A 🤙🏻 Sid 💫 (TheBiggBossGirl)
Twitter: @TheBiggBossGirl
Anushka Bidani: How did you get into Bigg Boss? What has kept you hooked still?
TheBiggBossGirl: I started watching Bigg Boss from season 4, I was a kid back then. But I loved this concept of putting some 14-15 strangers in a house and then giving them tasks to survive everyday, watching them form bonds, friendship or more than that, seeing new personalities every season, how they react to situations etc. That concept has kept me hooked ever since.
AB: You have watched a lot of seasons. What’s so special about BB13 and Sidharth Shukla?
TheBiggBossGirl: I personally got hooked to Bigg Boss fully due to season 7, which Gauahar [Khan] won. It was the first time I was watching 24*7 and I loved watching Gauahar and Kushal [Tandon], their love story and the woman that Gauahar is. That season was a crazy hit, she won against all biases and that was the first time a couple hashtag trended worldwide. I never thought another season will be able to replicate the same, before 13 happened. The speciality of the season was that everyone was real, the bonds were real, the rivalry too was real, there were no masked personalities. The fact that two underdogs (Sana i.e., Shehnaaz Gill and Asim Riaz) beat the biggest faces on TV industry to reach 2nd and 3rd says a lot.
What’s special about Sidharth Shukla – the fact that he looked like a winner since day one? Everyone was just competing with him or against him. The fact that he could have had the biggest, most horrific allegations against himself; but he chose to stand his ground and not let them get to him, not once but several times. Every facet of his personality came out in the show – the good, the bad, the ugly. He pulled in the general audience to Bigg Boss. Suddenly, everyone was watching BB and everyone was supporting Sid. So that’s the power and impact he had. All this, despite battling typhoid. Truly, there has been no one like him.
AB: Do you think BB13’s iconicity has contributed to future season templates?
TheBiggBossGirl: I think BB13 did set the bar high; and they [the showmakers] try to search for a Sid or a Sana or an Asim every single season and that’s why force a lot of “angles” too. But it’s not possible. And they should let people be. The outside indulgence and unnecessary gyaan from BB spoils the journey for the contestants and doesn’t let them live their fullest. So while in WKV [Weekend Ka Vaar], they can say where people are going wrong, they should not be biased or make it one-sided or act according to the TRP. That spoils the season.
AB: Do you try to watch the show objectively or enjoy viewing it through your favourite’s perspective?
TheBiggBossGirl: I start the season objectively, of course. Unless there are evident pre-season favourites, who you already know from before. Sometimes even that doesn’t help, because you expect them to behave in some way and they come out [behave] in some other way. So watching objectively is best. But then, as season progresses, you end up liking someone’s antics, attitude and start relating to them more. And it’s always fun to watch a season rooting for someone.
AB: Do you stick to episodes to shape your POV or indulge in the live feed, too?
TheBiggBossGirl: Mostly stick to episodes, but if the season is really good, then catch the LF too.
AB: Who were you supporting last season?
TheBiggBossGirl: I was not supporting anyone outrightly, to be honest. But I was inclined towards how raw, loyal and real Abhishek [Bajaj] was behaving.
AB: You have gained a large following as @TheBiggBossGirl. What made you create this account?
TheBiggBossGirl: I actually started this account for Bigg Boss Tamil, where a group was getting bullied inside the house. To support that gang, I started it. I used to mindlessly tweet something in support of them, make VMs (that increased the followers). Honestly, I was happy with 20 followers too, because then I could tweet what I wanted to without being judged too much. With BB13 and 14, the followers kept increasing (mostly due to Sid and how popular the season was, as a whole).
AB: I love your fan edits! How did you learn editing?
TheBiggBossGirl: Learnt it on my own, just experimenting with editing and VM making through different apps.
AB: Are you conscious of your position as an opinion leader in the BB fandom?
TheBiggBossGirl: Very. Like I said, when you are a small account, you don’t really have a problem sharing your opinions. I don’t think I am a leader or something. I am just a viewer too, like any other person. But the following does make it look like I have the power to influence some people though I feel people should have minds of their own instead of following a herd mentality or any big account. And my tweets are generally filtered a lot. It’s in the GCs [group chats] or DMs where I am fully myself, no filtered thoughts, though there also we have very respectful conversations only. But while writing on TL [timeline], I am very careful not to demean, name-call or disrespect anyone. And keep it maximum to the ‘game’ and only that.
AB: Do you believe social media discourses affect Bigg Boss makers’ plans and finalists?
TheBiggBossGirl: Social media has a lot of power to affect makers’ plans. We saw that in season seven. But, with the increase in PR and negative narratives, we don’t know who to believe and who not to. Plus there are MGs [minimum guarantees] too; which the channel has to think about and keep pushing them [those players]. It’s safe to say the Bigg Boss team doesn’t just look into content and votes now. But it also depends on the PR, the money involved apart from the social media point-of-views.
AB: Do you watch any other reality shows?
TheBiggBossGirl: No, it’s mostly Bigg Boss across languages. I wanted to watch Rise and Fall, but due to the World Cup on simultaneously, I did not get the time. I shall watch it soon though.
AB: Would your life be any different if you hadn’t gotten into watching BB and became a part of its fandom? Any relationships that have carried over from fandom life into real life?
TheBiggBossGirl: Yeah, it would have been very different because the thrill of rooting for your favourites, having a fan account on X, meeting new people from other states, sometimes countries, would not have been possible. And I have a lot of stan friendships that have translated into real life. I have met a couple of them as well. And we are still in touch.
This interview by Anushka Bidani is part of the series, The Fan Page Project.