TV actors hail ministry’s decision on ‘Bigg Boss’

NEW DELHI - Television actors Wednesday hailed the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry’s decision that the reality show “Bigg Boss 4″ would be telecast only after 11 p.m. because of the show’s adult and abusive content.

“I think they have taken the right decision. The quality of the content has gone down to a large extent. I was a contestant on the show, so I can say there were a few situations which made me feel uncomfortable and uneasy,” model Aanchal Kumar, who was eliminated Nov 12 from the Bigg Boss house, told IANS.

“Everybody can see the kind of language that is being used. Sometimes it’s a discomfort to sit and watch the show with family,” she added.

The ministry Wednesday asked Colors channel and Imagine TV to telecast “Bigg Boss 4″ and “Rakhi Ka Insaaf” only after 11 p.m.

“Bigg Boss 4″ has been hogging the limelight for the use of vulgar language by Dolly Bindra and display of intimacy by Ashmit Patel and Veena Malik.

“The scene in the ‘Bigg Boss’ house has changed after Dolly Bindra’s entry. The use of bad words has increased. Earlier, the words were covered with a beep but now there are just so many that it is not possible to beep every word,” Pakistani cross-dresser Begum Nawazish Ali said.

Under the notice, the channel will be barred from sharing any snippets or video footage of these shows with any news channel for promotion and will be required to run a disclaimer for restrictive viewing during the show.

“I support the decision of the ministry. The content is vulgar,” said Rahul Bhatt, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who was also a contestant in the ongoing season of the show.

Even “Bigg Boss” season 1 winner Rahul Roy welcomed the decision.

“The I&B ministry’s decision is understandable. These shows are full of vulgar language,” he said.

Asked if the decision will affect the viewership of the show, Aanchal said: “People who love the show will watch it anyway, but this could affect the show for sure because watching the show at 11 p.m. will not be convenient for many.”

However, TV actor Ali Merchant, who got married to actress Sara Khan on the show, was of a different view.

“Such crackdown cannot distract the audience. People who are watching the show at 9 p.m. time slot will even watch it at 11 p.m. I don’t think this crackdown is right but everybody has their own viewpoint. So you cannot really comment on it,” Ali told IANS.

Actress turned host Mandira Bedi wrote on microblogging site Twitter: “I haven’t always been in concurrence with some of the previous criteria for censorship. But this, I think is a good call by the I&B ministry.”

“In contrast, ‘KBC 4′ (Kaun Banega Crorepati) is clean wholesome entertainment with a highly respectful host and rates brilliantly. Now that’s good television,” she posted.