The Politics of Gender

ki jad yehi hai (this is the root of all problems)”.

The show,which has formerly made celebrities out of Rakhi Sawant,Rahul Mahajan,Veena Malik and Dolly Bindra is,this time,banking on curiosity. Bigg Boss has always thrived on inmates with a controversial pasts: for instance,politician Sanjay Nirupam,actor Ashmit Patel,famous for his MMS scandal,Bhojpuri actor Raja Chaudhury,who allegedly beat up his wife Shweta Tiwari,and Abbas Kazmi,Ajmal Kasab’s lawyer. But looks like the crazy bunch just got crazier this time with every contestant having an interesting back story. It is a deliberate strategy,as an insider from the channel reveals,“We were toying with the change in format and the idea of getting just one man and 13 women was unanimously liked by our team.”

Shakti Kapoor,whose career hit rock bottom after the notorious sting operation,has resorted to this reality show,probably to gain some public empathy. But looks like it’s in vain as even hosts Dutt and Khan refused to welcome him. Khan and Dutt,who led the other contestants towards the house,weren’t even present on stage when Kapoor made his way in.

Kapoor’s entry was followed by that of Pooja Bedi,a TV host and socialite,and Shonali Nagrani,a model and cricket host. They were followed by a little dynamite,Nihita Biswas,the wife of Bikini killer Charles Sobhraj. Nihita’s inclusion is a smart move but does not come as a surprise,as Monica Bedi,underworld don Abu Salem’s close aide,was also included on the show’s second season.

Mandeep Bevli,a news anchor,brought in loads of attitude as she walked in with her suitcase. As soon as she entered,she asked Nihita if her hair was real or if it was just extensions. Looks like she has come with a fair amount of homework to be done in the house. The participants also include Afghan model,Vida Samadzai,who was banned for wearing a bikini in her country,Shraddha Sharma,the ex-girlfriend of Raja Choudhary,Abhishek Awasthi (item girl Rakhi Sawant’s ex-boyfriend) and pop singer Raageshwari Loomba,who has bounced back after she suffered from facial paralysis for a while,item girl and model Mahek Chahal,VJ-model Pooja Mishra and television actor Juhi Parmar or,as Shakti Kapoor termed her as “Juhi par line mar”. With the inclusion of so many models in the house,the show will heavily rely on skin show and,of course,tantrums.

Actor and entrepreneur Poonam Dhillon,a runner-up on season three of Bigg Boss wasn’t quite happy with this all women’s team. “It will be a bit boring because it looks like they are only concentrating on nasty fights. A mix of male and female contestants is more fun to watch.” The surprise entries of the show,however,were the six-month pregnant wrestler Sonika Kaliraman,and Gulabo Sapera,a lesser-known celebrity but a well-known Kalbelia dancer from Rajasthan. But the highlight of the show is transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi whose entry into the house was characterised by a pout and a catwalk. She also proclaimed her fascination for Dutt when she said,“In my younger days,I kept dancing to Choli Ke Peeche,but there was no Khalnayak to impress.” There is indeed a filmi Khalnayak right inside the house called Shakti Kapoor.