Bigg Boss 6 - Salman Khan

Five seasons through with the sixth inching close to opening, Bigg Boss has had audiences across the country glued to their television sets, never mind the innuendos, indecent behaviour, sleaze, expletives, fights and allegations of these being rigged. Love it or hate it, the reality television show seems to be here to stay, albeit for all the wrong reasons.

The most striking element undoubtedly has been the long line of controversial inmates. Be it Sunny Leone, who entered the house as an Indo-Canadian adult movie star or Seema Parihar, a former bandit, who allegedly killed 70 people before surrendering to the police a few years ago. Or Pooja Missra, who was seen as a troublemaker right from the beginning or evenRaja Chaudhary, who allegedly beat up his wife Shweta Tiwari.

However, all that is a thing of the past now. There is a surprise element in store for television viewers even as the sixth season is about to be aired in a brand new avtaar.

The broadcasters of the show confirmed the development: "Bigg Boss 6 will be a wholesome entertainer with a parivarik punch."

Buzz is, Salman Khan, who is keen Bigg Boss moves away from its trademark negativity and adopts a clean image of a family entertainer, was instrumental in bringing about this change.

A source from the television industry however told us, "It was a joint decision between Salman and the broadcasters to clean up Bigg Boss. Salman has become a very Big Star today and has a huge fan following, especially among kids. It works for him and the broadcasters to get more eyeballs."

The bigger challenge for the broadcasters as well as the producers (Endemol) remains how to implement the change. For starters, the sixth season will be sans controversial characters likeRakhi Sawant, Veena Malik, Dolly Bindra, Sambhavna Seth and so on. Instead, it will feature personalities from all walks of life, more so the film and television industry, who have a clean and more responsible image.

Our source said, "Bigg Boss has so far catered to the voyeuristic needs of Indian audiences. But there is bad news for those in the film and television industry who thrive on controversies. Not so long ago, these people were prime contenders for the show. But now, only those participants who have a family friendly image will be chosen."

According to the source, instructions will not be given that there is an embargo Per Se on adult content. But the underlying assumption is if you have participants who are sober, you need not worry they will create scenes that prove to be an embarrassment.