MUMBAI: Uber popular reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’, hosted by the ‘Dabangg’ Salman Khan, has landed in a hot soup.
The channel, which went on air on 15 September, has been issued a show cause notice by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry. The notice was issued because the ministry felt that some of the content on the show was unsuitable for “unrestricted public exhibition.”
Reportedly, complaints were received by the ministry, against the widespread TV show, where celebrities are locked up in a house for several months at end. After receiving such complaints, the ministry studied two episodes to examine the alleged objectionable content.
A ministry official revealed: “There had been concern about the language used by some contestants in a conversation that was aired on the reality show Bigg Boss 7. In one of the episodes of the show, a contestant is shown sitting on an electric chair and being given electric shocks.”
‘Bigg Boss’ is a show created by Endemol, and adapted from the original international format called ‘Big Brother’. This season, the theme is ‘Heaven and Hell’.
“It was felt that the content exhibited was not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition and prima facie it is violative of the programming code under the Cable TV Act so the ministry has issued a show cause notice and asked the channel to explain,” the source added.
COLORS TO RESPOND:
In this connection, officials of the channel said they would “in prescribed time” submit a response to a show cause notice from the ministry of information and broadcasting on the content of its reality show Bigg Boss – Saath 7.
The channel issued a statement saying: “Today, we have received a show cause notice on ‘Bigg Boss’ from the ministry of information & broadcasting (I&B), and we shall submit our response to the same within time limit prescribed by the ministry.”
“As a responsible broadcaster, we are mindful of our audiences’ sentiments and respect the guidelines set by the I&B Ministry and BCCC (Broadcasting Content Complaints Council). Last year, the format of ‘Bigg Boss’ was changed to make it more ‘parivarik’ (suitable for family viewing) such that it is completely suitable for viewing across ages 7 years to 70 years. The casting of the show has also been done accordingly this year as well. And our efforts of making ‘Bigg Boss’ ‘parivarik’ has been applauded by all stakeholders in the broadcast industry.”
BOC OPINION:
Though the previous seasons have faced severe flak for being unsuitable for family viewing (recall characters like Dolly Bindra, Raja Choudhary, Imam Siddiqui etc who spouted abuses at the drop of a hat), so far, this season looks relatively cleaner.
In the name of TRPs, the show has always courted controversy, in an attempt to grab eyeballs or otherwise. This season, contestants have already displayed their temperamental sides, with two contestants coming near to blows last week.
On the romance side, this season, as we had previously reported (SEE STORY HERE), has seen two diverse “couples” take centre stage with their cringe-worthy PDA antics. On Sunday night’s episode, host Salman Khan even warned Armaan Kohli and Tanisha that there are 84+ cameras within the house, and they should be more careful, thereby hinting that some sort of objectionable business has been underway, which has not been telecast in all likelihood.
It remains to be seen whether the channel will start strictly editing out such content, as a direct consequence of the show cause notice.
