Bigg Boss 19 has a healthy mix of characters, mostly GenZ and millennials, but without Bigg Boss‘s interference, it would be boring to watch some of these wannabes vying for individual fame and attention, expects Divya Nair.
The reality show Bigg Boss has undergone several changes since it first premiered in India.
The theme for its 19th season, as host Salman Khan explained, is that it will be ‘gharwalon ki sarkar‘ hinting that the contestants will finally get to experience democracy.
Over the years, the makers have tried to limit their interference in the game plan and strategy. But this time, the contestants will have to fight their own battles and trust their instincts to make the right decision. There will be no inputs or hand-holding from the makers.
Now does that make the show easy or challenging for the contestants?
Honestly, for some of us who still have reason to believe that the show is scripted, this only means that there will be more chaos and drama without a sense of direction.
Let’s discuss the contestants.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Ashnoor Kaur/Instagram
The first to be introduced was 21-year old actor Ashnoor Kaur, who wants to be the youngest winner of the season. Ashnoor, who has done cameos in films, came across as a confident and friendly housemate.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Zeishan Qadri/Instagram
Among the other actors and artistes on the show this season are writer-actor Zeishan Qadri (of Gangs of Wasseypur fame).
Photograph: Kind courtesy Abhishek Bajaj/Instagram
Model-turned actor Abhishek Bajaj.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Baseer Ali/Instagram
Baseer Ali.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Neelam Giri/Instagram
Bhojpuri actor Neelam Giri.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Gaurav Khanna/Instagram
The crowd pleasers are television’s favourite beta and damaad Gaurav Khanna (of Anupama fame) who Salman jokingly called ‘green flag ka ambassador’, while also revealing his weakness that he is colour blind.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Kunickaa Sadanand/Instagram
There is also former actor-turned-activist Kunickaa Sadanand, who looks like a worthy choice for the show.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Tanya Mittal/Instagram
Among the other interesting characters are the kings and queens of social media. There is Tanya Mittal, a spiritual influencer who gives you the annoying ‘papa ki pari‘ vibes.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Nehal Chudasama/Instagram
Former beauty queen Nehal Chudasama who loves men with muscles.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Farhana Bhatt/Instagram
Farhana Bhatt, an actor and activist based out of Srinagar.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Pranit More/Instagram
There is stand-up comedian Pranit More.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Mridul Tiwari/Instagram
Mridul Tiwari was voted as the audience’s favourite.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Natalia Janoszek/Instagram
Polish actor Natalia Janoszek was quite a chirpy character, who tried to impress with her limited knowledge of Hindi.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Awez Darbar/Instagram
And then came the nepo babies — choreographer Awez Darbar (son of music director Ismail Darbar, and former Bigg Boss contestant).
Photograph: Kind courtesy Nagma Mirajkar/Instagram
Awez is competing alongside girlfriend Nagma Mirajkar.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Amaal Malik/Instagram
Singer Amaal Malik, who was introduced at the end, opened up about his battle with depression, his snoring habit and how he was looking forward to learning something new from the show.
Overall, the show has a healthy mix of characters, mostly GenZ and millennials.
But without Bigg Boss‘s interference, it would be a bit boring to watch some of these wannabes vying for individual fame and attention.
Remember Anurag Dobhal from Season 17?
Whether one would like to admit or not, we are living in the age of social media.
Unlike in the past when a few TV stars dominated the Internet, it is now up to the fan armies of these influencers to generate interesting buzz and content around the show. They will ultimately decide who shines and fades on your television screens.
