Bigg Boss Malayalam episode goes viral after parents of woman contestant chastise her
An emotionally charged episode from Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8 is going viral after a woman contestant’s parents made an appearance – not for a family reunion but to take her home. What followed was a familial confrontation that has sparked a wider debate about religious polarisation, parental authority and a woman’s autonomy.Content creator Neha Fathima, a contestant in the season, was questioned by her parents in the weekend episode, which aired on Sunday, November 1, about her purported romantic involvement with fellow contestant Santosh Raj, who goes by the stage name Tashi. Neha’s father asked her whether she remembered them, suggesting that her behaviour on the show had made them upset. Her mother, breaking down in tears, accused Neha of becoming emotionally invested while other contestants concentrated on playing the game.“Everyone else is playing the game, but you are holding on to emotions. You are being used, and you are playing the kind of game we asked you not to,” she told her daughter.Neha responded by asserting that she is only human, and that she has always maintained a respectable distance with Tashi on the show, so as to not distress her parents. “But I have emotions. And liking someone is not wrong,” she told her parents, in what turned out to be a heartfelt conversation.She went on to explain how the show, which requires contestants to live in a house cut off from the outside world and under the constant surveillance of several cameras, has put her under extreme mental pressure. “I have tried to conduct myself as properly as I can to make sure you are not upset. But you should also recognise that I am extremely stressed and my emotions might make me vulnerable sometimes,” she said.Host Mohanlal said that he was not ready to have Neha leave the show with her parents, since the format allows a contestant to be evicted only when viewers vote the person out.The reactions to this incident took a communal turn on social media, with several netizens claiming that Neha’s parents were upset since their family belongs to the Muslim faith while Tashi is Hindu. While her parents spoke primarily about their daughter’s emotional involvement and their belief that she was being used, some viewers questioned whether the opposition also reflects anxieties about an interfaith relationship.Others on the internet countered this claim by citing that her parents’ disagreement could be triggered more by the age gap of over 10 years between Neha and Tashi, and not religion.The episode has also reopened a larger conversation about Kerala’s self-image as a socially progressive state.However, a large number of viewers on social media seemed to blame Neha, stating that she should not have upset her parents. Her fellow contestants in the house were also seen echoing these sentiments.Neha spoke about what she foresees happening in social media comment boxes, adding that as a woman, she knows she will be blamed. “I know that whatever happens, the woman will be blamed. My parents will also blame me, and people will paint me as the evil person for criticising them. That is how society is. But I cannot live a lie or hide my emotions,” she said after host Mohanlal signed off for the day.Many viewers appreciated her for standing her ground and resisting what they called ‘emotional blackmail’ by her parents.Some viewers further flagged the question of Neha’s agency, wondering if the showrunners should have brought her parents to the studio to chastise her. Bigg Boss contestants have previously gotten embroiled in several controversies, including men and women making derogatory, sexist and queerphobic remarks. Several netizens said that while those instances did not invite such a response from the showrunners, it is extremely problematic that Neha’s parents were allowed to give her a talking-to. Host Mohanlal has also been criticised heavily for partaking in this.“I am also the father of a girl. Neha’s parents were allowed to come on the show only because they repeatedly requested,” Mohanlal said.A section of the viewers have called this out on social media, saying that chastising a woman contestant in this manner is patriarchal and that actor Mohanlal, who wields a lot of power, should have actively stopped it from happening.Bigg Boss Malayalam, which is now in its 8th season, is aired daily on Asianet and streamed 24x7 on Hotstar.
AN emotionally charged episode from Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8 is going viral after a woman contestant’s parents made an appearance – not for a family reunion but to take her home.
What followed was a familial confrontation that has sparked a wider debate about religious polarisation, parental authority and a woman’s autonomy.
Content creator Neha Fathima, a contestant in the season, was questioned by her parents in the weekend episode, which aired on Sunday, November 1, about her purported romantic involvement with fellow contestant Santosh Raj, who goes by the stage name Tashi.
Neha’s father asked her whether she remembered them, suggesting that her behaviour on the show had made them upset. Her mother, breaking down in tears, accused Neha of becoming emotionally invested while other contestants concentrated on playing the game.
“Everyone else is playing the game, but you are holding on to emotions. You are being used, and you are playing the kind of game we asked you not to,” she told her daughter.
Neha responded by asserting that she is only human, and that she has always maintained a respectable distance with Tashi on the show, so as not to distress her parents.
“But I have emotions. And liking someone is not wrong,” she told her parents, in what turned out to be a heartfelt conversation.
She went on to explain how the show, which requires contestants to live in a house cut off from the outside world and under the constant surveillance of several cameras, has put her under extreme mental pressure.
“I have tried to conduct myself as properly as I can to make sure you are not upset. But you should also recognise that I am extremely stressed and my emotions might make me vulnerable sometimes,” she said.
Host Mohanlal said that he was not ready to have Neha leave the show with her parents, since the format allows a contestant to be evicted only when viewers vote the person out.
The reactions to this incident took a communal turn on social media, with several netizens claiming that Neha’s parents were upset since their family belongs to the Muslim faith while Tashi is Hindu.
While her parents spoke primarily about their daughter’s emotional involvement and their belief that she was being used, some viewers questioned whether the opposition also reflects anxieties about an interfaith relationship.
Others on the internet countered this claim by citing that her parents’ disagreement could be triggered more by the age gap of over 10 years between Neha and Tashi, and not religion.
The episode has also reopened a larger conversation about Kerala’s self-image as a socially progressive state.
However, a large number of viewers on social media seemed to blame Neha, stating that she should not have upset her parents. Her fellow contestants in the house were also seen echoing these sentiments.
Neha spoke about what she foresees happening in social media comment boxes, adding that as a woman, she knows she will be blamed.
“I know that whatever happens, the woman will be blamed. My parents will also blame me, and people will paint me as the evil person for criticising them. That is how society is. But I cannot live a lie or hide my emotions,” she said after host Mohanlal signed off for the day.
Many viewers appreciated her for standing her ground and resisting what they called ‘emotional blackmail’ by her parents.
Some viewers further flagged the question of Neha’s agency, wondering if the showrunners should have brought her parents to the studio to chastise her.
Bigg Boss contestants have previously gotten embroiled in several controversies, including men and women making derogatory, sexist and queerphobic remarks. Several netizens said that while those instances did not invite such a response from the showrunners, it is extremely problematic that Neha’s parents were allowed to give her a talking-to. Host Mohanlal has also been criticised heavily for partaking in this.
“I am also the father of a girl. Neha’s parents were allowed to come on the show only because they repeatedly requested,” Mohanlal said.
A section of the viewers has called this out on social media, saying that chastising a woman contestant in this manner is patriarchal and that actor Mohanlal, who wields a lot of power, should have actively stopped it from happening.
Bigg Boss Malayalam, which is now in its 8th season, is aired daily on Asianet and streamed 24x7 on Hotstar.
