal with them after that. You know what I am talking about. Even film shoots don’t stress me out this much. So I am always curious about what kind of contestants they bring in," he said.
Manju Pavagada, the Majaa Bharatha fame comedian, is reportedly on the confirmed list of contestants of Bigg Boss Kannada 8. He is also addressed as 'Lag Manju'.
Bigg Boss Kannada 8 director Parameshwar Gundkal said Kannada audiences are not a fan of controversies. "Bigg Boss Kannada is an emotional show and study of human behaviour. I don’t want controversies. The Karnataka market responds differently. Controversies are never highly rated. Fun, excitement, happiness, tears get a better rating than fights and exchange of abuses," he remarked.
Nidhi Subbaiah, who has appeared in a few successful Kannada movies like Pancharangi and Krishnan Marriage Story, might be a part of Bigg Boss Kannada's season 8.
Here's a glimpse of the grand launch of Sudeep-hosted Bigg Boss Kannada 8.
Bigg Boss Kannada 8 director Parameshwar Gundkal also reflected on the various hosts of Bigg Boss across India. "Kamal Haasan, Sudeep, Salman Khan, Mohanlal, Nagarjuna – they are such iconic personalities, who are mature enough to handle anything. Be it anger, surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, technical glitches, they will be very cool in all situations," he said.
With the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic hanging over the show, Bigg Boss Kannada showrunners are pulling out all stops to ensure a smooth opening night. Parameshwar Gundkal, Cluster Business Head of Colors Kannada, explained what went into creating a bio-bubble. "Everyone who wants to enter the Bigg Boss house this time has to get quarantined first. One must complete one week of home quarantine before that person is placed under institutional quarantine. And he should also test negative for COVID," Parameshwar explained the tedious process.
When asked what about the sixth season that ticked him off, Sudeep said, “Watch that season from start to end, and you won’t feel like asking me this question. I am not saying all the contestants of season six were bad or I am not looking down on them. One element is just enough to spoil this atmosphere. I think in that particular season, there were some good contestants but also some of them were unfortunate choices. Perhaps, they may have performed well in some other seasons. But, it stressed me out,” he recalled.
Kannada superstar Sudeep reflected on his journey as the host of Bigg Boss Kannada during a media event on Thursday in Bengaluru. He has been the face of the popular reality TV show since its inception in 2013. As the eighth season is about to begin, he recalled the time when he had doubts about the success of this show. "I had a lot of doubt during the first season. I was worried about how people will receive this show. This doubt was all-encompassing. Will it suit our culture? Will it suit us? And our doubts came true," Sudeep noted.
Like Bigg Boss Hindi, fans of Bigg Boss Kannada season 8 will be able to watch their favourite contestants 24 hours from Monday to Friday on the channel’s OTT platform, Voot Select. “We have already done it in Hindi. And the same team is helping us with the Kannada Bigg Boss and we are confident that we will pull this off,” added Parameshwar Gundkal, Cluster Business Head of Colors Kannada.