By Sanjeev Kotnala,
Head Catalyst, Intradia
Warning: This is a biased article from a person who is a Bigg Boss addict, one who has watched it for eight seasons with rare misses! On January 8, 2015, I further cemented my association with the show by visiting Bigg Boss House, courtesy the Colors and Endemol teams, and ensured that I became a hero at home. My wife and daughter had a great trip too. What remains is a trip inside. Inshallah, that too will happen, if Raj Nayak is reading this!
At the House, we were close to the contestants, with just a mirror separating us. My daughter went hyper, seeing Gauti up close. My wife kept wondering who did their make-up and hair. I ogled at my favourite Karishma. Trust me, the TV screen hardly does justice to her beauty. The Salman set was a bit of a disappointment to the kid. It was deserted, work-in-progress and the glamour-adding lights were off. That was when she started making sense of the work that camera and light guys put in to make the show great for us. Salman House, where the star stays during the shoot, is an impressive semi-permanent structure. We all couldn’t avoid the mandatory ‘Oh! he stays here’ kind of remark. It’s allowed, after all, he is Bhai and we are Indians!
Bigg Boss is reality played out as a reality show. We are the voyeuristic rascals. We enjoy other people’s miseries and even sulk about their happiness. I bet that peaceful, sensible, polite episodes have low TRPs. Cue for Bigg Boss to add some tadka - give a task that divides them, shatters the peace and rekindles the volcanic emotions caged in that zoo!
At the House, we identify and like one of the contestants who we feel is like us and equally hate another. These become self-image anchors. A question on their attitude is in reality a question on our feelings and moral standards. We celebrate their victory as if it were our own.
The references act as a trigger point. Mystery, ambiguity, shock, twists and turns add to visual delight. This makes someone not-even-a-celebrity-beyond-their-gali suddenly a favourite. In them, we see our reflection. Dangerous possibilities with young adults. Mature, responsible adult citizens move into fantasy land. Hopefully, these are temporary infatuations.
In the process, we validate and gain some crooked Bigg Boss knowledge:
- The anchor matters and is powerful
- Your enemy’s enemy may not be your friend
- Keep doing the task - don’t worry about nominations
- If the person you fought with in the morning becomes your friend by evening, it must be nomination day. Be on guard!
- Image on national TV is very important
- There are enough people waiting to send votes if you can act like a monkey inside the zoo
- It is always the zoo-keeper who gets more than the animal inside
Meanwhile, as we enjoy new episodes, we respect and appreciate the dedicated team of 450-plus crew, the 80-plus camera team, the editors, the strategic creative team, contestants and beloved Bigg Boss for being so nakedly transparent in sharing their emotions and behaviour.
God, let Karishma win!
Feedback: netkot@yahoo.com
