Who's The Boss Now?

To steal a currently oft-used phrase, 'the silly season continues,' with the news that India has launched 'Bigg Boss', its very own version of Big Brother. I found this out purely by accident, being present in the room as my parents watched Star News. UPDATE: Apparently, according to Rumbold, this has been around for some time. Wow! I wonder what channel it was on?

It is one humorous-at-least instance more of Indian hypocrisy regarding all things morality. If you don't quite get what I mean, just think about how taboo women's bodies are and how misogynists try and use this to talk about how women are so respected and honoured in Indian culture (bullshit, yaar). For evidence of this, all you have to do is watch a clip of any Indian soap at a moment where a wife is being cheated on by her husband/ being given away for the first time, and you will hear this kind of BS in some shape or form (or just look here for a good overview of things). Then take a look at this. Very funny but also incredibly disturbing.

Back to the topic. I can imagine any number of Indians condemning 'Big Brother' for its voyeurism ('how besharam (shameless)'!), never mind the deliberate 'cherry-picking' of contestants to ensure conflict, which is typical of 'Western,' exploitative, immoral thinking.

Yet all of a sudden, they have their own Big Brother! In typical Indian plagiarisin' style, it's been renamed to 'Bigg Boss' thereby losing all its 1984-associated gravity, but ah well, I doubt that many there would know or care about Orwell's classic anyway. I must specify though, that it is not nicked from the UK producers - I didn't think it was, I was just taking the piss. Normally, I could care less - I mean, it's India. Can't imagine things really getting that racy, can you? However, what really got me goggling was the fact that Jade Goody has been flown in from the UK and apparently also PAID to be a contestant.

Let me just refresh your memories. This is Jade Goody, the woman who was burnt in effigy by protestors for her 'racist' treatment of Shilpa Shetty. Who has been HIRED (for a repeat performance of dumbassery, perhaps?) by the producers of Big Brother, er sorry, 'Bigg Boss.'

Really, UK execs and ex-reality TV stars in need of a career boost could learn a lot from this. SS too has decided to exploit her own apparent exploitation and appears as the occasionally-gyrating (in the advert anyway) host. Might I also add that she was wearing a ridiculously skimpy cropped waistcoat-with-shirt-collar thing too? What is the need, really?

I find it quite amusing when people moan about skimpily-dressed Bollywood actresses. 'Why is it bad?' I ask. 'Because...' and then you can see the cogs turn as they try and think of a way to sugarcoat before the inevitable 'it's not Indian.'

So the Western world has a monopoly on semi-nudity, does it? What about saris? What about belly-dancers? However, I wouldn't bother even debating with the kind of unthinking neds who say such things. In one fell swoop, they've already revealed their thoughtlessly-imbibed-from-my-elders conservatism to me without realising.

I just think it is bizarre that SS feels she has to advertise Bigg Boss by swaying her hips every now and again and by thrusting herself about here and there. You have nice abs, lady and an unenviable figure, but all you're doing is warning us that nothing's going to happen in the show! Nobody'll be allowed to get it on, so you have to up the sex quotient all on your own! I feel your pain. No, really. Abs like that are HARD WORK. :-D

Maybe they should've got Aamir Khan in to do the same. I'd watch that five times on repeat *slobbers*.


Unfortunately, I can't find the vid, so I can't link to it - sorry!

UPDATE: Apparently Jade Goody has now left due to having been diagnosed with cervical cancer! I hope this is not true - according to the news, it's a 'scare.' If it is, may she make a speedy recovery. Damn.