Bigg Boss, a Malayalam-language television reality show in India, is part of the Bigg Boss franchise produced by Endemol Shine India (owned by Banijay). It airs on Asianet and streams on Disney+ Hotstar. It is based on the Dutch reality show Big Brother. Launched as part of Asianet's 25th-anniversary celebrations, the show has been hosted by Mohanlal since its inception.[1]
| Bigg Boss | |
|---|---|
 Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6 poster with host Mohanlal | |
| Presented by | Mohanlal |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Malayalam |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 569 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Lonavala (Season 1) EVP Film City (Season 2, 3 & 6) Goregaon Film City (Season 4 & 5) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Production company | Endemol India |
| Original release | |
| Network | Asianet |
| Release | 24 July 2018 – 16 June 2024 |
| Related | |
| Bigg Boss | |
Overview
editThe 'Bigg Boss' house
editA bespoke Bigg Boss house is constructed for each season. For the initial two seasons, the house was situated in Lonavala, Maharashtra, where the Hindi version of Bigg Boss typically takes place. Anticipating scheduling conflicts with other regional language editions, the house for seasons 2, 3, and 6 was established at EVP Film City in Chennai. For the 4th and 5th seasons, the house was located at Goregaon Film City. Following the conclusion of a season, the house is either retained for the next season and opened to the public as an attraction or completely dismantled.
The house is meticulously furnished and decorated, featuring modern amenities and a spacious, communal bedroom accommodating all contestants. Commencing in the sixth season, a sumptuous private suite was added for the house captain and the newly implemented power team. The house also includes shared toiletries, a swimming pool, a gymnasium, and expansive gardens. Additionally, show-specific activity areas and a soundproof room with controlled access, known as the "confession room," are constructed within the house. In this room, housemates are summoned by Bigg Boss for nomination procedures and other interactive activities. Starting with season 4, a secret room equipped with a bed and other facilities was incorporated into the house. Selected evicted contestants might be retained in this room for a week or two before being reintroduced to the game.
The house is intentionally isolated from external influences, lacking television access (except for interactions with the show host, Mohanlal), telephones, internet connectivity, clocks, and writing materials, adhering to the global Big Brother franchise guidelines.
Rules
editWhile the complete ruleset has not been publicly disclosed, certain key regulations are evident. All housemates are required to communicate exclusively in Malayalam, with minimal English usage permitted. The house property, including electronic equipment and furnishings, must be treated with care and preserved in its original condition. Housemates are not allowed to leave the house premises without explicit permission. Daytime sleep is prohibited, and contestants are only permitted to rest when the house lights are extinguished at night. Alcohol is strictly forbidden, and housemates with smoking habits may only indulge in this activity within designated smoking areas. Physical aggression towards fellow housemates is strictly prohibited, and any violations of this rule will result in immediate elimination from the competition.
Nomination
editNominations are a mandatory procedure typically conducted on the first day of the week. All housemates are required to participate unless otherwise instructed by Bigg Boss. Each housemate must nominate two other housemates for eviction. Housemates receiving the highest number of nomination votes will be placed on the nomination list for that week and face public voting via Disney+ Hotstar. On the weekend episode, the contestant with the lowest public votes will be evicted from the house. Additionally, the week's captain may directly nominate a housemate for eviction, or Bigg Boss may nominate a housemate for other reasons. Sometimes, the housemates may be nominated for other reasons, such as nomination by a person who has achieved special privileges (via tasks or other things), for breaking rules, or something else. If something very serious happens, a contestant may be evicted immediately. Housemates who have been granted immunity cannot be nominated by other contestants. Immunity is automatically bestowed upon the week's captain and can be earned by contestants through successful completion of specific tasks or secret missions assigned by Bigg Boss. In certain circumstances, the captain may make a contestant immune from nomination at Bigg Boss's discretion. Housemates are strictly prohibited from discussing nominations or the nomination process with one another.
House captaincy
editA captain is appointed each week by Bigg Boss through designated tasks or elected by the housemates. The captain enjoys enhanced privileges, including immunity from nomination for the week, exemption from task participation. During their captaincy week, the captain is exempt from the nomination process and possesses the authority to either nominate a housemate directly, grant immunity to a housemate, or rescue a nominated housemate, contingent upon Bigg Boss's directives. The captain's primary responsibility is to oversee the weekly task, ensuring that the conditions and stipulations are adhered to and the task is executed effectively to secure the 'luxury budget' for the following week. Additionally, captains are expected to monitor adherence to house rules and may impose penalties on housemates who violate these regulations.
Broadcast
editBigg Boss Malayalam is aired on Asianet channel since its first season. Each weekday episode provides a recap of the previous day's events within the house. On weekends (Saturday and Sunday), the show features a comprehensive discussion between the host, Mohanlal, and the housemates, reviewing the week's highlights and culminating in a discussion about the upcoming elimination. Since Season 4, "Bigg Boss" has been available for live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar through a subscription. Additionally, viewers can stream episodes and participate in contestant elimination voting via the Disney+ Hotstar app.
Series overview
edit| Series | Host | Location(s) | Episodes | Originally aired | Housemates | Days | Prize Money | Winner | Runner up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||||||||
| 1 | Mohanlal | Lonavala | 99 | 24 June 2018 | 30 September 2018 | Asianet & Disney+ Hotstar | 18 | 98 | ₹1 crore (US$120,000) | Sabumon Abdusamad | Pearle Maaney | |
| 2 | Chennai | 76 | 5 January 2020 | 20 March 2020 | 23 | 75 | NA | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | |||
| 3 | 97 | 14 February 2021 | 20 May 2021
1 August 2021 | 18 | 96 | ₹75 lakh (US$90,000) | Manikuttan | Sai Vishnu | ||||
| 4 | Mumbai | 99 | 27 March 2022 | 3 July 2022 | 20 | 98 | ₹50 lakh (US$60,000) | Dilsha Prasannan | Muhammad Diligent Blesslee | |||
| 5 | 99 | 26 March 2023 | 2 July 2023 | 21 | 98 | ₹50 lakh (US$60,000) | Akhil Marar | Reneesha Rahiman | ||||
| 6 | Chennai | 99 | 10 March 2024 | 16 June 2024 | 25 | 98 | ₹50 lakh (US$60,000) | Jinto Bodycraft | Arjun Syam Gopan | |||
Male Winners Female Winners
Housemate pattern
edit| Clique | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film Actor/Actress | Aditi Rai | Rajini Chandy | Manikuttan | Akhil Kutty | Aiswarya Suresh | Ansiba Hassan |
| Anoop Chandran | Saju Navodaya | Michelle Ann Daniel | Dhanya Mary Varghese | Angeline Mariya | Gabri Jose | |
| Hima Shankar | Thesni Khan | Noby Marcose | Lakshmi Priya | Maneesha K S | Sreerekha Rajagopal | |
| Sabumon Abdusamad | Veena Nair | Remya Panicker | Sruthi Lakshmi | Sagar Surya | Suresh Menon | |
| Shweta Menon | — | — | Vinay Madhav R | — | Yamuna Rani | |
| Sreelakshmi Sreekumar | — | — | Sooraj Thelakkad | — | — | |
| TV Actor/Actress | Archana Suseelan | Manju Pathrose | Anoop Krishnan | Naveen Arakkal | Anu Joseph | Apsara Rathnakaran |
| Deepan Murali | Pradeep Chandran | Sajna Firoz | Ronson Vincent | Reneesha Rehman | Rishi S Kumar | |
| Srinish Aravind | — | — | Suchithra Nair | Shiju Abdul Rasheed | Sreethu Krishnan | |
| — | — | — | — | — | Saranya Anand | |
| LGBT | Anjali Ameer | — | — | Aparna Mulberry | Nadira Mehrin | Jaanmoni Das |
| — | — | — | Ashwin Vijay | — | Abhishek Jayadeep | |
| — | — | — | Jasmin M Moosa | — | — | |
| Director | — | Suresh Krishnan | — | — | Akhil Marar | — |
| — | — | — | — | Omar Lulu | — | |
| Model | David John | Alasandra Johnson | Angel Thomas | Daisy David | Cerena Ann Johnson | Arjun Shyam |
| Shiyas Kareem | Pavan Gino Thomas | Sai Vishnu | Nimisha P S | Vishnu Joshi | — | |
| — | Reshma Rajan | Soorya Menon | Janaki Sudheer | — | — | |
| — | Sujo Mathew | — | — | — | — | |
| TV host | Pearle Maaney | Alina Padikkal | Firoz Khan | Shalini Nair | Anjuz Rosh | Pooja Krishnan |
| Ranjini Haridas | Arya Rohit | — | — | — | — | |
| Radio Jockey | — | Raghu Subash | Firoz Azeez | — | — | — |
| — | Sooraj Doha | — | — | — | — | |
| Singer/Musician | Aristo Suresh | Abhirami Suresh | Lekshmi Jayan | Mohammed Diligent Blesslee | Rinosh George | Ratheesh Kumar |
| — | Amritha Suresh | Rithu Manthra | — | — | DJ Sibin | |
| — | Pareekutty Perumbavoor | — | — | — | — | |
| — | Somadas Haridasan | — | — | — | — | |
| Dancer | — | — | Ramzan Muhammed | Dilsha Prasannan | — | — |
| — | — | Sandhya Manoj | — | — | — | |
| Social Activist | Diya Sana | Daya Ashwathy | Adoney John | — | — | — |
| — | Jazla Madassery | — | — | — | — | |
| — | Rajith Kumar | — | — | — | — | |
| Dubbing Artist | — | — | Bhagyalakshmi | — | — | — |
| Internet Celebrity | Basheer Bashi | Fukru (Krishna Jeev) | Dimpal Bhal | Riyas Salim | Hanan Hameed | Jasmin Jaffar |
| — | — | — | Manikandan Thonnakkal | Junaiz VP | Norah Muskan | |
| — | — | — | Robin Radhakrishnan | Sreedevi Menon | Sai Krishna | |
| — | — | — | — | — | Sijo John | |
| Athlete | — | — | Majiziya Bhanu | — | Aniyan Midhun | Asi Rocky |
| — | — | — | — | — | Jinto Bodycraft | |
| Entrepreneur | Manoj K. Verma | — | — | — | Sobha Viswanath | Abhishek Sreekumar |
| Commoner | — | — | — | — | Gopika Gopi | Nandana |
| — | — | — | — | — | Nishana N | |
| — | — | — | — | — | Resmin Bai | |
| Total | 18 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 25 |
| Winner | Sabumon Abdusamad | Cancelled [2] | Manikuttan | Dilsha Prasannan | Akhil Marar | Jinto Bodycraft |
| Runner-up | Pearle Maaney | Sai Vishnu | Mohammed Diligent Blesslee | Reneesha Rehman | Arjun Syam Gopan | |
| Winner Runner-up Finalist Sent home | ||||||
Controversies
editSeason 2
editSecond season contestant Rajith Kumar ejected from the show after attacking co-contestant Reshma by applying Chilli paste in her eyes during a task.This led to fans of Kumar posting on social media, defending him.[3]
Season 3
editOn Day 58, Wildcard entrants Sajina and Firoz Khan were expelled from the show for making inappropriate statements about women to engaging in ugly fights.[4]
Season 4
editFourth season contestant Dr Robin Radhakrishnan got expelled from the show after assaulting inmate Riyas.[5]
Season 5
edit- The contestant Akhil Marar made a humiliating comment against Madhu who was lynched by public for accusations of stealing food in attapadi. This comment was judged by Mohanlal during the weekend episode hence the contestant apologized for the comment and problem was solved.[6]
- This Season met another controversy that Aniyan Midhun One of the contestant said a life story that he was in love with a lady soldier named Sana in Indian Army the contestant faced criticism from the audience and later he apologized for the cooked up story.[7]
Season 6
edit- Relationship of contestants Gabri and Jasmine Jaffer created a huge controversy.
- On Day 16, there was a physical altercation between contestants Asi Rocky and Sijo John, resulting in Rocky being ejected from the show.[8]
- The Kerala High Court has stepped into the debate regarding the broadcast of violent scenes on the show. A panel of judges has instructed the central government to take immediate action on this matter.[9][10]
- Season 5 winner Akhil Marar raised concerns when wildcard contestant Sibin left the Bigg Boss house citing health problems. Marar accused the medical team of potentially administering antidepressant drugs to a mentally stable contestant, with the alleged intention of rendering him unfit to compete. Additionally, Marar made broader allegations suggesting that the Bigg Boss team might have engaged in inappropriate behavior (casting couch) towards female contestants in previous seasons. However, no evidence has surfaced to substantiate these claims, and the Bigg Boss team has not provided any clarification regarding these incidents.[11]
Awards
editAn academic Television studies article about Bigboss Malayalam reality show written by Sajith M.S published on Madhyamam Weekly won Kerala State Television Awards 2022 for Best Television Article.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ "Bigg Boss Malayalam: Mohanlal is super excited to host the show". The Times of India. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Bigg Boss Malayalam season 2 to be called off". The Week. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Misogynist Rajith Kumar Kicked Off Bigg Boss For Attacking Co-Contestant". Huffpost. 16 March 2020.
- ^ "Firoz And Sajna ejected from the show". Times of India.
- ^ "Robin Radhakrishnan ousted from the show; says, 'This season is not mine". The Times Of India. 5 June 2022.
- ^ "From lifting his Dhoti in front of inmates to boasting about beating his wife: Times when Bigg Boss Malayalam 5 contestant Akhil Marar landed in controversies so far". The Times Of India.
- ^ "Wushu practitioner Aniyan Midhun landed in a huge controversy after one of his narrations in Bigg Boss Malayalam 5". Times of India. 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Kerala HC directs I&B Ministry to 'immediately address the violations' in Bigg Boss Malayalam 6". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
- ^ "'Bigg Boss Malayalam' in hot water — Kerala High Court steps in". cnbctv18.com. 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Kerala HC directs Union to immediately address violations of broadcasting advisories in telecasting Malayalam Bigg Boss Season 6". scconline.com.
- ^ "Former winner Akhil Marar makes shocking allegations against Mohanlal's show". ottplay.com.
- ^ "2022 Kerala television awards announced". the hindu. 6 March 2024.
- ^ "മികച്ച സീരിയലിന് ഇത്തവണയും പുരസ്കാരമില്ല, ഹാസ്യ പരിപാടിക്കും അവാര്ഡില്ല; സംസ്ഥാന ടെലിവിഷന് പുരസ്കാരം പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു" [2022 State Television Awards declared]. Southlive. 6 March 2024.