The Real Housemates

Even as Shilpa Shetty is seen as a target of racism on Big Brother, on the show8217;s Indian counterpart Bigg Boss, Rakhi Sawant is seen as 8216;unhygienic8217;, Rahul Roy 8216;manipulative8217;, Ravi Kishen a 8216;casanova8217;, Carol Gracias a 8216;fake8217; and Amit 8216;neurotic8217;.

As Elizabeth, 60 and Ronnie Gracias, near-70, get ready for another round of photo shoots in their packed but neat drawing room in Bandra, Ronnie Gracias informs us that there8217;s been more focus on them since Carol8217;s entry into Bigg Boss than through the years of her career as a top model.

Rank strangers calls and random accostings at the market place have kind of restricted Elizabeth8217;s movements, but the show is a hit with the family, as they catch both the night telecast as well as its repeat. However, the consequences of the Rakhi-Carol fight, Rakhi8217;s sudden return and their daughter8217;s confidante, Rupali8217;s recent exit has been weighing heavy on the parents. They watch, in stoic silence as a distressed looking Carol tries to come to terms with Rupali8217;s exit. Says Ronnie: 8220;Rakhi speaks what she wants to speak and is quite a hypocrite, just see the way she is changing her statements.8221; It8217;s difficult to get the doting parents away from the screen and pose for a photo, especially with Carol being the topic of discussion in the show. Rakhi as usual is calling Carol names, terming her behaviour towards her inconsiderate and high-handed. Ronnie explains, 8220;They hail from totally diverse backgrounds and are so steeped in their respective habits that it8217;s too late in the day to change and accommodate the other.8221; Mom Elizabeth is concerned about the sanitation levels in the girls8217; room with Rakhi8217;s reputation for untidiness. Ronnie8217;s eyes light up with pride when he talks about Carol8217;s flawless recitation of a Sanskrit shloka as part of a recent assignment. 8220;I know some accuse her accent as fake, since she8217;s not too fluent in Hindi. But they should know learning Hindi is compulsory in Mumbai and that8217;s how she knows the language. But that doesn8217;t imply that she should speak it flawlessly.8221; He8217;s also upset over Rakhi8217;s allegations of Carol playing up to the guys, serving and doing menial jobs for them to escape nomination. 8220;Carol is a pro at acupressure, which is a great relaxant,8221; explains Ronnie, a former sailor, who also gives free acupressure twice a week in a clinic off Mount Mary. 8220;But not everybody understands the science and they assume that she is pressing everyone8217;s feet to gather goodwill.8221; And she is no home-breaker either. 8220;She is a spontaneous and good human being and that8217;s why she endears herself to all. There is nothing between her and Ravi or any of the guys. We enjoyed Ravi8217;s tutoring of Carol, as he8217;s quite an entertainer,8221; he adds. While the goodwill their daughter has earned seems to make up for her slander on the show but somewhere deep down the tired old parents seem to be waiting for the finale so that they can return to their quiet life without having to explain their daughter8217;s every act.

ver since Ravindra Shyamnarayan Shukla aka Ravi Kishen went into Bigg Boss the phones in his house have been constantly ringing. 8220;Anybody from anywhere just calls up to give their views and leaves messages for him. The other day one of his fans had called from Dubai saying that they are betting on him as the winner. In the initial days his cell phone would ring non-stop, till I decided to put it in perennially silent mode. I have saved all the text messages. He can spend the first fewdays reading them once he comes back,8221; says the Bhojpuri superstar8217;s loquacious wife. Contrary to Shuklaji8217;s mastery over the Hindi language on the show, his family only speaks English, she reveals. 8220;For the first time in the 13 plus years of our marriage I am actually dealing with strangers: media, production houses, channels and others visiting our home. When he was around, he would be very protective about us and never let us mingle with his guests. The host act had always been his call.8221;

Her husband8217;s entry into the show has sprinted the private life of a very domestic hausfrau into constant public glare. 8220;These days I send my daughters to their grandparents house over the weekends to avoid the unwanted glare,8221; she says. 8220;It8217;s not easy on the kids,8221; she says, getting exposed to certain unseen facets of their father8217;s personality. 8220;For instance, Ravi8217;s glee when non-vegetarian food was first brought into the house surprised them all as we are vegetarians. Thankfully he didn8217;t consume it.8221;

Ravi has three school going daughters 8211; Reeva 9, Tanishqa 6 and Ishita 4 and their dad8217;s antics often makes for classmates8217; discussions. 8220;They initially used to ask questions like, 8216;Why is papa pressing Carol8217;s feet or why is he smoking?8217; I explained to them that it8217;s a game.8221; Incidentally, it was she who had persuaded Ravi to take part in the show, she says. 8220;I am actually enjoying seeing him under constant surveillance. I get to see how Ravi behaves when away from us.8221; For instance, making wisecracks at all, pressing Carol8217;s feet, getting cozy with Rupali, one may add8230; Preeti interrupts, a trifle defensively: 8220;The good thing is that at least here I can see what he is doing. He8217;s often away from home on long shooting stints, where it8217;s impossible to keep track of his activities.8221; So how does she react to hints of Ravi being in love with Carol, or Rupali trying to be overtly cozy with him? 8220;He is a man, and it8217;s natural for him to have a soft corner for women. I am OK with it as long as he loves me and comes back home.8221; Is that a tone of resignation? Preeti doesn8217;t betray any emotion; though she says she is surprised Rupali Ganguly8217;s self declared closeness with Ravi. 8220;I am quite surprised by the way Rupali goes about saying that she knows me well, talking about me as if I am some long lost bhabhi of hers, when I have met her only once. But the biggest revelation of Bigg Boss has been the fact that when it comes to bitching, men can easily outdo women.8221;

8220;I like Bigg Boss because it8217;s addictive. You go back to it despite it not being a great show or having big stars. It8217;s also fun because it has changed my views on most people in the house. For instance, I initially found Rupali very boring and irritating, but before her eviction I was rooting for her to stay. The toss up for the winner is between Ravi and Rakhi. Ravi is a delight, I have seen him grow, mature, get combative, break down 8212; undergo a gamut of emotions 8212; some play acted, most real in the show.8221; 8212; Pritish Nandy, Filmmaker

8220;Even the greatest actor in the world can8217;t act non-stop for three months. Ravi has a strong chance to win. Next is Carol, followed by Rahul and then Amit and Rakhi. Ravi is an entertainer, Rakhi is dramatic, Carol is intelligent, Rahul is settled and Amit is brash. Bigg Boss is a mind game and you need a controlled mind to win. That way, Rahul can survive another six months, while Amit will break down in two weeks.8221; 8212; Arshad Warsi, Actor

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8220;Though I am not a regular follower, I enjoy the conversations as they are not scripted. I hope Ravi wins because he is the most humane and natural amongst the lot. I also enjoy the way he speaks; his diction has a unique signature take to it.8221;8212;Mithali Raj, Captain, India8217;s women cricket team

8220;I watch Bigg Boss because it8217;s entertaining, courtesy people like Rakhi and Ravi, who are absolute naturals. It8217;s interesting to see how when people are cut off from the world, they make big issues out of daily things like tea, toilet, etc. It8217;s a classic study of human psychology in an entertaining way. I think Rakhi will win as she is the most popular of the lot. She8217;s entertaining, frank, mad, whacky and honest and these attributes can8217;t be created.8221;8212;Kunal Kohli, Filmmaker

8220;I watch it because it since it8217;s so different from the manufactured emotions on the soaps today. I think Rakhi deserves to win, but technically speaking Rahul has played the game best. His are the attributes that have seen through most winners in the original Big Brother, but it can be different in India. If Carol wins I will be aghast.8221; 8212;Archana Puran Singh, Actor

8220;It works because people want to peep into the lives of others and panders to our voyeuristic desire to look into the personal lives of others. I have very high regards for Carol for the way she carried herself through the malfunction incident facing adversity with dignity and hope that she wins.8221;8212;Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman, O038;M