As we all know, there is a wave of negativity towards Salman and Bollywood in general causing sourness towards Bigg Boss, pertaining to the ongoing nepotism/bullying/drug-culture issues surrounding the film industry that cracked open after SSR's tragic death. The sentiment is not as strong as it was a few months ago, but there are lobbies continuing the conversation.
Please note that I am not taking any sides here on that matter.
This topic is purely about the dynamics of narrative-building, which can be leveraged to boost audience engagement to the show. Its just an objective point of view.
The positioning is already perfect. Just the spark was needed. Rahul Vaidya was very famously involved in Idol's most hyped and buzzed season before the social media era. In fact, even then, public opinion was divided and there was a wave of people who felt it was unfair that he was not in the final 2. On the other side, we have Jaan. A guy who seems pretty harmless and is kind of a one-sided bechara Majnu type character (as per the current BB narrative) who is also generally pretty well liked in the show by other contestants. He has done nothing of note in his career so far. No notable original music, no huge pre-BB online following, no albums/music videos, no name recognition, in fact - he was even introduced and promoted by his father's name on the show. He has been positioned well since the beginning. He got a one-on-one interaction live with Sid Shukla during the pre-premier press meet that BB hosted with Salman. Plus, thanks to the Nikki connection - he has been featured pretty well on the show so far. Whether its Salman or even Radhe ma (lol!) - they all acknowledge Jaan because of how well loved his father's legacy is!
Now was the perfect time to drop the nepotism-bomb.
Now its in the hands of the makers. If they are smart, they should NOT take a conclusive side on this matter BUT they should add ghee on both sides. They should also NOT take this lightly and make it the subject of jokes via Salman. This is a serious topic and Salman should treat it accordingly.
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Scenario one:
Makers take Jaan's side and Salman bashes Rahul. Might boost TRP temporarily but overall will hurt the brand of the show given the current public climate. Plus, lets face it, if Salman is even half as smart as a star as big as him should be, then he should have hired lawyers and PR who will actively discourage this. Now is not the time to appear pro-nepotism, even if you are.
Scenario two:
Makers take Rahul's side and Salman bashes Jaan. Again, short term TRP boost but the issue will be immediately resolved because of Salman's intervention and the gharwalas will also take the cue and act accordingly. By a week or two, things will move on to the next mudda.
Scenario three:
Makers/Salman totally ignore this issue. Makes PR sense to avoid the trap but show toh akhir controversy se hi chalti hai na. It will be a big TRP missed opportunity.
Scenario four:
Don't take a clear side. Bash both. Praise both. Also, bash/praise gharwalas according to their individual involvement in the situation. Take it damn seriously. Pit Jaan and Rahul as opposites in the future (as task team leaders, in weekend tasks, in promos, etc.) to build the narrative of a rivalry. Build it into something bigger than one week. This can be the season-defining rivalry if they play it right.
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Scenario four will attract all groups of potential viewers:
- BB fans who watch regardless
- Old BB fans who dropped out this season will come back
- Some from boycott gang will watch/participate online to see BB's/Jaan's/Rahul's reactions
- Pro-Bollywood gang will watch to see how Jaan handles it
- General public might tune in because they are already invested in the nepotism debate even if they are not BB watchers themselves.
Scenario 4 is a win-win situation.
If you're reading this, creatives, play smart. You have a goldmine in your hands.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Anupamaa
Dr Aarambhi
