Celebrity rule: Stir up controversy and get a place in Big Boss!

Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Mumbai, Aug 4: If you have watched the movie 'Heroine' starring Kareena Kapoor you would know - the best way for a celebrity to revive a sinking career is to create controversy and get splashed about in the media. By the same logic, a TV reality show often rests its success on the degree of controversy of people that appear on it - hence, greater the controversy, greater the TRP.

One need not be a rocket scientist to deduce that lesser celebrities have had their stars shining with reality shows like Bigg Boss and the 'Swayamwar' series that saw nobodies like Rakhi Sawant and Rahul Mahajan gain instant fame. Whether they won more fans or not is a different issue altogether, but the general human tendency being 'love to hate', they managed to get curious viewers hooked on to the idiot box. Our own Shilpa Shetty became an international celebrity thanks to her appearance in the original Big Brother 5 TV show in 2007, where a racial controversy had the entire nation rallying behind her.

Speaking of which, if there is one show on earth that loves controversy kings, queens and even nobodies who have a penchant for controversy, it is Bigg Boss. And now with season 7 set to begin next month, rumour mills are working overtime to get hold of the celebrity list this time.

If reports are to be believed, season 7 is set to become better and hotter even, and frankly, all those who are currently jobless are said to have been roped in. And this time it has reached out to cricketers too - the possible list includes Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh. The glam quotient would probably be added by Poonam Pandey, whose name immediately reminds one of the World Cup when she generously offered to strip for 'nation's sake'. In fact, her journey to fame epitomises the crux of this write-up - creating controversy to be in limelight, and getting controversial people to boost TRPs. Sreesanth on his part has always been an entertainer, both on and off the field, and now with IPL spot-fixing scandal keeping him out of the players' dressing room, Bigg Boss would be more than glad to give him space in one of its bedrooms. And yes, the buzzword is 'scandal'.

It gets better. Actress Jiah Khan's suicide created a sensation like nothing else, and now Bigg Boss production house is looking to cash in on it. Jiah's mother Rabiya Khan or boyfriend Suraj Pancholi and his dad Aditya Pancholi are said to be on the list too.

One would think Poonam Pandey would be enough to raise temperature, but with sizzling Sherlyn Chopra also on the list of possibles, the Bigg House would virtually be on fire this time!

There's also going to be Punjabi tadka, with veteran actor Dharmendra expected to be roped in. His presence will probably prove to be a catalyst in the Bigg Boss house. There are also chances that Manisha Koirala, who recently underwent cancer treatment, would also be included.

Television actors, who have been a regular in the Bigg Boss house, will also be seen this time. In fact, speculations are rife that queen of saas-bahu sagas Ekta Kapoor and choreographer Farah Khan's Mangalorean hubby Shirish Kunder are also being considered.

Coming back to the point, how does one percieve such reality shows that bank on controversies for TRP? Do celebrities see it as an opportunity to boost their own popularity, or is it the money that lures them? Or is it simply a means to be in the limelight when the going gets tough on the career chart? It perhaps is a combination of all three. In fact, another possible contestant, Ameesha Patel (whose brother Ashmit had earned instant publicity on Bigg Boss after his link-up with Pakistani hottie Veena Malik), is expected to be the wild card entry, and reports claimed that she has even 'agreed' to 'create' a controversy for a whopping Rs 75 lac for just a week. One is tempted to ask, is it really a 'reality' show?

Another point to ponder, if controversy is the order of the day, what kind of values is Indian television setting for the younger generation? Backbiting, fights and silly scandals are the main ingredients of a show like Bigg Boss, but where TRP is concerned, who cares? In a nation where people go through a daily grind to make a decent living for themselves, a reality show that has celebrtities fighting it out over silly matters probably provides a release from one's own problems.

Be what it may, there is no doubt that things are about to heat up in the Bigg Boss house, as a nation watches on ready to feast on anything even slightly controversial.