When actor and model Chum Darang told her mother she would be a part of Bigg Boss season 18, the response was not what she expected. “Is that the show where everyone fights?” her mother wanted to know. “When I said yes, she joked that if that is the case, you will definitely win.”
The rising star from Arunachal Pradesh didn’t win the reality TV show. But she made it to the top six, and won the hearts of viewers across India with her calm demeanour, level-headedness, and refusal to be bullied in the barrage of backbiting that Bigg Boss is notorious for.
So when influencer and Bigg Boss OTT season two winner Elvish Yadav allegedly made derogatory and racist comments against Darang in a podcast on 6 February, the backlash from fans and the Northeast communities was swift.
“It is easy to say such things when you have such a rabid fan base like Elvish’s, and to someone from the Northeast, because casual racism is pretty rampant in cities like Delhi and even Mumbai,” said a Delhi-based Naga actor who did not wish to be named.
The comments have since been removed from the podcast. And Yadav, who was summoned by the National Commission for Women on 17 February for his distasteful remarks against Darang, issued a statement refuting the allegations against him. But the Arunachal actor’s fans and colleagues are far from appeased.
“Chum has created so much visibility for Northeastern faces, I hope it does not take away focus from it,” said the actor from Nagaland.
Struggle & big break
From playing a queer pathology lab assistant in Badhaai Do (2022) to becoming Bigg Boss 18 finalist, Darang has come a long way from her hometown of Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh’s East Siang district.
After establishing herself as a model, winning three pageant titles, and starting her own cafe back home, she moved to Mumbai to try her luck in Bollywood. That was in 2019.
She did the rounds of production houses until she got a call from Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She got her big break in his 2022 film Gangubai Kathiawadi, where she played one of the 10 women who live and work as sex workers with Gangu (Alia Bhatt) in Kamathipura, Mumbai.
“I was home when I got the call from Bhansali’s office about this movie and if I might want to audition for it,” said Darang. She initially thought it was a prank or worse still, a scam. At the time, Darang was in Arunachal Pradesh.
But after asking around, she was reassured that the call was indeed from Bhansali Productions.
“No one else was at home except for my grandmother. So she shot my video, and I sent it as an audition tape,” Darang recalled.
She landed her next role toward the end of 2021, when the industry was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Darang was set to return to Arunachal when she came across a post on Facebook that listed out the requirements for a role in Badhaai Do. She clinched it after two rounds of auditions, and met director Harshavardhan Kulkarni.
“Originally, the character I played was supposed to be from a different state. But after I met the director and spoke, the character was changed to Rimjhim Jongkey, who is from Arunachal Pradesh,” said Darang. In the film, Rimjhim’s parents reject her for her sexual orientation.
“The acting is first-rate—look out also for Chum Darang as Suman’s girlfriend Rimjhim,” wrote film critic Anupama Chopra in her review of the movie.
Chum Darang also acted in an Arunachali music video, Kine Gaaling, and a few ads including The Body Shop commercial with Shraddha Kapoor, a Bingo Tedhe-Medhe ad with Ranveer Singh, and a detergent ad with Akshay Kumar. She has also featured in the music video of singer Shrinidhi Ghatate, titled Life Is A Story.
More recently, she made aloo pitika, a popular Assamese dish, for Farah Khan. The director-choreographer shared the video on her YouTube channel.
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Bigg Boss journey
It was Bigg Boss that made Chum Darang a household name. After Badhaai Do, her agency asked if she wanted to be part of the show. Her immediate answer was no, because reality TV was never part of her career plan. But she decided to give it a go after a meeting in 2023.
“I thought I would go in for three weeks maybe, and I ended up completing 100 days. That’s when I thought, “I need to win this now,” said Darang.
She proved her mettle in various ‘tasks’, which are part of the show, even becoming Time God in the 14th week after winning a task. Chum was also injured in the Ticket to Finale contest when another contestant, television actor Vivian D’Sena, became aggressive. D’Sena later tried to apologise to Darang and even offered her his ticket, but she refused.
Darang’s popularity grew steadily through the show, and with every possible opportunity, she tried putting the spotlight on the Northeast and her own state.
“I asked my parents to send me clothes from every state [in the Northeast]. I wore a mekhela sador too, and even spoke a lot about the Northeast with my fellow mates,” she said.
Darang singlehandedly got her entire state hooked to the show.
“My parents and even siblings had no idea about it. But once I entered the house, the TV would be kept on around 9 pm, and when they heard my voice, they would come running to watch me,” she said, laughing.
People in Arunachal Pradesh started tuning in to the show regularly. Her family, friends, and fans even organised rallies to support her. Before the grand finale of one of India’s most popular reality shows, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu extended support to the actor.
“I am happy to learn that Chum Darang, daughter of Arunachal Pradesh from Pasighat, has reached among the top 9 of the reality show #BiggBoss18. Show your solidarity with her, and don’t forget to vote for Chum. I am hopeful that she will be a winner and achieve many milestones in the years to come. My best wishes to Chum Darang,” he wrote on X.
Darang’s followers on Instagram, too, steadily increased to 6.75 lakh as she became a top contender for the Bigg Boss trophy. When she was evicted, host Salman Khan called her Chum ‘dabbang’.
Yadav’s comments against her have sparked an uproar among Darang’s fans.
Referring to her new relationship with Bigg Boss 18 winner Karan Veer Mehra in a podcast with another Bigg Boss contestant, Rajat Dalal, he had said: “Karan Veer must have suffered from Covid, otherwise who would like Chum? Who has such bad taste? There is vulgarity in the name Chum. Her name is Chum, and she has worked in the Gangubai Kathiawadi movie.”
According to The Assam Tribune, the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) also strongly condemned Elvish Yadav for his remarks. Darang, however, has chosen to take the high ground, refusing to get embroiled in the controversy.
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Going beyond the obvious
Even as a teenager, Chum Darang knew she wanted to do something “different” from tried and tested careers like engineering, or taking up a job in the government sector as is common in the Northeast.
She started out at the age of 16 by participating in various beauty pageants. Her first major win was Miss AAPSU (All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union) in 2010.
“I won a car and I gifted it to my parents,” said Darang. She was also one of the finalists of North East Diva 2014, represented India at Miss Asia World in 2017, and holds the title of Miss Tiara India International 2017.
But that was not all. She also decided to open her own cafe, Cafe Chu, in Pasighat.
“Initially I was confused about which business I should venture into. I wanted to open a garment store, but I eventually zeroed in on the cafe. It was a risk, but how else will you find out if it is gonna work or not?” said Darang about her cafe, which continues to operate smoothly.
After Bigg Boss, the model-actor was invited to be part of the 10th Annual Arunachal Film Festival (AFF), held between 6-8 February 2025 at Itanagar.
During a recent visit to Pasighat, the actor urged both students and parents to look beyond traditional careers.
“I told them to finish their studies and have a degree, but to also look beyond and try something new. I also asked parents to believe in their children,” said Darang. She credits her family’s unwavering love and support for her successful journey.
After the Elvish Yadav controversy, her three siblings now monitor hateful comments against their sister, and take up cudgels on her behalf.
“But I ask them not to, because it is part of my life. Not everyone will like me. It is not up to us.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)