Even as Rahul Mahajan’s exit has allowed three largely unknown contestants to stand a chase to win a loot of prize money amongst other things in the finale of the Indian second edition of Big Brother, Bigg Boss, one could not help wondering who would have been chosen had Bigg Boss to stage another kind of house mates.
As the countdown to crowning not the next Miss India or Miss World (though there was Miss World Diana Hayden in the house for good measure), but the next winner of Bigg Boss season2 from amongst Raja Choudary, Zulfi and Astutosh, the mind deviated towards what kind of house it would represent having eleven cricketers living together under one roof for three months.
It would have to take someone with the temperance of Bigg Boss’ last winner, Rahul Roy, to survive this because the television producers would not settle for anything less than the spiciest cricketers on the circuit. If one went simply by the players who have made headlines over the last year, or even six months, the house would be filled with an entire cricket team without a second thought!
Simply going by the players that made headlines in recent months and would be the delight of these TRP hungry producers who go by current trends (not computed by personal choice- that would have included a whole other list), here’s the eleven:
1. Andrew Symonds (IPL chart topped and Bigg Boss favourite given that his image did not suffer if the Hyderabad Deccan Chargers’ franchisee is anything to go by)
2. Harbhajan Singh (how far behind could he be? Besides, having already won the Ek Khiladi, Ek Haseena contest, he would be hungry for more air time)
3. Sreesanth (He has a few scores to settle with Harbhajan having lost the finals of the same dance reality show, amongst other things. Wouldn’t you just love to see just how the chotta bhai – bada bhai get along and resolve frustrations without resorting to slapping?)
4. Ricky Ponting (yes, it seems like a Border Gavaskar Trophy in here too with the number of Indians and Australians. But the man simply cannot seem to seal his lips. Wonder what will happen to him in the Bigg Boss house?)
5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (okay, so he has been rather controversy free…but he’s the one the producers will be hoping will emerge as the favourite winner, keep the housemates in cheerful, positive mood and rally them like troops or perhaps, like moths around the light. Plus, Dhoni means big sponsors)
6. Yuvraj Singh (okay so his cricketing career has been haywire. But he could well form the jodi of another bad bhai-chota bhai scenario with Dhoni, keeping each safe)
7. Sourav Ganguly (so what if he has retired? He still has plenty he would like to say. And he could add a little more variety while in there….shirt flinging and all)
8. Kevin Pietersen (His meteoric rise in cricket to captain of England ensures not only Brit Asians for audiences but for a few hard noses MCC men as well)
9. Graeme Smith (Now how could Pietersen’s entry spiced up without a South African and the only one with an ego large enough to match Pietersen’s? Smith will certainly remind him of the colour green, but will Pietersen envy or be envied?)
10. Herschelle Gibbs (drinking, fishing, failed marriages, impermanent places in the side… there could be a rare South African-Australian bonding here)
11. Brett Lee (failed marriages also reminded one of Lee, who has been extremely popular here in India and will add singing sensation to the dancing masters of India. Besides more sponsors, more moolah and another strong Australian contender that people will want to beat)
So many more names could have been included (Matthew Hayden amongst many). But let’s say this is the first of many such lists. (so watch this space. There could be new lists or of drama unfolding in this imaginary season of Bigg Boss.) Salil Ankola has already been in and out briefly. But if a similar such programme were to air in the near future, you know where it originated from!
