Weekends are not going to be same with Salman Khan,who's back with 'Bigg Boss 7' on your tube. Getting candid with Screen,Salman Khan unspools about the show,the names he recommended for it and why he feels kids should not watch it. Ques The promos of 'Bigg Boss 7' focuses on the heaven and hell concept. Can you please elaborate on it? Salman Khan: The concept of jannat (heaven) and jhannum (hell) is just a publicity gimmick to promote the show. Every year there has to be something new,so these are just tactics to make it look new and different. The concept is very simple you will see the angelic and the demonic traits that reside in the hearts of the celebrity contestants in the house. Photos: Salman Khan unveils 'Bigg Boss 7' Ques: What keeps you coming back to 'Bigg Boss'? Salman Khan: I love the fact that I just have to dedicate one day in a week for the shoot. Its good fun. As the host of the show,it feels good to meet the house inmates,who are eager to see someone whos not a part of the house. They look so happy that it feels great to interact with them. Ques: In the last season,'Bigg Boss' was touted as a complete family entertainer. Who are your target audience this year? Salman Khan: (Laughs) We keep saying that so that families believe that Bigg Boss is a family show. Ques: So,you dont believe it to be a family show? Salman Khan: I dont know. Sometimes it goes overboard,and that is exactly when the Colors team love it (grins). Ques: Do you personally follow Bigg Boss? Salman Khan: I watch the show because I am a part of it. I try and watch it every night,or else before I go on stage to shoot for my weekend episodes. In fact I watch each episode two or three times only to be well-versed with the happenings inside the house. Watching Bigg Boss is interesting as you get to learn a lot. I analyse each contestants behaviour in different situations. Watching them makes me think ki agar meri life mein aisa hota,toh how would I react. I feel not only me,even the audience get influenced negatively or positively by watching the show. That is because ghar ke andar jo hota hai happens in everybodys house. Ques: You said Colors enjoy when contestants go overboard,what about you? Salman Khan: I dont like it at all. I just feel that there is always somebody younger and somebody older who is watching the show. So,if I am a parent,I would not want my kids to watch such obnoxious stuff on TV. I understand when contestants get into genuine fights inside the house,but dont appreciate it when they fight only to create noise and get publicity. Ques: Are the participants picked on the basis of how notorious they are in real life as that gets publicity for the show? Salman Khan: I dont think you can judge them like that. Sometimes they (research team) feel that a particular person will give the channel huge amount of content,but when he/she is sent inside the house,they turn out to be saints. And sometimes unexpected people end up giving a lot of content. Ques: Do you personally recommend contestants to the Colors team? Salman Khan: I do recommend names to the research team as I am a part of it as well. So I put in 50-60 names as I have a lot of loser type friends (laughing). Ques: Who are these contestants that you suggested in the past? Salman Khan: I cant give you the names,but some of them have already won the show (laughs). Frankly,the research team includes doctors,psychiatrists and other such professionals who interview prospective participants to see if they are fit to go inside the house. They do the background checks and figure if they'll be able to survive in the house for three months. Participants are also picked on the basis of obvious reasons. Like Sana Khan,who got noticed for doing the Yeh toh bada toing hai ad. She is a sweet girl. Besides,whats wrong in doing an underwear ad? There was Mahek Chahal,who I didn't even know was approached for the show. I am sure the reason they chose her was because of rumours that linked us together. I recommended Niketan Madhok's name. I had mentioned his name for some other season of the show. He was very happy to go inside the house. I told him,"Dude,you are going to face hell in there." And he said,"No,its okay,I just needed a place to stay! I have worked with Dolly Bindra before. When Colors asked me to talk to her for the show,I told them that she would not like to be a part of it. On the contrary,when they called her up,she said a yes to them! Ques: What do you have to say about contestants like Imam Siddiqui,who rebel and take off on you during your interaction with the house inmates? Salman Khan: When I encounter something like this,at times I feel like giving it back then and sometimes,I just let it go. Either way,you feel bad for reacting or not reacting to their comments. Talking about Imam,he didnt have any work before and today (after the show) he is doing a lot of work. There is something about him that got him into the Bigg Boss house and made the audience take to him instantly. I know him since we were in college. He has always been a talented person,but never got his due. If he would have got his due,perhaps he would not have behaved the way he does now. Ques: Apart from you,does anyone from your family watches Bigg Boss? Salman Khan: My entire family watches Bigg Boss,especially the Friday-Saturday episode. The whole neighbourhood and Bandstand watches Bigg Boss (laughs). Ques: Would you like to do a show like Satyamev Jayate? Salman Khan: The day Aamir Khan decides not to do the show anymore,I'll take over. Amitabh Bachchan is doing Kaun Banega Crorepati,the day he feels ki mujhse ab yeh nahi hota,toh main woh bhi show kar loonga. onkar.kulkarni@expressindia.com
