| Mandira Bedi |
| Isha Koppikar |
| Simone Singh |
| Ruby Bhatia |
Big Brother is coming to town
The desi version of the show will feature our film and television stars
Subhash K Jha
The world's most sought-after reality show Big Brother, where 12 celebrities are caught live on camera, 24 hours a day for 84 days, is coming soon to India.
Rajesh Kamath, MD Endemol, the company behind the ambitious reality show, is upbeat about its prospects in India. "Big Brother is a global phenonomen that pioneered the reality show genre. We launched it in 1999 and since then it has been featured in over 70 countries. It will offer an insight into the lives of celebrities. We've spread the word about casting for the show. We have got a phenomenal response from Bollywood and television. Moreover, we didn't even have to offer money. It offers celebs 13 weeks of high-profile exposure. Can you imagine a Bollywood actress without make-up and a mobile phone for thirteen weeks? They aren't allowed to take even a book along with them. The twelve celebrities only have to interact with one another." The celebrities will be well-known names from cinema and TV.
Kamath says, "Our first show was Laughter Challenge on Star One. We followed it up with Laughter Champion. And now we have Big Brother. Also, we're shooting for Fear Factor 2 in Argentina." Kamath admits that game shows like Fear Factor and Heartbeat haven't done well in India. "Perhaps Kaun Banega Crorepati set unusually high standards," he says.
Anupama Mandloi of Sony adds, "Big Brother is the mother of all shows. We've decided to go ahead with it later this year. Big Brother is like a huge soap with no script. Nothing can be predicted in the show. The format and other details are being worked out. But yes, we'd be recording 24/7. People all over the world have got involved with the 12 lives on the show."
Big Brother is looking now at the first batch of celebrities. Anupama reveals, "We're speaking to people across Bollywood and TV. Mandira Bedi, Samir Kochar, Simone Singh, Isha Koppiker, Ruby Bhatia…these are some of the people who may be on the show."
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