How do you describe Anil Kapoor? He is evergreen, quirky, and the quintessential family man. The sweet, ‘young’ chachu of the younger Bollywood crop – Jahnvi, Khushi, Shanaya, and Arjun Kapoor, he is known for his controversy-free youthful style and a rather new-found obsession with fashion. But where does all of this fit in with Bigg Boss, one might wonder?
Fingers pointing, abuses flying, property breaking, with a dose of physical, verbal, and emotional torture - one surely cannot say Ghar Ho To Aisa while watching the biggest reality show on Indian television – Bigg Boss. Then what is the Beta of Bollywood doing hosting this high-decibel scream stream for the show’s third OTT season?
As per a press release shared by the broadcaster, Anil Kapoor is here to bring the “most epic, the most masaaledar season of Bigg Boss yet.” Kapoor commented, “Bigg Boss OTT and I are a dream team! We’re both young at heart; people often say - jokingly - that I’m reverse ageing, but Bigg Boss is timeless. It feels like going back to school, trying something new and exciting. Having said that, I’ve always approached all my projects with sincerity and a commitment to hard work, and I want to bring that same energy (times 10!) to Bigg Boss! Unscripted reality has something for everyone – laughter, drama, surprising twists, and I can’t wait to bring my flavour to it!”
But what exactly is this flavour? Is the audience ready
for it?
A Misfit?
Viren Razdan, MD, Brand-nomics, sees little sense in having Anil Kapoor as the host of Bigg Boss OTT, “I am quite surprised with the pick. Anil Kapoor, as a brand, has no rough edges. He seems to be a sweet, naive, and pretty straightforward person. On the other hand, Bigg Boss is all about controversies, testing the humanness of its contestants, and pushing them to do the worst to win the show. Anil is a paternal, benevolent, sweet uncle who is energetic and quirky to be around, but not at all aggressive or controversial.”
This sweet, paternal, and mischievous aspect of Kapoor’s personality has dominated his brand image for the longest time. His Instagram feed is full of loving posts featuring his wife and kids. His nephews and nieces cannot stop gushing over his friendly nature in their interviews. His young co-actors have often called him the most energetic person in the room, who loves to love himself. This, coming from powerhouses like Ranveer Singh, means quite something.
Even the first ‘Weekend Ka Vaar’ episode hosted by him showcased this side of his personality. A quirky entry on the stage, his angry avatar against Poulomi Das over her distasteful comments against a fellow contestant; and his advice to Deepak Chaurasia about caring for the youngest contestant in the house Shivani Singh - is Kapoor ushering in a new era of Big Boss?. He portrayed a very father-like presence on the stage, much like Razdan predicted.
Brands too have been using this aspect of Kapoor’s personality in their associations with the star – be it Liscious signing him up with Arjun Kapoor where they engage in a nice banter over frying fish, or Ferns n’ Petals where we see him with Janhvi Kapoor, trying to uplift her mood as she deals with trolls.
Ripal Chopda, Chief Marketing Officer, The Sleep Company tells IMPACT, “Anil Kapoor embodies a unique combination of qualities. His trustworthiness and authenticity resonate deeply with our audience, creating a strong foundation of trust. Moreover, his youthful energy and timeless charm despite the passage of years, reflect our commitment to innovation and enduring quality. Anil Kapoor’s ability to stay forever young in spirit inspires confidence and connects with people from all walks of life. This synergy of trust, authenticity, and youthful vigour makes him an ideal partner for The Sleep Company.”
An Evolving Proposition
While Anil Kapoor and Bigg Boss might have little in common, the reality is that their brand images share certain commonalities. This makes the former a solid fit for the show. The primary being their appeal to audiences across age groups and the ability to evolve with the times.
Jagdeep Kapoor, Brand Guru & CMD Samsika Marketing Consultants quips, “Anil Kapoor and Bigg Boss are an excellent brand fit for multiple reasons. First, Anil Kapoor as a brand has had a very long shelf-life. One can call him the Bigg Boss of the film industry because he has evolved with time, choosing interesting film projects. Even his last release, Animal, was different from what he had been doing. He can adapt with time, a quality which is also present in Bigg Boss. Second, both Bigg Boss and Kapoor have a wide mass appeal. Finally, no one hates Anil Kapoor. He is so loved and revered that people will follow the show for him.”
This association between Anil Kapoor and Bigg Boss could also mean a shift in brand perception for either if utilised the right way by the creatives.
Lloyd Mathias elaborates, “Anil Kapoor has this power to stay relevant even after all these decades in the industry. His ability to reinvent himself with time is quite remarkable. He has a vibe and can interact with new audiences through social media channels or appearances on shows like Koffee With Karan. It can be a nice evolution for Bigg Boss, and can move beyond aggression and bring in a lot of maturity with Anil. Otherwise, the show has gotten pretty repetitive,”
Bigg Boss OTT 3 has been launched with the tagline, Ab Sab Badlega, meaning everything will change now. Having Kapoor on board can drive this proposition, switching the show’s perception. However, it will be difficult to achieve this if the viewers fail to show interest.
Salman Khan, who has been associated with Bigg Boss for over a decade, has become synonymous with the show. His absence during the first season of Bigg Boss OTT hosted by Karan Johar could also be felt in the dipping viewerships. It has been observed that the viewership of Bigg Boss television is often higher during weekend episodes when Khan hosts them, against the weekday episodes.
According to data available on various public forums, viewership for the first season of Bigg Boss OTT was significantly lower compared to Salman Khan-hosted second season. The initial season garnered an average of 1.2 to 2 million viewers per week during its first month whereas Khan’s season achieved a cumulative viewership of 35 million in just the first fifteen days. In contrast, Bigg Boss 11 was the first season to be available both digitally and on TV, amassing 70 million views in its first ten days on Voot.
One reason for this disparity could be that the first season of Bigg Boss OTT was behind a paywall on Voot, while the second season was freely accessible on Jio Cinema. However, despite being subscription-driven, the current season has, reportedly, surpassed the viewership of previous seasons by a huge margin. The show opened to 4.5 million views on the premiere day and collected a viewership of 5.3 million views in the first three days of airing. It has 120% more views than Salman Khan’s season at the same point.
It will be interesting to see if the show can maintain its popularity and surpass the record-making viewership of the previous season, with Anil Kapoor at the helm of it.
