“What does fixed deposit mean?”
On the weekend of 26 January 2020, as India celebrated its 71st Republic Day, the residents of the Nation of Bigg Boss were gripped by a different question. "What does the phrase’ fixed deposit’ mean? Is it derogatory?"
The question arose when a contestant on the show, TV actor Aarti Singh, broke down after being called a “fixed deposit” of another contestant, TV actor Siddharth Shukla. Upon hearing the accusation, Singh broke down in tears — after being told that the phrase is a metaphor for a "keep." (Another colonial term meaning "an old fashioned woman who is given a home and money by a man who she has a sexual relationship with, according to Macmillan dictionary.)
Other housemates reassured her that the word doesn't mean anything derogatory and is actually colloquially used to mean "a trusted friend." The debate found its way on Twitter, with tweeple even labelling other housemates as "variable deposits" and "multiple deposits."