After 71 episodes of gruelling emotional turmoil, unexpected twists and tantrums in Bigg Boss Telugu, Siva Balaji, the (not-so) angry young man of Tollywood won the prize and the 50 lakh rupee cash award.
Siva Balaji, in his acceptance speech, spoke of how most of his fellow contestants have become close friends, as thick as the ones you make in your childhood.
The actor has been in the industry for over 14 years, and has acted both in Tamil and Telugu. He is popular for his supporting roles, specifically in Allu Arjun’s starrer Arya (2014) and Pavan Kalyan’s Katamarayudu (2017).
NTR Jr, who’s on a roll with the success of Jai Lava Kusa, delivered an emotional send off to the viewers. This happens to be his 18th year in the entertainment industry. It was for this reason that he agreed to host Bigg Boss Telugu. He added that he would miss the stage and viewers terribly, now that his job here is done. He ended with a line from a devotional song, that he modified with his name;
Bigg Boss Telugu Vs Tamil
While Bigg Boss Telugu started twenty days after Bigg Boss Tamil, the latter ends only on 3 October.
Kamal Haasan, as host of Bigg Boss Tamil, carries on his shoulders not just the show, but the people’s expectations (and his own desire) of a fresh start in politics. He hinted as much, in his initial interviews about the show, where he said he purposely comes ‘unscripted’ and performs impromptu, as a true leader doesn’t read off a script.
Noble thought, but it caused the show to drag along, and occasionally veer off track. His ability for straight-talking the contestants into facing their own weaknesses, is by now legendary.
NTR Jr, on the other hand, delivered a crisp 71-day stint as host of Bigg Boss Telugu. Overall, there is much less awareness of the format among the Telugu audience than their Tamil counterparts.
Yet, despite a scarily slow start, Bigg Boss Telugu earned a constant place in public perception. The wild cards, the occasional outbursts and the general antics of the participants are in part, the reason. NTR Jr’s success on the silver screen, and his more open acceptance of his legacy (as the grandson of the legendary NTR), by the end of the 71st episode, have played their part in laying a solid foundation to a possibly never-ending franchise in Telugu.
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