Does Bigg Boss enjoy same fever this season?

Is it because of the participants not being as popular as those (case in point: Oviya, who captured the interest of fans across the country) in the first season, that garnered 80 crore votes? Or Kamal Haasan’s now-political avatar? Or is it because there is no sense of novelty anymore now that audiences know the format?

About a month after the season kicked off, it has become evident that it will be tough for the show to sustain the initial ratings. The show timings on Star Vijay (9pm to 10.30pm) clashed with the airing of the FIFA Football World Cup 2018 until recently, which affected the reality show’s ratings.

A source from Vijay TV’s production house for the show said, “The feedback from the audience has been good, but they keep expecting more fights, akin to the first season. We keep informing them that we don’t stage the arguments. It is a reality show, after all.”

“But judging by the number of trolls and memes out there already, we feel the show is as popular as ever and according to the BARC panel data, the ratings are still extremely good,” added the source.

Many of the audience, howeber, admit that it’s nowhere close to replicating the excitement of season one. “There are no real celebrities on the show like last time, and it’s already bored us after a couple of episodes. Maybe some of us will watch it occasionally, but there is no binge-watching like the first season,” said says filmmaker Vinu Karthik. “Perhaps the likes of Mumtaz and Yashika will create some drama as they seem to be the ones with most personality,” he added.

Arav, the winner of season one, told us that he keeps hearing that the contestants are ‘not being themselves’ and that could have led to disappointed audiences.

“But, I must admit that it’s very difficult to stay true to one’s character dealing with the stress of the environment and the tasks at hand. It’s important to remember that it’s not a normal house or family, so judging them by what we see on screen isn’t right.”

“I remained patient and maintained my temperament throughout, I think that’s what helped me go all the way,” he added.

Vandana Kumar, a healthcare professional who is a fan of the show, said, “I made several new friends because of Bigg Boss season one, and we got together every weekend to watch it together.

But with this season, we stopped watching the show after the first week. I think the participants are a lot more aware now of how public perception is and are scared to say or do anything that would make people hate them.”