Reality (Show) Check : Indians’ Craze for ‘Bigg Boss’ Is the Same Across Regions

While we still debate about 'Bigg Boss', the show has become more popular after migrating from television to OTT.

Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna, Mohan Lal and Kiccha Sudeep host Bigg Boss in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada respectively.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter; Altered by The Quint)

Hosted by superstar Kiccha Sudeep, Bigg Boss Kannada OTT was kickstarted on 8 August. The upcoming season of Bigg Boss Telugu was also recently announced by Nagarjuna on 9 August, with a promo video.

The language, contestants, and the hosts may be different, but India's craze for Bigg Boss across states is the same.

The phenomenal success of Salman Khan-hosted Bigg Boss (Hindi) has paved the way for the regional markets including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. They have customized the formula for the local audience, roping in big stars from their respective industries like Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna, Mohan Lal and Kiccha Sudeep.

And no doubt, the reality show has cracked the southern belt too because the format is such: Gossipy and Controversial.

The audience is divided. Some who are pro-Bigg Boss for its entertainment value, also claim that it helps their real-life relationships as it is analogous to our society. While some who are against Bigg Boss, call it voyeuristic and claim that it has a negative impact on people's mental health.

While we still debate on it, the show has become more popular than ever. Running successfully on Indian television, it has in fact, permeated the youth’s favorite medium — OTTs.

How Did Bigg Boss Become so Famous In the South?

While the drama, petty fights, instant romances, verbal (and at times, physical) battles remain the same across all versions of the show — the personality of the hosts adds a unique flavor and sets the tone of their shows.

Personality of The Host

Take for instance, Bigg Boss Tamil is completely different from how Sallu bhai hosts the Hindi show. Kamal Haasan presents himself not just as an actor, but as a politician too. He optimizes his time on stage with clever one-liners that have present day’s socio-political references, to help both the show's TRP, and his political career.

Whereas, Sudeep’s style of hosting Bigg Boss, is to stay poised and fire like a gun when needed. His Twitter discussion with Ajay Devgn over his ‘Hindi not being a national language’ comment, is a testament to that. On the other hand, Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, unlike his contemporaries, hardly loses his cool and engages in calm conversations with the contestants.

Regional Cross Promotions

In addition, the south stars never shy away from cross-promoting each other's shows and films.

Haasan made a special appearance in Bigg Boss Malayalam ahead of the Vikram promotions. In 2020, Nagarjuna and Bigg Boss Telugu contestants connected with Kamal over a video call to wish him on his birthday. Kamal had joined them live from the sets of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4.

Samantha, who filled the shoes of her former father-in-law Nagarjuna, for the Dussehra special episode of Bigg Boss Telugu, created a huge buzz back then. Haasan has also promoted his film Viswaroopam 2 on Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2 in 2018, which was hosted by Jersey star Nani.

The opportunity to see stars from across industries cross-promoting their work, has also played an important role in increasing the viewership of the show down south.

Kamal Haasan Reunited With Mohanlal On Bigg Boss Malayalam As He Promoted Vikram.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Bigg Boss Winners & Hosts Where Are They Now?

With fan pages calling themselves the contestants’ armies, jumping in to support their favorite stars during social media fan wars — their popularity seem to surge. However, were they able to convert this fame into work opportunities, that still remains a question.

While it is quite uncertain if the winners and contestants have a bright future, we are certain that the hosts and the show definitely do.

Haasan’s first release post-Bigg Boss was Vikram and the reception for the film both in terms of box office returns, and the star’s market value, leaped by several steps. Sudeep too had a recent release, Vikrant Rona which opened to mixed reviews but still managed to make profitable numbers. Mohanlal too, had two back to back releases — Aaraattu and 12th Man, earlier this year.

Nagarjuna also featured in Bangarraju and will soon be seen alongside Sonal Chauhan in The Ghost.

Catching up to the pan-India film releases, we never know Bigg Boss might just have its pan-India version too. Let's wait and watch (or not).