The days before I entered the Bigg Boss house

A page from the personal diary of Monica Bedi Starting tomorrow Bigg Boss 3 will go on air. I can’t help but feel nostalgic as a year back I too had the privilege of being in the same house. For some one like me, it was a chance to redeem myself and I’d like to believe I succeeded in it. I’d like to take this opportunity to tell what goes through a contestant’s mind in the days before he/she steps in the Bigg Boss house. As surprising as it may be but initially I wasn’t keen on participating but a close friend convinced me that this was my only chance of redemption. He explained how the show has shaped the careers of some. Though I took a firm decision, one thought kept bothering me. Will the other inmates accept someone who has a tainted past? I’d no idea who I would have to face. I wished nobody tries to get too personal. Luckily, everyone was so sweet and never for once did anybody quiz me about my past or had any reservations about it. I was lucky to enter the Bigg Boss house twice. So, the second time (wild card) I had an idea of the do’s and don’ts. The break also enabled me to recharge my batteries. The second stay proved successful as I was the last woman to be evicted from the show. As regards to the preparations, the first thing that you do is a lot of shopping. After all, you don’t know whether you’ll be there for one week or 85 days. So, I carried lots of tops , few salwar-kameez, few pair of jeans and track suits. We are supposed to carry two bags – one small and the other big. On camera they only show us entering with a small bag. The big suitcase is deposited in the store room by crew members. Among other things, you carry sufficient toiletries. Bigg Boss doesn’t allow too many cosmetics as they want you to maintain your natural look. So, the girls basically carry a hair dryer, wax tins and strips. In the preceding days, the girls usually get all their pedicure-manicure and waxing done. If you survive long, then you get a chance to do waxing in the house too. Usually, we did this inside the bathroom. At times we did it in our rooms too but that’s only for the legs. Normally, if you’re going for vacation to a friend or relative’s house you are always told to look after your manners and maintain a level of hygiene. Here the camera is catching your every move. Some people are into digging their noses, biting nails, strewing their belongings all over. Some don’t have good eating habits. I don’t want to name anyone here but we had few people amongst us who weren’t tidy. Luckily, my upbringing has been such that I never had to think hard about these things. The problem arises when you become too conscious of the cameras around you. Thus you end up playing something which you are not. After a while you get saturated that’s when you break the shackles and start being your self. The problem then is that the viewers label you as a fake because they see a drastic change in your attitude. So, the key to survive is to be your self. Just forget about the cameras and live the way you do in your home.