Mithun Chakraborty to host Bengali version of Bigg Boss on ETV Bangla

After a successful season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Bangla, ETV Bangla now gears up to entertain viewers with India’s biggest reality TV show – Bigg Boss. A show that shook the nation by storm, Bigg Boss will now set foot in East Bengal, revolutionizing entertainment with its perfect blend of reality and unscripted drama. While Bigg Boss will now speak in Bengali, the affable and effervescent Mithun Chakraborthy will be seen hosting the show; but in an all new avatar. An actor par excellence, Mithun Da is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema and coupled with his mass appeal and energetic persona – he makes the perfect choice as the host. Talking about his new role, Mithun Da said, “Bigg Boss is a very intriguing format. To be a celebrity and to be under surveillance 24x7 on national camera is no easy task and it’s my honor to be the link between the Bigg Boss house and the outside world for my fellow friends of the industry. I look forward to starting the shoot for the show soon.” Talking about this development, Ravish Kumar, Executive Vice President & Business Head – Regional Channels, Viacom18 | in partnership with ETV said, “The Bigg Boss frenzy has hooked many Hindi GEC viewers over the years and given the phenomenal success of its first regional foray in Karnataka earlier this year we are now delighted to introduce this format to Bengal. Society’s insatiable curiosity to get a peek into the lives of their favorite celebrities is something that holds universal appeal and we hope that the show will further accelerate and add momentum to our existing bouquet of content”. Deepak Dhar, CEO, Endemol India said, “Bigg Boss is based on a universal concept that has successfully appealed to audiences across markets. Adapting a cult show like Bigg Boss in a regional market helps us reach out to captive audiences who are eager to consume the programme in their preferred language. As the format of the show is non-scripted, one can expect nothing but the purest form of reality arising from unpredictable situations leading to a great viewing experience. We are certain that the Bangla version will be received with a lot of enthusiasm.” Abhishek Rege, COO-Television, Endemol India further elaborated saying, “Bigg Boss is an interesting format and we intend to extend it to various languages. The encouraging response from the southern audiences for the Kannada version motivated us to adapt the show to engage Bangla audiences with a version that will see some of their favourite personalities trying to live a monitored life.” Produced by Endemol India, Bigg Boss is slated to go on air on ETV Bangla in the month of June (2013).