On Sunday, Salman Khan returned as the host of Bigg Boss 17. The new season’s players pack a variety, as dubbed by the host, they are way more explosive than a bomb this time and will have to use their dil, dimaag aur dum (heart, brain and strength) during their time on the show. From Ankita Lokhande and her husband Vikki Jain to comedian Munawar Faruqui, former journalist Jigna Vora and more, here’s everything you need to know about this season and its contestants.
Udaariyaan’s Abhishek
Kumar and Isha Malviya have entered the show. Together they make the most controversial jodi of this season. The two met on the sets of Udaariyaan and dated for some time before parting ways. Talking about their feelings for each other, Abhishek Kumar and Isha Malviya had their first fight on the premiere night. Salman had to intervene after Isha said that Abhishek ‘physically assaulted’ her. Abhishek denied her claims.
Rinku Dhawan
Actor Rinku Dhawan entered the Bigg Boss 17 house and left people surprised. She is best known for Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. After starring in the Sakshi Tanwar show, she later married Kiran Karmarkar who portrayed her on-screen brother in the same show. Rinku and Kiran got separated in 2017 and since then, Rinku has been raising her son as a single mother. She was recently seen in the TV show, Titli
Arun Mashettey
YouTube gamer Arun Mashettey also entered the house. With over 602k followers on Instagram, Arun is one of the popular content creators from Hyderabad.
Sunny Arya
Also known as Tehelka Bhai, Sunny Arya hails from New Delhi. The renowned comedian is best known for his funny videos on his YouTube channel, Tehelka Prank. He joined the industry in 2019 and gained quite a lot of popularity during covid. He is often seen helping underprivileged people.
Khanzaadi
Firoza Khan, popularly known as Khanzaadi, is a rapper, singer and songwriter from Assam. Going by her bio on Instagram, she calls herself a ‘wild heart and gypsy soul.’ She previously appeared on MTV Hustle 2.0
Soniya Bansal
Actor, and model Soniya Bansal brings her game to the new season of Bigg Boss. She made her debut in Bollywood with the film Game 100 Crore Ka, alongside Rahul Roy and Shakti Kapoor. While she is yet to create a big impact in the film industry, she has already featured in several music videos for Zee, T-Series, Venus and more. She also starred in many films, including Telugu ones, such as Dubki, Naughty Gang, Shoorveer, Dheera, and Yes Boss
Jigna Vora
Hansal Mehta’s Scoop fame Jigna Vora joined the show as a former journalist. She wrote the book, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, based on which Karishma Tanna’s hit Netflix series was adapted. The former reporter also recalled her struggle during jail time and said, “I was reborn after those nine months in jail.” Salman Khan agreed with her.
Sana Raees Khan
Criminal lawyer Sana Raees Khan reportedly joined the show after former Miss India, actor Manasvi Mamgai backed out. Sana is best known for fighting the alleged drug case involving Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan. She represented Aryan Khan’s friend Avin Sahu who was the first accused to get bail. Besides this, Sana was also Indrani Mukerjea’s lawyer in the most controversial Sheena Bora murder case.
Anurag Dobhal
Anurag Dobhal is a YouTuber and popular influencer on social media. He goes by the name The UK07 Rider. Originally from Dehradun, he rose to fame with his moniker ever since he joined the industry in 2018. Earlier this year, he crossed over 2 million subscribers on YouTube and many dubbed him as one of the most popular Moto vloggers. Anurag is also friends with previous Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav.
Munawar Faruqui
The winner of Kangana Ranaut-hosted Lock Upp season 1, Munawar Faruqui, has entered the Bigg Boss’ house. He is the strongest contestant of the season. The comedian said, “There’s a pressure to not let my fans down. When you are new, you get exempted from mistakes but if you’ve already done something and won it, you won’t be spared for your mistakes. I’m looking forward to how my journey in the show will shape up
Ankita Lokhande and Vikki Jain
Actor Ankita Lokhande and her husband-businessman Vikki Jain will be showcasing their unfiltered side on the show. Dubbed as one of the perfect couples of the industry, the two are expected to open up about their relationship and past. They got married in 2021 and have been battling trolls ever since Ankita parted ways with late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and started dating Vikki.
Navid Sole
Navid Sole is the international contestant of this season. Referred as the ‘sassy’ pharmacist, Navid is from the UK and claims to be of “Italian and Persian origin”. As he entered the house, he struggled to speak in Hindi and reminded people of Abdu Rozik. Navid has over 90k followers on Instagram.
Neil Bhatt, Aishwarya Sharma
Couple Neil Bhatt and Aishwarya Sharma are going to add romance in the house. Aishwarya who is the second runner-up of Khatron Ke Khiladi 13, was reportedly offered Bigg Boss first. She is joined by her husband Neil. While they enter together, the house will test their love. Salman introduced Neil as ‘patnivrata (devoted to wife).’
Mannara Chopra
Mannara Chopra is the first confirmed contestant of Bigg Boss 17. Her real name is Barbie Handa. Cousin of Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra, Mannara made her debut with Zid. She recently made news when the Thiragabadara Saami director allegedly kissed her forcibly in public. She made a stunning entry as she danced with Salman Khan on Priyanka’s hit song Lal Dupatta.
Bigg Boss 17 premiered on Colors TV. It will live stream on JioCinema.