The Bigg Boss Unknowns

In the latest season of Colors' 'Bigg Boss', one is hard-pressed to recognize – and care about – the contestants.

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The channel needs to ask itself if another long, drawn out season on the reality show can work its magic or will it depend on Salman Khan to do that instead?

It’s that time of the year again, when finding nothing better to watch on television, we turn to the unfailing entertainment of Bigg Boss(Colors). Only, in its ninth season, it would be fair to ask the question – is Bigg Boss as entertaining as it once was?

Every year, before the show starts, a big effort is made to keep the identities of the contestants secret. This practice perhaps made sense at a time when there was a genuinely surprising mix of people who were thrown together in the house – such as the first season when model Carol Gracias found herself in the house with actors like Ravi Kishan, Kashmira Shah and Amit Sadh, or the second season when the house saw contestants such as former Miss World Diana Hayden, actors Ketaki Dave and Mandira Bedi and politician Sanjay Nirupam.

There seemed to be a real attempt on the part of the makers of the show to get such a diverse mix of people, because the show was premised on the idea that when you put together a random bunch of people, all from different backgrounds, and isolate them, fireworks occur.

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The show’s intrigue factor also came from the fact that many of these contestants were already well-known to a majority of viewers. When you saw the Great Khali or Baba Sehgal step out of the car in the first episode, you felt a thrill of recognition and perhaps a bit of curiosity about what they would end up revealing about themselves on the show.

That was where the entertainment came in – from finding out more about people who we were at least a little familiar with already. In the ninth season premiere Bigg Boss Double Trouble, however, one was hard pressed to find more than three faces that were sort of recognizable. People like Digangana Suryavanshi, Suyyash Rai and Arvind Vegda are not exactly household names.

Additionally, most of the contestants seem to be drawn from the same pool of television and film actors most of whom, self-admittedly, are on the show in order to give their careers a boost. That’s a fair ambition, but it also undermines the basic principle of schadenfreude on which the show was built – to truly enjoy the antics that unfold in the goldfish bowl of Bigg Boss, we need to care about the inmates.

The channel needs to ask itself if another long, drawn out season on the reality show can work its magic or will it depend on Salman Khan to do that instead?

Pooja Pillai

Pooja Pillai is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, working with the National Editorial and Opinion section. Her work frequently explores the intersection of society, culture and technology. Editorial Focus & Expertise Pooja’s writing spans several key domains, often blending analytical commentary with cultural critique. Art & Culture: She writes extensively on cinema, books, and the evolving landscape of arts and entertainment. Technology & Society: Her work examines the human impact of the gig economy, the rise of AI in creative fields, and the cultural shifts driven by digital platforms. Food & Lifestyle: She often uses food as a lens to explore history and politics, covering everything from the origins of pantry essentials to the impact of nutrition policy. Politics: She closely tracks political developments in South and West India and provides commentary on international political transitions, including the shifting landscape of American politics. Multimedia & Podcasting Pooja is a prominent voice in the Indian Express’s digital ecosystem. She is the host of 'DeshKaal with Yogendra Yadav', weekly video podcast where she facilitates deep-dive conversations on Indian democracy, social movements, and current political affairs. Notable Recent Works Cinema & Identity: “SRK@60: Why Shah Rukh Khan is Bollywood's last, and only, superstar” – an analysis of stardom and the changing face of Indian identity Global Politics: Commentary on the Trump administration’s misguided “war on woke culture” via typography and analysis of the visual semiotics of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attire during successive visits to the White House. Art & AI: “An unequal music: AI is lowering barriers at the cost of music itself” – a critique of how technology is redefining artistic value. Professional Presence Pooja is active on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, where she shares her latest columns and editorial insights. Her full archive and latest updates can be found on her Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More

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