SHILPA SHETTY tells JYOTHI VENKATESH that she will be able to empathize with all the 14 housemates of Bigg Boss Season 2.
Why did you say yes to the offer to be the host for Bigg Boss Season 2?
I said yes to the offer because it will be something new as far as I am concerned since I have never hosted any TV show earlier in my career though I had taken part in the reality dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa on Sony TV as one of the judges. I have always liked to explore newer avenues in life and add to my dimensions as a human being
To what extent you will be able to gel with the show?
I think I will take to the show like a fish to water for the simple reason that I am very familiar with the format of the show since I have been a part of the show Big brother earlier. I am confident that unlike Arshad Warsi who was the host the last time around of the show, I would be able to empathize more with the house mates since I have gone through the entire procedure as a housemate in Big Brother and I would be the only ‘outside’ human connection with them
How do you feel as the host of the show?
I have been through what all the 14 hand picked contestants will go through and therefore I am able to understand their needs and feelings. I remember what it was to live with strangers in a house cut off from the outside world with nobody to trust and vouch for. However I am sure about one thing. It will surely change the lives of the participants and give them memories to last a life time to emerge as stronger individuals.
How tough do you think is your task going to be as a hostess?
I van vouchsafe that it is not going to be a very easy task since you have got to deal with raw human emotions when you deal with the housemates in the show. I hope I will be able to garner better TRP ratings for the show Big Boss Season 2 by being able to strike the chords of not only the audience but also the housemates who are going to take part in the show.
How have you decided to conduct your task?
As I said earlier, I have been though the entire experience abroad in Big Brother and hence it will be easier for me to relate to the housemates of Bigg Boss Season 2 this time around. I will make it entertaining besides adding a human touch to my task as the host.
Besides Sambhavana Seth, Shakti Kapoor, Sherlyn Chopra and Jhanvi Kapoor, who do you think are the other housemates in the show this time?
To tell you the truth, I have no idea about who the housemates in the show are going to be in this season of the show. I guess the channel Colors does not want to divulge the names to the audience because in that case, the suspense cannot be built up and it wants to spring a surprise on not only the audience but also the housemates every week when a new housemate enters the show
Why do you think people take the risk of going to Bigg Boss Season 2?
People go for two reasons. Reason No 1 is that they have nothing to hide from the world and the reason No 2 is that they want to be more famous than what they are and also make more money.
Do you remember your tryst at the Big Brother?
I still remember how eagerly all of us housemates used to wait to hear Debina’s voice every week when she used to come to connect with us from the outside world. I remember her voice used to be very warm and friendly. It is an important role to play in the show as the hostess.
In what way is Bigg Boss Season 2 going to be different from Big Brother UK?
This year unlike the first season, the show which will premiere on August 17 on Colors will be on air every day of the week from Monday to Sunday at 10 pm. It will be a bigger, better, meaner and gruesome real time drama.
Is it true that there is going to be a half an hour LIVE, unedited slot every day?
Yes. Starting from the second week, every day at 12.30 am, there is going to be a half an hour LIVE unedited slot at midnight, though in keeping with the Indian sensibility, the show will be censored by the channel so that nothing objectionable is shown to the audience.
Is it true that celebrities will be replaced by newsmakers in this season?
Yes. Bigg Boss Season 2, the Indian version of Big Brother UK comes with its unique twists this year that make it bigger and better with newsmakers replacing the celebrities in the show.
If there is an opportunity, would you be game to enter the Big Brother UK for a second time, as a housemate?
No. I would not go to Big Brother UK for the second time because one time is more than enough to last me a LIFE TIME. When I went there for the first time, I did not know that it would be so difficult, because unlike in Bigg Boss Season 1, there was culture clash right from Day One and I found it difficult to cope with that initially. It is only after the first three days that it starts sinking in you that you are in an entirely different world where you have to fend for yourself.
Were you confident that you would be a winner in Big brother when you entered it?
Though frankly I did not think that I would last for even two weeks there, I lasted in Big Brother UK, because I went there with the mind- sight not to fear.
What did your stint at Big Brother UK teach you?
It taught me the highs and lows of life around. It is only when you spend time in a place like Big Brother that you will really come to know how a person really is, without the mask which conceals his or her face.
Would you advise your younger sister Shamita to go as a housemate in Bigg Boss season 2?
Forget about going to Bigg Boss Season 2, my sister Shamita will not even listen to any advice of mine, because she is a highly individualistic girl with her own mind
What is your advice to the housemates?
All that I can advise every housemate is to be true to him or herself, because who the audience find as endearing will not be decided if you are fake. People will be interested in seeing the other aside of you as a celebrity or a newsmaker and hence please do not do things only for the sake of entertainment. The housemates who are otherwise so dependent on external factors will start learning new things every day during their tenure at Bigg Boss Season 2.
