Bigg Boss Saath 7 - A cold beginning!

Bigg Boss Saath 7

Time - Every day on Colors from 9 pm to 10 pm.

The much awaited show - Bigg Boss Saath 7 started last night with host Salman Khan introducing the Bigg Boss house inmates for this year. With the theme of Heaven and Hell being followed in the house, the interiors of the house too have been made on the same lines. As part of promoting his upcoming film Boss, actor Akshay Kumar made an appearance and even did a small song and dance number on the show. 

The viewers were eager to know the final 15 contestants which this time were unofficially announced earlier. Introduced by host Salman Khan this was the final list. 

VJ Andy: This VJ - anchor - actor is being touted as the replacement for Imam Siddique who was quite a controversial participant in Bigg Boss Season 6. His demeanor and acts are just like Imam and he also seems to have hit a wrong note with host Salman Khan during his introduction itself. And yes as per the latest news, Andy is already displaying his Kathak dancing skills just like Imam did when he was in the house last year. 

Andy and Tanishaa were the first to enter the house of Heaven and then made the Jallad Jodi' who would decide the fate of the rest of the participants who would enter. 

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So the next Jodi to enter were Ratan Rajput & Gauhar Khan. Ratan who still maintains a huge gaon ki ladki hangover from her earlier show Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya No Kijo, was blabbering away in the dehati zubaan and was sent to Hell as per Tanishaa's reasoning that since we don't know you well enough'. With her small dimunitive figure with prominent age marks on her neck Ratan even after her show Ratan ka Swayamvar couldn't find a dulha, was all out trying to woo Salman who in turn wanted to take Gauhar home. Gauhar Khan who is not new to reality shows on TV and is also a popular face in films was welcomed to Heaven. 

As has become regular in Bigg Boss, there is a husband and wife Jodi this year too. Shilpa Saklani and Apurva Agnihotri, are the much in love couple who prefer to remain saath saath. They were even saath saath when they were caught in a recent rave party raid which they both denied at that time. They were the next to be welcomed but they were split and made to go into two different houses. The Jallad Jodi decided to keep Shilpa in Heaven and Apurva in Hell. Shilpa the ever loving wife was seen crying wanting to go to Hell instead of Apuji (as she calls him) and was also seen showering him with love.  Let's see what happens to all this love when they end up staying inside the house for long!

The entry of Hazel Keech, the British actress who is fluent in Hindi is thanks to Salman Khan with whom she has worked in films earlier. The firang looked nervous while her partner Kamya Punjabi known for her vile tongue and vampish roles looked confident of making everyone's life hell! The Jallad Jodi had to select a key for both and as was their fate the two ended in Hell.

An obese Rajat Rawail who is producer Rahul Rawail's son and TV star Kushal Tandon were the next to enter. Rajat who is famous film producer Rahul Rawail's son is apparently a very close friend of Salman Khan. Rajat has also produced the Salman Khan starrer Ready and has worked with Salman in Bodyguard and has thus gained entry into the show while Kushal Tandon who's show Ek Hazaron Mein Meri Behna Hai just went off air were the next to gain entry to the house. Due to Rajat's obvious discomfort in Hell and also since Kushal not being too keen on sharing beds, the Jallad Jodi decided to send Rajat to Heaven and Kushal to Hell. 

Next up on the list were Elie Evram and wrestler Sangram Singh. Elie an actress has a movie Mickey Virus with Manish Paul coming up for release in October. Sangram Singh, the body builder is also in a live-in relationship with ex Bigg Boss contestant Payal Rohatgi who sure must have given him tips for survival. Listening to Sangram's conquest the Jallad Jodi decided to keep him in Heaven and sent the Swedish beauty to Hell.

Armaan Kohli, son of producer-director Rajkumar Kohli has a string of unsuccessful films to his credit and this is his first entry in Television. He entered with the much loved bahu of Television Pratyusha Banerjee. Pratyusha who was seen as Anandi in Balika Vadhu had quit the show and was recently in news for filing a physical assault complaint against her boyfriend! This time the Jallad Jodi were asked to choose Heaven or Hell which is where they too would have to go so obviously being selfish the Jallad Jodi send the duo to Hell!

Last to enter was Anita Advani who was in news after superstar Rajesh Khanna's death. She had claimed to be in a live-in relation with him while the rest of the family denied the claim and supposedly threw her out of the house after which she has been fighting a battle in court over her rights. Looking dignified the elderly lady was given a place in Heaven by the Jallad Jodi. 

What works  - As of now, nothing! Only the entry of Kapil Sharma, Ali Asgar and Upasana Singh from Comedy Nights with Kapil was hilarious and kept us in splits. 

What doesn't work - Starting with the stage setting which showed everyone's entry was depressingly small. Salman Khan too looked very tired and dis-interested in the entire proceedings. And why does the show have to take help of toilet humor? First it was Ratan Rajput shown in a desperate situation in the Hell side of the house wherein she wants to go to the loo but finding no water or tissue there is prancing around announcing it to her fellow participant Gauhar Khan and then the entire world! Later on stage, Salman was seen prodding friend turned Bigg Boss participant Rajat Rawail about how he would adjust in the Indian toilet system if ever he has to stay in the Hell part of the house and Rajat going on to explain in detail his ideas and plans of making things easy for himself! This kind of toilet humor at the launch of the show was most unwelcome!

Both the houses - Heaven and Hell, were disappointing and as compared to earlier years when they looked grand these looked very small. The Heaven part of the house has all the amenities and looks attractive it is multi - coloured with a dominance of pink, the small pond passing off as a swimming pool, the walls which had sections painted with books, bottles, etc was unappealing. Even the Hell part of the house could have been worked on with a better vision. It is more like a jail in a village setting what with the barbed wires which divide both the houses and the inmates who are in the Hell section standing at the partition!

The warden's voice is not as effective as the booming voice of Bigg Boss which everyone has got used to. Coming to the inmates where is the glamour? Or maybe they have entered the house for that purpose itself so that by the time they leave the house they will be glamorous and well known! The participants too are very boring and hardly have a glam quotient. 

Our take - This time the show will really have to spice it up. The participants as well as the show will take time to warm up and it also depends on host Salman Khan to take things a notch higher. As seen in earlier seasons there has been a marked increase in the promotions of Hindi films in the Bigg Boss house which is something that they seem to be depending on this year too.

Seema Khot Mattoo

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