This year's theme will reflect in the new set of the Bigg Boss house, located in Lonavla, which has been designed to resemble a jumbo aircraft. A source says, "To elevate the excitement level, the house will be designed as the interior of an aircraft, just as last year's season seven was designed as heaven and hell." Sources further revealed that the house will also have a waiting lounge and two different sections for Economy and Business class.
The new season, starting on September 21, has already locked in on some prominent celebrities who are expected to give us daily dosage of drama for 100 days. According to channel sources, actress Minissha Lamba will be one of the biggest draw this year and will be accompanied by model turned actor Upen Patel. "The channel is also in talks with Arya Babbar, who might be on-board, if things work out," added a source. Other names likely to be seen inside the house are TV actress and reality show star Shweta Salve, Karishma Tanna and Indian origin Irish starlet Maryam Zakhariya last seen in Agent Vinod. VJ Sushant Divgikar will be the only LGBT contestant. Kingfisher calendar model Sonali Raut, who recently made an appearance in The Xpose with Himesh Reshammiya, might also participate in the show.
The channel has upped its ante and elevated the overall budget of the show to Rs.130 - 140 crores. With as many as 11 sponsors roped in for season 8 and a 10-second ad spot booked for as high as Rs.3.5 - 4 lakh, the show is surely going big. "In the earlier seasons, the channel got sponsorship from seven prominent brands, but with its increasing popularity over the years, the numbers of sponsors have gone up," says a source. Media analysts are equating the new season with this year's Indian Premier League, which had expensive sponsorship deals.
E-commerce site Snapdeal dished out Rs.35 crore this season to acquire the title sponsorship of Bigg Boss 8, thereby making the channel end its five year contract with one of its main sponsors Vodafone. Season seven, last year, was the most watched and most-trended season of all times. Owing to Salman Khan's alleged biased behaviour towards select contestants, the audiences were curious about the drama as it unfolded. Romantic rendezvous between Tanisha and Armaan Kohli, Gauhar Khan and Kushal Tandon grabbed maximum eyeballs.
Season seven debuted with 7,711 TVTs on its opening day and continued to have a successful run for several of weeks, last year. The channel hopes to have yet another engaging season which might soon come up with fresh new controversial episodes.
MINISSHA LAMBA
CLAIM TO FAME: Played one of the leads opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Ae Haseeno and was last seen in Sanjay Dutt starrer Zilla Ghaziabad.
ABOUT: Minissha Lamba has lately settled down for Punjabi films such as Heer aur Hero and Double Di Trouble. If locked inside the Bigg Boss house, she might be revived in public memory. The actress is tightlipped about her appearance on the show and gave out a confusing tweet -"Biggboss?? Who me?"
KARISHMA TANNA
CLAIM TO FAME: She started her small screen career with the hit show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Karishma was last seen in adult comedy film Grand Masti.
ABOUT: Karishma has been a popular face on TV; she can hope to get a suitable support from her fans if she appears in the new season. Karishma has been focusing on Bollywood lately and hasn't done too many TV shows in the recent past stint in Bigg Boss might help revive her small screen career.
UPEN PATEL
CLAIM TO FAME: Londonborn model-turnedactor played a prominent role in Namastey London and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.
ABOUT: Not seen in any prominent Hindi film lately, Upen has been grappling to make a debut in southern films. His stay in Bigg Boss might help him interact with a wider audience. Upen can capitalise on his good looks in the show.
SONALI RAUT
CLAIM TO FAME: Super model Ujjwala Raut's younger sister, Sonali recently made an appearance in The Xpose.
ABOUT: Sonali Raut made heads turn as a Kingfisher Calendar model but failed to leave a lasting impression in her debut film The Xpose. As a contestant of the popular reality show, newbie Sonali might get a perfect launch pad.
ARYA BABBAR
CLAIM TO FAME: Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar's son Arya started with Ab Ke Baras and was last seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola.
ABOUT: Arya Babbar has been making attempts to find a foothold in showbiz. Despite his appearances in several big films like Guru, Ready and Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola, Arya hasn't really been able to get a big share of stardom. His stay in Bigg Boss house might help him find fame.
SUSHANT DIVGIKAR
CLAIM TO FAME: A Veejay, model and choreographer, Sushant represented India in Mr Gay World 2014.
ABOUT: A transgender contestant is a must in each season of Bigg Boss. Sushant can spice up the show with his antics and come into limelight. Previous seasons have seen contestants like Bobby Darling, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and fashion designer Rohit Varma, who emerged as a popular LGBT contestant.
SHWETA SALVE
CLAIM TO FAME: A popular small-screen actress, Shweta was last seen performing an item number in Ajay Devgn starrer Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji.
ABOUT: A reality TV veteran, Shweta finished as runners up in first season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, followed by shows like Khatron Ke Khiladi and as anchor of Dance India Dance. If locked inside the house, Shweta can hope to get similar response which Gauhar Khan received in Season Seven.
Not this season:
KUMAR VISHWAS
AAP member and poet Kumar Vishwas earlier confirmed to be part of Bigg Boss 8. He recently denied the news on Facebook, stating that the producers turned down his demand of Rs.21 crore as remuneration.
TAHSEEN POONAWALLA
Political trendwatcher Tahseen was reportedly wooed by the show's producers but he turned down the offer. Poonawalla is reluctant to talk about it but the producers were reportedly keen to have him as a star contestant.
SHINEY AHUJA
Shiney Ahuja's name as a probable contestant has been doing the rounds for the many years. Due to the controversy associated with him, Shiney's name did the rounds in the list every year. Busy with his comeback film Welcome Back, Shiney recently confirmed in an interview that he will never be a part of the show.
AMEESHA PATEL
Ameesha's name has been doing the rounds for the last two years. Busy producing the film Desi Magic under the home banner Ameesha Patel Productions, the actress recently tweeted that she will never be a part of any season.
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