How the popularity of Bigg Boss surged in India over the years!

The international franchise Bigg Boss has seen immense success on Indian shores. Running for the seventh consecutive year on Colors this reality series has taken the Indian television space by storm.

Bigg Boss follows the format of the original Big Brother, a reality game show franchise created by John de Mol , which was first developed by Endemol  in the Netherlands . The idea for Big Brother is said to have been conceived during a brainstorming session at the Dutch-based international television production firm Endemol on March 10, 1997. The first version of Big Brother was broadcast in 1999 on Veronica in the Netherlands. Since then the format has become a worldwide TV franchise, airing in many countries in a number of versions.

Although each country has made its own adaptations of the format, the contestants are confined to a specially-designed house where their every action is recorded by cameras and microphones and they are not permitted contact with the outside world. Seen globally multiple franchises of this property are running in various continents and have grabbed eyeballs. Undoubtedly a hit in the US and the UK it  was also seen in Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Pacific, Scandinavia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Philippines and Mexico

In 2006 Bigg Boss was launched on Sony Television and was the first season of the Indian reality TV programme.  It aired on Sony Entertainment Television from 3rd November 2006 to 26th January 2007, for a total of 86 days. From year 2008 till present day the franchise which was taken over by Colors, is making news like never before. Unlike other versions of Big Brother the Indian version uses celebrities as housemates and not members of the general public.

A number of contestants (known as "housemates") live in a purpose-built house and are isolated from the rest of the world. Each week, housemates nominate two of their peers for eviction, and the housemates who receive the most nominations would face a public vote. Of these, one would eventually leave, having been "evicted" from the House.

Bigg Boss has created waves with every season of its telecast. A hot favourite with the classes as well as the masses this reality never fails to entertain. It could be attributed to the fact that the charming host and super star Salman Khan mesmerizes his audiences and most of the participants too are known figures from the entertainment industry.

The success of the show is understandable in English speaking countries but in a place like India with multiple languages and diversity Bigg Boss is running for the 7th consecutive season and continues to be a raging success! This is certainly food for thought.  This franchise has evolved tremendously with  its impressive and intense format over a period of time. John de Mol himself may have not envisaged that his show would scale such heights in this part of the continent!

What’s more Bigg Boss is making news in the regional space as well. Currently in its first season, it is telecast by ETV Bangla and is hosted by Mithun Chakraborty while Bigg Boss Kannada is the south Indian version of the reality TV programme. Though the Marathi version expected to be hosted by Riteish Deshmukh too is on the anvil it is yet to take off.

Audiences belong to different socio-economic strata may it be a housewife, student businessman, academician, banker or a techie but all have one thing in common.  Bigg Boss!

They plan and schedule their day accordingly in order not to miss a single episode. It is catchy and not to be missed under any circumstances.

Citing some examples Ashok Krishnan a techie from Bengaluru says, “This show is the ultimate among all reality shows and I would not miss a single episode and miss out on all the fun.” Housewife Shilpa Verma from Delhi too is enthusiastic about the upcoming season. She says, “ The interaction among the participants really gets to you and it is interesting to see how each one tries to put on their best appearances to avoid being nominated but are  ultimately voted out.”

Though there is not   much entertainment quotient in the show audiences get critically hooked it and are embroiled in the onscreen controversies.

Sociologists too analyze this reality show as  an extremely difficult task for inmates of the house who are forced into close confinement with people outside their comfort zone.  They are  locked up with and have to bear with  different opinions or ideals for days on end . It is certainly a commendable feat where tempers run high , there are eruptions of emotional outbursts but they still continue to live under the same roof till they are voted out of the show.

Brand Bigg Boss has also made it’s appearance in the New York Times which has done a detailed coverage on reality television.  The daily reports, “A fast-growing crop of prime-time reality television shows are attracting large audiences, and generating heated controversy, with unconventional guests and risqué situations. These new reality shows reflect a uniquely Indian form of chaos.”

“Young Indian audiences are so enamored with reality television that they will not watch the soap operas and dramas that their parents or grandparents watch. What appeals to the youth is essentially reality programming,” it adds.

The show has not been spared its share of controversies. Assocham (the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) states that today children sit glued in front of their TV sets and are brainwashed by all sorts of dreadful influences.

A government plan to move “Bigg Boss” to the more adult-oriented hour of 11 p.m. too never saw the light of day. When controversies ignited on screen and sparks flew with vulgar language, the court banned the telecast of Bigg Boss in the early prime time slot and deferred it to a late night time band given the fact that most viewers included all age groups including children. But still the show goes on and will continue to woo audiences in the 9 pm slot.

With a new era of television emerging a surge of reality shows has given India’s growing number of television channels, sensational footage to woo viewers. They also have a technological edge. Nearly 700 million mobile phone subscribers, text in votes on the shows and Bigg Boss too generates a major share of their revenue from texting and mobile phone interaction, which is more than twice of what they do in the rest of the world.

This season there will be 14 participants in Bigg Boss and it is here to entertain audiences  with its highs and lows where participants exhibit camaraderie but on the other hand do not hesitate to  wash their dirty linen in public irrespective of the fact that they are on screen for the world to see. Colors assures viewers that the content that reaches audiences is  an edited version and the channel is firm on keeping this property realistic and one which can be watched by all age groups.

The much awaited new season was launched on the night of 15th September where Salman Khan introduced the inmates amidst a fun filled and glittering event.

Thus all said and done Bigg Boss the brand and franchise is here to stay and will no doubt see  many more successive seasons in the years to come.