Its been extremely clear since day one that this year, BB is deliberately trying to appear biased. It creates controversy, fuels far wars, and eventually is good for all contestants in the long-run. Tonight's episode was absolute heights. The way BB manoeuvred for Rubina and Abhinav to go into the pinjras is absolutely beyond any logical explanation besides the desperate attempt to start a meta-storyline where viewers begin talking about how biased BB is. But there are three major problems with this that they need to fix first:
1. SidSim was a real friendship in which both members and the entire fanbase was invested in. It took weeks to solidify. This time in season 13, those two were still close friends! How can BB expect rivalries to spark without there being enough time to create friendships first. Ek toh they wasted everybody's time with the seniors nonsense. Then, now they are actively discouraging every contestant who isn't Eijaz, Nikki, Pavitra (unless she goes against Eijaz) and Rahul (unless he brings up nepotism lol). The biased narrative worked because the rivalry was/felt real. Even till date, both Asim and Shukla try to avoid taking each others' names in interviews and social media even though they both talk about BB openly. That rivalry was great because it was real and it fueled the biased narrative, not the other way around.
2. Sidharth Shukla 2.0 sucks
Those active here last year might remember how firmly I was against Shukla as a contestant. I found him rude, brash, misogynistic, homophobic, lazy, egotistical, violent - and just basically an overgrown manchild whose mother unfortunately never raised him out of the spoiled kid phase. But no matter what at least he was entertaining. He was funny, charming when he needed to be, and actually seemed to believe, and thus rise to his own hype. Meanwhile, Eijaz is a terrible hero figure because, by all accounts, he has Shukla's negatives without having any of his positives. Eijaz is just boring. They can push and nudge him towards a love angle, or even manipulate the narrative to victimize him however much they want - he just isn't an interesting guy. Pakao hai. And him walking around like he owns the place without having anyone take him seriously is just a sad sight for everyone to see.
(finally, and most crucially)
3. Asim Riaz 2.0 doesn't exist
Remember - season 13 was planned to be a Shukla vs Rashmi season. No matter how you feel about Rashmi (and I personally like her alot) but it is true that she was a colossal disappointment in the BB house. Her game was off, she constantly needed support, and she would disappear from the limelight for days on end. Didn't help that BB discouraged her. But, BB lucked out because they happened to randomly cast a guy the day of the premier who would bring the entire show to life - Asim Riaz. Asim was truly masterful in playing the game - he played the victim card exactly when and how he should have ("normal pants.. normal shirt..." 😆), he showed his aggression towards the makers on the biasedness ("chai shai pilao") and kept his entire fanbase glued with his sharp instinct of which battle to fight and which to lose. Even though he was constantly ridiculed by Salman, he never lost his cool completely with him and was so quick to apologize that even Salman became endeared with him by the end. He smartly handled biased situations with the knowledge that presenting the bias can work in his own favor, which it did. He was even smart enough to totally avoid Shefali J, who was so desperately trying to start a rivalry with him for weeks, just so that the main narrative of the show stays as Sid vs Asim, since he had already sensed that Sid was being supported.
Without a player like Asim, season 14 is doomed. They will keep chadaoing their cheap knock-off Shukla (who himself is a cheap knock-off Salman, who is the messiah of the overgrown manchild syndrome 🤣), and it will mean nothing.
They just need to stop trying to turn BB14 into BB13 and just let the cards fall wherever they may. There is some real potential in the show. Nikki, Rahul, Rubina, are all great contestants but the Eijaz spotlight is bound to discourage them sooner or later. Even Abhinav has been showing so much fire lately, and now he's been caged for no reason. Don't know wtf this (un)creative team is trying to do this time.
Jodha Akbar
Anupamaa
