The petty games at Big Boss

“Oh no, we don’t watch Big Bosssss…you must be craazzyyy.”

Nope. I watch it as much as I like watching hypocritical socialites who pretend to watch classics on HBO. It fits into my time schedule and I like people watching.

This season of the reality show has been tepid. The person who was made to stand out was Rahul Mahajan. I say made to because on his own he would have been a dud. He was handed the best roles on a platter. And as Krishna he got a readymade Radha and Meera. Turns out that the three are really good at ras leela.

One of the women, Monica Bedi, was known as gangster Abu Salem’s moll and was in prison after she was extradited from Portugal to India.

Rahul was caught in a drug spree, where his father’s secretary died under mysterious circumstances, soon after the senior’s death, and was arrested. He got away, at least technically, and arranged a quick marriage in a ‘simple’ manner. Soon enough his wife came up with bruises. They are now divorced and good friends. All staged. I don’t care about his iffy sexuality; that these social birds on the make are ready to offer him cover is their and his problem.

What I object to is these people using a show to clear their names. And worst of all, a gullible public will accept their television image. Monica was smart. For the first half she played the nice homely lass; after her eviction and re-entry as a wild card, she had transformed into a glamorous (as glamorous as she could manage) woman. You need to be dumb not to realise which one was real. Neither. She is just a smart cookie who wants to get back into films; now her old lover (he says they had got married) is not there to help her like he did earlier. She gave a sob story – which may be partially true – about people not renting out a place to her. That is what happens to many such young women in the city even if they don’t have a gangster background.

Rahul was quite another smartie. He too wanted to clear his name, but could not get rid of the verbal slurring and manic laughter that is associated with certain habits. He was charming, he was friendly, he did a bit of everything…making sure that at least once every while someone mentioned that he was a youth leader.

On Saturday, there were not adequate provisions in the house for food, so the four men, finalists, decided to climb the wall and to the other side. Everyone else expressed guilt; not Rahul. He said this was not cowardice but rebellion. Heck, one of his chamchas left behind even said he was a Bhagat Singh!

He broke a rule. The channel and the company should have thrown him out. He was given the option to leave voluntarily. Not only that, he was interviewed specially for the show.

He is in today’s papers. And he has the audacity to state: “In any case, what I would have won would have gone to charity. In this case, I consider my eviction a charitable act on my part so that my friends may win the cash they so badly need. Charity should start at home; Bigg Boss’s house is home.” Patronising bully.

He has emphasised that he does not need the money. Yes. He does not. His father, who was killed by his own brother, had made more than enough. The father’s legacy lives on in other ways. We attack only one dynasty. What about the others? Although he does not have a good track record, the BJP immediately took him under its wing; now his sister is contesting the elections from South Mumbai; her claim to fame besides her lineage is that she has made herself visible at all Page 3 covered parties. He says he will be his sister’s mascot.

And you know what? It may work. Their target electorate are the socialites who they hobnob with. I can see them rooting for the “cutie” who talks about karma, so much like they do at their Art of Living sessions.

Yeah, go ahead and hold your nose, baby. Pranayama is so good to avoid your own stink.