New Delhi: Bigg Boss Bangla is back with its third season after nearly a decade, and this time former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly is taking charge as the host.
The premiere episode introduced the 15 contestants as they entered the Bigg Boss Bangla house. The lineup includes actors Monami Ghosh, Bharat Kaul, Sohini Pal, Anindya Sengupta, Niranjan Mondal and Sonamoni Saha, singer Durnibar Saha, Nandini Roy, entrepreneur Tanushree Roy Das, influencers Sayak Chakraborty and Jayita Chatterjee, Srijla Guha and Jhilam Gupta.
Former footballer Dipendu Biswas, who represented Mohun Bagan and the Indian national team, is also part of the season.
Meanwhile, British actor Alexandra Taylor is another contestant. The actor, who owns a home in Kolkata, said she wants to live in the city with her mother.
“My Bengali is very bad. I don’t know what I will do after entering the Bigg Boss house,” she said.
Social media users are heavily buzzing over the star-studded contestant lineup, expressing major excitement across Instagram, X, and Facebook. The unique mix of glamourous film stars, internet sensations, and beloved public figures has fans captivated.
“Bigg Boss Bangla has a line up of dreams. They really got super amazing contestants this season with everyone fitting the bill and being strong contenders. Forget Hindi, let’s get going Bangla,” one X user posted.
Another X user said that the lineup is affecting the “mental peace.”
“Do I give up my mental peace and watch big boss Bangla,” the user had posted.
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‘Ganguly should have stayed out’
Ganguly is no stranger to Bengali television. He previously hosted the Bengali-language quiz show Dadagiri Unlimited, which premiered in 2009. Ganguly hosted the first two seasons of Dadagiri Unlimited. For the third season, actor Mithun Chakraborty replaced him, but Ganguly returned for the fifth season and remained till Season 10. Ganguly’s tenure at the show ended in 2024. It is now hosted by actor Dev.
In the show, participants represent different districts of West Bengal and compete in a series of quizzes and challenges. Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji had written the title track and it was sung by Arijit Singh.
According to several reports, Ganguly stepped away from Dadagiri Unlimited to make a comeback with Bigg Boss Bangla.
“Bigg Boss is a different kind of show. It’s like a religion, and it’s a new show in Bengal. It’s difficult for me to watch it regularly, but I used to watch it on weekends. I’ve seen Salman host it, and it’s quite exciting,” Ganguly had said.
The former cricketer was praised for his stint on the quiz show but his new role has received mixed reactions on social media. Some viewers feel that the role does not quite match his legacy and stature.
“Dada Should have stayed out of such a low profile thing! He looks very uncomfortable too,” an X user commented.
Another X user compared Dev to Ganguly.
“Bigg Boss is a Show of Chhapris. Never watched, never will. (Dev) is doing #Dadagiri Very Well,” the user posted.
Bigg Boss Bangla was first launched in 2013, with Mithun Chakraborty as its host. The second season aired in 2016 and was hosted by actor Jeet.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)