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Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series)

Overview

Bigg Boss is an Indian Hindi-language reality television series broadcast on Colors TV. It is the Hindi adaptation of the international reality format Big Brother, originally devised by John de Mol Jr. and produced internationally by Endemol Shine Group. The show features a group of contestants, referred to as housemates, who live together in a purpose-built house, isolated from the outside world, while their activities are continuously recorded by cameras. Housemates are progressively eliminated through a combination of nominations and audience voting, with the last remaining contestant declared the winner.

Key facts

Original title Bigg Boss
Genre Reality television
Based on Big Brother (created by John de Mol Jr.)
Language Hindi
Country of origin India
Original network Sony TV (Season 1–2); Colors TV (Season 4 onwards)
Streaming Voot, JioCinema (in later seasons)
Original launch 3 November 2006
Production company Endemol Shine India

Background

The show is part of the global Big Brother franchise, which originated in the Netherlands in 1999. The Indian Hindi version premiered on 3 November 2006 on Sony TV. After two seasons on Sony, the show moved to Colors TV from the third season onwards, where it has remained the network's flagship reality property. The series is produced in India by Endemol Shine India, the local arm of the international format owner.

Format

A typical season runs for roughly three to four months. Contestants—usually a mix of celebrities and, in some seasons, members of the public—live together in a custom-built house, generally located on a film studio lot in or near Mumbai (with later seasons shot in Lonavala, Maharashtra). The house is fitted with multiple cameras and microphones recording activity continuously.

  • Bigg Boss: An unseen omniscient voice that issues instructions, tasks and rules to the housemates from a control room called the "confession room".
  • Nominations: Each week, housemates nominate fellow contestants for elimination.
  • Tasks: Weekly group and individual tasks determine captaincy, ration, immunity and other privileges.
  • Eviction: Audience voting decides which nominated contestant is eliminated.
  • Finale: The contestant remaining at the end of the season wins a cash prize and the title.

Hosts

The show has been hosted by several prominent personalities from Hindi cinema and television:

  • Arshad Warsi – Season 1 (2006–07)
  • Shilpa Shetty – Season 2 (2008)
  • Amitabh Bachchan – Season 3 (2009)
  • Salman Khan – Season 4 onwards (2010–present), with the exception of part of Season 8 which was co-hosted by other guests
  • Sanjay Dutt and Farah Khan – Guest hosts in select seasons and weekends

Salman Khan's long-running association as host since Season 4 has become a defining feature of the series, particularly through the weekly "Weekend Ka Vaar" episodes in which he reviews housemates' conduct.

Timeline of seasons

  • Season 1 (2006–07) – Sony TV; hosted by Arshad Warsi; won by Rahul Roy.
  • Season 2 (2008) – Sony TV; hosted by Shilpa Shetty; won by Ashutosh Kaushik.
  • Season 3 (2009) – Colors TV; hosted by Amitabh Bachchan; won by Vindu Dara Singh.
  • Season 4 (2010) – Hosted by Salman Khan; won by Shweta Tiwari.
  • Season 5 (2011) – Theme "Pyar Ka Bigg Bang"; won by Juhi Parmar.
  • Season 6 (2012–13) – Won by Urvashi Dholakia.
  • Season 7 (2013) – Won by Gauahar Khan.
  • Season 8 (2014–15) – Won by Gautam Gulati.
  • Season 9 (2015) – Format "Double Trouble"; won by Prince Narula.
  • Season 10 (2016–17) – Mixed celebrities and commoners; won by Manveer Gurjar.
  • Season 11 (2017–18) – Won by Shilpa Shinde.
  • Season 12 (2018) – Theme "Vichitra Jodis"; won by Dipika Kakar.
  • Season 13 (2019–20) – Won by Sidharth Shukla.
  • Season 14 (2020–21) – Won by Rubina Dilaik.
  • Season 15 (2021–22) – Won by Tejasswi Prakash.
  • Season 16 (2022–23) – Won by MC Stan.
  • Season 17 (2023–24) – Won by Munawar Faruqui.

The franchise has additionally produced the digital spin-off Bigg Boss OTT, streamed on Voot and later on JioCinema, hosted by Karan Johar (Season 1) and Salman Khan (Season 2).

Production

Initial seasons were filmed at Lonavala, Maharashtra, with the purpose-built house designed afresh for each season around a thematic concept. Filmcity in Goregaon, Mumbai, has also been used for some seasons. The house design typically includes a living area, bedrooms, kitchen, garden, swimming pool, store room, and a confession room. Episodes are aired daily, with extended weekend episodes featuring the host and evictions.

Significance

Bigg Boss is one of the longest-running and highest-rated reality television series in India. It has consistently been among the top-rated non-fiction programmes in Hindi general entertainment television and has had a substantial impact on the careers of many of its contestants, drawn from film, television, music, sports and social media. The format has been adapted into multiple Indian regional versions, including in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali and Marathi.

The show has also drawn public debate over its content, on-screen conflicts and language, and has at times been the subject of complaints to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

References

  • Colors TV official programming information.
  • Endemol Shine India production credits.
  • Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India weekly ratings reports.