BiggBoss is one of my favourite reality shows. I am a loyalist. I even auditioned for it. I have always recommended people to watch it for different reasons. BiggBoss14 got over last Sunday. The channel claims BiggBoss14 was the best season with more eyeballs than ever before. It seems the magic continues. Maybe the magician has found a new audience to play with. However, loyalists like me are upset with the experience. BiggBoss14 failed to meet expectations. It is not the same show that we liked and grew with.
On the other side, the channel and team must be complimented in producing and running the show without major issues. Maybe it is the best the channel could serve in the Covid-led pandemic.
That I was able to predict the Top 5 finalists and the winner in advance is not a comment on the show content. To predict BiggBoss 14 winner was so very simple.
Is There A Problem?
No, apparently there is no problem. The show did perform very well. Even though I don’t have access to the viewership data, I do believe the channel claim. Anyway, nowadays, one is not sure, which data should be trusted?
The show with its legacy, voyeuristic content and a large following is nowhere threatened.
Maybe it’s that the show that has moved on. Maybe, the initial set of viewers no longer matter. The show has attracted a new set of audience. Everything is okay. The show is performing. The host is superb. The channel is happy. The brands have no issue. Who am I to crib?
The Difference
Nothing. And that is the problem. Nothing has changed with the show. Yet, BiggBoss is no longer the same show.
Creativity is dead. The tasks are repetitive. The majority of the participants seem coached on how to ace the show. Some have not even bothered to see the last season or so they claimed.
The captain of the house is no longer in command. Participants have a simple strategy of non-cooperation. Dissent is the default option. Rebellion is seen as content and entertainment. Participants start groups as a result of a desire to control and survive. They cannot be faulted for it. However, these groups are merely opportunistic. Participants drift in and out of groups without any agenda.
There is class inequality. It is demonstrated across actions and judgment. There is no control of the language. Aukat, Ghatiya, Neech are some of the terms used to broadly paint someone. The language has so bad that it needs viewer discretion or some other warning.
There is absolute anarchy. There is No Control. Wild cards and other members bring outside information and discuss them. The inside information is used as leverage. The Bigg Boss remains inert to any such advances.
The candidates in the show know who the other contestants are. No more are the names a surprise to them.
BiggBoss – Mandir Ka Ghanta
This is what is really upsetting. The show has lost the plot. Candidates walk in and out of the show. They exit for silly reasons and re-enter with sillier explanations.
There is no sanctity of being a contestant, ex-contestant- wild card or pure BiggBoss inter-season traveller. There are ex-winners who are the regular faces on the show trying to act their part. The charm is lost.
The wild card can enter anytime- fine but how many wild cards! A candidate who steps out to act and was given a proxy in the house! BiggBoss14 – Mandir ka Ghanta– koi bhi aaye aur bajayeh.
The Predictable Winner
Of the five finalists, Rubina was the deserving winner. Every attempt was being made to ensure her win. Or that’s what social media chatter said.
Salman Khan, The Saviour
Whatever Salman Khan maybe charging the channel, I think it is perfectly justified. Fortunately, the ageing Khan still commands respect or fear. He is like a GodFather. And, it is he, who makes the weekend worth watching. Unfortunately, there is no alternative for Salman Khan. But, even Khan’s delivery and control are showing signs of tear. Is there an alternative? The question remains unanswered.
Overall
BiggBoss14 was a drag. Maybe it was the lengthiest season of all. The viewership numbers may give the channel and the production house a feeling of complacency. But, it is time someone seriously takes a re-look at how the show is shaping up.
What is so big about it and who is the Boss there?
BiggBoss14 was like some C-grade movie. It seems the script was written on the sets. The producers taking the viewers for granted. The creativity, the gamesmanship, the rewards all mixed up. The participants were controlling and dictating the terms.
In BiggBoss14, BiggBoss decided to remain a mute spectator till pushed to act. Many times denying justice to the participants and trying to explain the situation.
Frankly, the show lost ground and many loyal viewers. It became a drag at later stage.
I sincerely believe in the show and the format. I believe it requires the infusion of fresh thoughts. And, I would hate the show to lose out. But if it decides to be the Mandir Ka Ghanta like BiggBoss14, joh chahe jab chahe, use bajayega I would not like it. The feeling is not new, it started with BiggBoss13.
BLOG/015/2021
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