Tamil reality show Bigg Boss refuses to leave the headlines. According to a report in The Deccan Chronicle, a public interest litigation filed at the Madras High Court seeks to stop the telecast of the reality show hosted by actor Kamal Haasan. Filed by Saravanan, the PIL says that the reality show has been hurting the sentiments of the downtrodden and has portrayed female participants in a vulgar and obscene manner.
The newspaper has quoted Saravanan’s objections to the show: “The dress code and behaviour of female contestants are very obscene and it makes my family members and myself uncomfortable to watch it. The show plays with mental emotions of 15 contestants and it must be restricted as soon as possible.”
This is not the first demand for a ban on the show. The right-wing group Hindu Makkal Katchi had filed a complaint against Haasan for hosting the show. The complaint also demanded that the show be banned since it “hurts Tamil culture”.
The show has proven immensely popular, mainly because of one of its contestants Oviya. In July, #SaveOviya began trending on Twitter after the 26-year-old model was on the verge of elimination for three consecutive weeks. Oviya, however, stayed because of audience votes, and has become an internet sensation of sorts with an Oviya Army of her own, t-shirts, memes, songs and fan forums dedicated to her.
This week, Oviya faces elimination yet again, and the internet seems to be up in arms to protect her yet again.
A report in The Indian Express said that after getting upset over another contestant’s behaviour towards her, “Oviya jumped into the swimming pool at the living quarters and dipped her face in the water with her nose closed on Friday’s episode”. The latest from the rumour mill is that the much-loved contestant wants to leave the show.
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