What did you require in order to formulate a hit film in the India of 1990s? First ingredient – the protagonist, a hero that rises like a phoenix from the ashes and claims the throne/girl/property/justice.
Second ingredient – the antagonist, an anti-hero who might win at the start because he’s bestowed with powers. But then the hero topples him over and establishes him as the villain.
Third ingredient would be a lip-smacking romance – pun not intended. The girl is demure, the guy wears his heart on the sleeves and we get a slow-burn romance.
And then there were some filler characters, who took the story forward.
Now, take this entire narrative (yes, I am inspired by Bigg Boss) and paste it on the reality TV framework. And that’s how you get the 18th season of Bigg Boss.
BB18 is drawing to a close, with the season finale scheduled for Sunday night. There are six people in contention for the trophy – Avinash Mishra, Chum Darang, Eisha Singh, Karan Veer Mehra, Rajat Dalal and Vivian Dsena (in alphabetical order).
It’s not the perfect line up for a Bigg Boss season finale, but we’ll keep that for later.
The social media narrative (there I go again) says it’s the battle between cult fan following and individual contributors. Elvish Yadav and Munawar Faruqui have appealed for votes for Rajat Dalal and Vivian Dsena respectively, leaving the fans of other four finalists scrambling for votes.
But if it were a perfect Bigg Boss season, with no cults involved, and the votes were to be cast purely on the basis of contribution to the show, who do you think the top three would be?
The hero, the anti-hero and the romance, I say.
THE HERO
Karan Veer Mehra, jo pehle konon mein rehta thha… phir har koney uski baat honey lagi… He is the undisputed hero of the show — the man who literally carried the entire season on his back.
Like the 90s hero, Karan rose like a phoenix and brought the whole house down.
Karan showed the world how it’s done — by being real, raw and honest. He laughed, he cried, he joked around, he fell in love, he proved his loyalty, he danced, he stood up for himself, he showed spine, and he fought for his friends… He led a whole life inside the BB18 house. There’s a reason people call this – the Karan Veer Mehra Show! He has been the heart and the mind of the season.
Bigg Boss 18 uska ghar hai, aur woh uss ghar ka Karan Veer Mehra.
THE ANTI-HERO
Avinash Mishra also had an entire hyperbolic journey inside the show. After Karan, he’s the only contestant who tried to use his personality as a tool to move ahead in the show, and not any ‘samikaran‘ or his stardom.
He sometimes aped a character from previous seasons, tried to manipulate circumstances for his own benefit and was outrightly rude. But it was this outlandish demeanour of his that brought the much-needed spice to an otherwise dull season of Bigg Boss.
He loved the limelight, and tried to steal at any moment when he could. He succeeded at times, but miserably failed at others.
Avinash’s arc went from being the villain to the hero to the anti-hero pretty fast in the fast-paced dynamics of the house. But it’s this superlative chaos that brought drama and action to the mundane activities of the house.
Love him, hate him or ignore him… you have to admit, BB18 would have been lifeless without Avinash. Top two for sure.
THE ROMANCE
Bigg Boss 18 tried to sell two couples to the audience, because let’s admit we love ‘love’ blossoming on national television.
While Avinash Mishra and Eisha Singh’s bond seemed more like two friends who are stuck in a situationship, Karan Veer Mehra’s natural chemistry with Chum Darang served as ’50 shades of grey’ areas between love and friendship.
The slow-burn romance had the audience melting into a pool of mush and rooting for them. Their almost-confession towards the end of the season is a proof of their genuine feelings for each other.
The impact of this filmy romance has been huge, especially on social media where Chumveer reels are stirring up a storm. It wouldn’t hence be an understatement to call the love story a whole character in itself – the soul of the season.
It remains, however, to be seen which character wins the season. Or rather which belief takes centre-stage on the finale – cult fan following or a reward for a contestant’s contribution to the show…
It’s the battle between popularity and personality!
What do you think of our top three – Karan, Avinash and Chumveer? Who do you think will win Bigg Boss 18?
(Disclaimer: The author is solely responsible for the opinion expressed in the article. The company does not hold any accountability of any lapse in judgement thereof.)
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