Jr. NTR is set to host the Telugu version of reality show Bigg Boss in one of the biggest signups in Telugu television. Reports suggest that the channel involved, STAR MAA TV, has put in a huge offer to Jr NTR to act the ‘Bigg Boss’ in the show. The news is that it is the highest ever price offered to a Telugu actor for hosting a TV show. Bigg Boss is one of the most popular editions of the British show Big Brother that puts about a dozen of reality and movie stars in a house for close to two months, with cameras almost everywhere to offer viewers a voyeuristic view of the daily lives of stars. The viewers get to vote off contestants one by one, and the last man/woman standing is the winner. Star MAA is reportedly going out of its way to interview and select the right mix of the most entertaining candidates, and is close to selecting the final 12 who will enter Bigg Boss’s house.
Bigg Boss Telugu’s reveal promo crossed the 55 million viewers’ mark – that is almost three-fourths of the total Telugu viewership in only 7 days of its run at the Star MAA network. The number of shares on social media networks is also trading in the millions, speaking of popularity that is unprecedented. Bigg Boss has made a dent elsewhere in South Indian folklore, with legendary actor and director Kamal Hassan being signed up to host the Tamil version of the reality show.
The Telugu Bigg Boss is set to be the biggest show in Telugu TV history, with sets over 10,000 square feet in area, and more than 750 people working on it at any given time. The launch is set for July 16 with a mega episode planned, and the 60 cameras inside the house are set to herald a new age in Telugu television.