The Bigg Ugly Mess

Scathing scenes and roaring emotions from the currently on-air season of Bigg Boss

The fact that I am taking time out, dipping in the thinking well, introspecting, fretting and fuming over it proves that the show’s got balls, and eyeballs rolling. In spite and despite of its exhausting tantrums, its tedious rounds of tu-tu-main-main, a bunch of immature imbeciles bickering over non issues, “Bigg Boss” Season Seven on Colors is proving to be a massive draw and hit. So much so that the viewers have not even spared its host, Salman Khan this time by accusing him of taking sides with inmates Tanishaa and Armaan Kohli and reprimanding Gauhar Khan and Kushal Tandon.

Attacked on the social network and targeted via tweets, Salman Khan seems visibly pissed and tired of explaining his stand in the past couple of weeks. I really won’t blame the guy if he steps down as the host for next season, for this time round they’ve got a real bratty bunch who are head strong, ego maniacs with not a iota of sportsman spirit in them. Hell, they don’t even take a task as a task – it spirals into some ugly spat with each one complaining and crying! If it was the kitchen politics “Bigg Boss” cashed in on in the earlier seasons, this time round, it’s the task politics the show is milking by making inmates choose the best and worst, by dividing and ruling.

Agreed – the show is designed to induce conflict. But on a daily basis? Is this what reality television is all about – celebrating bad, outrageous behavior, rewarding it purely for money and ratings, amplifying it, encouraging the petty politics (as if we hadn’t had enough of it on Indian fiction saas-bahu sagas).

Arvind Passey (as Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda), makes an interesting observation: “Bigg Boss has certainly changed the concept of what viewers want to see and is such a brilliant example of armchair psychoanalysis of a society… of what people think and how people behave. This one-hour show takes us into the depths of human nature which otherwise would take us years to read and understand.”

One would say we are messing with the natural order of things. On the flip side, isn’t this the natural order – aren’t we primates after all? Picture this: it takes either a genius or a twisted mind to lock ten or more people in a house, give them food, water, the basic necessities and then leave them, for a 100 days. These are tests in human behavior – with nothing to occupy their time and mind – no comps, mobiles, books, work – what would they do? They resort to smallest of possible talks, they find faults, they suspect, they scramble for attention, they mark their territories like animals, they bully and corner the weak the ones. Had their been no rules set by the channel, I am sure they would’ve knocked the daylights outta each other or scratched each other’s eyes out. On several occasions, Kushal Tandon and Armaan Kohli almost did.

“Reality TV generally has to go negative in order for it to be interesting. On reality TV, the star of the show gets more airtime the worse they behave. And we learn that if you act out you get endorsement deals. Today the heroes go to jail and we celebrate them for it,” writes comedian Tom Green.

So vicious are the participants this year that they make the previous ones look far more angelic! The earlier lots were more fun – Rakhi Sawant and her Sawant laundry and conversations with “Jejus,” (a la Rakhi Sawant from Season One) Vindu Dara Singh shaving off his head and starting the trend of talking with the audience via cameras, Dolly Bindra and ‘time-out’ Imam Siddiqui were crazily entertaining, so was the steaming Veena Malik-Ashmit-Patel-Sara Khan triangle and who can forget Sameer Soni ringing the Bigg Boss bell till heavens came down and the baap-pe-mat-jana egg fight between Bindra and Manoj Tiwari? Here the only participant worth watching in the house is the golden retriever Heaven. To an extent, Sangram Singh is playing well – hate to see him being bullied though by Kohli and gang. But bravo, Singh has stood his ground like a gentleman.

The “baby” of the house, Pratyusha Banerjee has suddenly found her voice, but mummyji (Kamya Punjabi) and other auntyjis shut her up. Also, Pratyusha is a total tubelight and it’s time she went out of the show for she really is a misfit. The queen bees - Gauhar Khan and Tanisha – started the game with a big bang till the men in their lives rogered it all for them. Seriously women, where is your self respect, what are you thinking preening and pruning, fussing and mothering, screaming and crying over non-entities like Armaan and Kushal? Both are rogues, bullies, abusive and have solid anger management issues. Also Tanisha, it’s time to cut the umbilical cord from Armaan, and Gauhar, not everyone will say yes to you. VJ Andy was the only entertainer, they shut him up too – if only he’d watched what he said to the ladies. But c’mon girls – it was a task for god’s sakes and you aren’t supposed to take it to heart and go all ballistic on him with. The channel didn’t even air it in the first place! I’d like to add that we’ve had enough of ‘you-can’t-treat-women-like-this’ card flash here too. This is an equal playground, you are players, so play, don’t behave like spoilsports who don’t know how to accept a loss graciously. Ajaz Khan – keep singing cause that’s the best you do. One player who we have our money on is Elli Avram. She has risen the ranks, found her voice and is playing smart. Even if she doesn’t win, we know who is going to get her loads of work! While a very botoxed Sophia may have stirred things up, we don’t see her around for long. Finale is about Kamya, Kohli maybe, Ellie and Gauhar. And yeah, fingers crossed for Sangram.

May the best player win

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