Bigg Boss 5 in 2011 is the fifth season of the Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss, which aired on Colors from 2 October 2011 to 7 January 2012 with Sanjay Dutt as the host. Salman Khan hosted the opening and the Diwali special episodes alongwith Sanjay Dutt after which Sanjay Dutt took over as the permanent host of the season.
During the launch on October 2, fourteen hand-picked housemates entered the house located in Karjat, a town, about halfway between Mumbai and Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Four additional wild card entries were made during the second, third, fourth and the end of seventh week taking the number of contestants to eighteen. A guest entry, who stayed in the house for three days, was made in the sixth week thus taking the total number of inhabitants to nineteen. The housemates, considered strangers for each other, will spend 96 days (14 weeks) locked out together under the supervision of 55 cameras fitted around the house.
ParticipantsContrary to its previous years formats, this season started with 12 ladies, one transgender, and one man. Three men later entered, one on Day 8, another on Day 15, the third on Day 23 and the fourth on Day 38 as a Houseguest. On Day 49, famous porn-star Sunny Leone entered the house as a female wild card entry. The participants in the order of appearance are:
1.Shakti Kapoor: The casting couch controversy, best known for his Villainous & comic roles in various movies like Satte pe Satta, Raja Babu, Judwaa & many more. Shakti Kapoor was born on 3 September 1958. He is notably known for playing comic and villainous roles. He has acted in over 700 films. He was born in Mumbai, grew up in New Delhi and studied in Kirori Mal College. His father used to run a tailoring business in Connaught Place. He won the Filmfare award once, for David Dhawan’s Raja Babu.
2.Pooja Bedi: Featured in the much hyped & bold TV ad for Kamasutra condom. Also renowned for playing 'Devika’ in 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander' opposite Aamir Khan. Bedi is a former Bollywood actress and television talk show host. She is the daughter of actor Kabir and late Indian Classical dancer Protima Bedi and is herself a mother of two children. She was born in Mumbai and in latter school years, studied at Lawrence School, Sanawar. She made her debut in Jag Mundhra’s 1991 film, Vishkanya. She has participated in reality shows before, is a columnist with publications and chairs the board of a charitable organization (The Grassroots Foundation) as well.
3.Shonali Nagrani: A TV anchor. Shonali Nagrani was born on 20 December 1981 in New Delhi. She won the pageant of Miss India International in 2003 and subsequently finished first runner-up of Miss International. Alongside appearances as a model and as a television anchor most notably for the Indian Premier League shows for Sony TV India and ITV, she has appeared in supporting roles in films like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Dil Bole Hadippa.
4.Nihita Biswas: Wife of Charles Sobhraj and claimed that the wedding took place inside a jail in Nepal, though the following day, jail authorities denied the same. Nihita Biswas is 22 years old and allegedly married Charles Sobhraj on 9 October 2008 on the occasion of Bada Dashmi inside the jail premises in Kathmandu where Sobhraj is presently lodged. Nihita’s mother – Shakuntala Thapa is Sobhraj’s criminal lawyer.
5.Shraddha Sharma: Indian television actress who has worked in Saarrthi and one more tv serial. Shraddha Sharma is an actress and model and best known for her tumultuous relationship with Ex-Bigg Boss contestant Raja Chaudhary.
6.Mandeep Bevli: Mandeep Bevli was an anchor with Headlines Today, specializing mostly in entertainment related news. Her firecracker wit and personality make her memorable to all she meets.
7.Raageshwari: She shot to fame with her portrayal of a naughty Sardaji on BPL Oye. Raageshwari Loomba was born on 25 July 1972 and is a pop singer, actress, model, television anchor and former MTV VJ. She was born in Mumbai to National Award winning musician Trilok Singh Loomba and his wife Veera. She did her schooling from Auxilium Convent High School. She has released many successful music albums and performed at numerous stage shows all over the world. From 2000-2001 she was diagnosed with and overcame Bell’s Palsy (facial paralysis).
8.Vida Samadzai: Miss Afghanistan 2003. The first Afghan woman to participate in an international beauty pageant Miss Earth 2003 since 1974. Vida Samadzai was born on 22 February 1978, and was Miss Afghanistan 2003, although her title was not officially recognized. Her participation in the Miss Earth beauty pageant in 2003 was condemned by the Afghan Supreme Court, saying such a display of the female body goes against Islamic law and Afghan culture. In particular, traditionalists objected to her appearance in a red bikini during the pageant's press presentation. She was born and raised in Khost province of Afghanistan, and moved to America in 1996. She speaks five languages fluently.
9.Mahek Chahal: A Bollywood actress and a Norwegian model. Mahek Chahal was born on 1 February 1979 in Norway. She is of Punjabi-Sikh origin and is an actress and model. She made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with a lead role in the film Nayee Padosan. She has since been featured in a number of music videos and has done major television commercials for brands like Godrej Refrigerator, Fevicol, Bombay Dyeing, Bar One Chocolate, amongst others.
10.Sonika Kaliraman Malik: Former national wrestler, and 6 month pregnant at the time of entering the show. Sonika Kaliraman is a professional wrestler and daughter of legendary wrestler Padma Shree, Arjuna Award winner Master Chandgi Ram. She is the first woman Bharat Kesari title-holder and 10 times National Wrestling Champion. She married NRI Siddhart Malik in February 2009 and is settled in California, USA. Presently, she is six months pregnant. She and her brother Jagdish have emerged among the best wrestlers in the country.
11.Pooja Misrra: Pooja Missra has been a VJ, talk show anchor and Page 3 socialite. She has previously participated in the reality show The Big Switch on UTV Bindass, where her fiery devil-may-care attitude led to quite a few fights with other participants.
12.Gulabo Sapera: A well-known singer-dancer from Rajasthan, famous for folk style. Gulabo has a Jazz band with Titi Robin and teaches in Copenhagen, Denmark. She broke age-old traditions when took her culture on-stage at the age of 12, which was heavily promoted by the Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. She is married to Sohan Nath , whom she converted in to a Kalbelia and has five children
13.Laxmi Narayan: A dancer, dance instructor, and a well-known transgender activist in India. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is a 32 year old transgender activist of international repute. She holds the distinction of being the only Hijra in the UN’s Civil Society Task Force on HIV/AIDS. She also works for the community through her campaign group ‘Astitva’.
14.Juhi Parmar: A TV personality and a versatile anchor, actress, television Presenter, singer and dancer. Juhi Parmar was born on 14 December 1980 in Ujjain to Devendra and Hemlata Parmar. She grew up in Jaipur, Rajasthan where she won the Miss Rajasthan title in 1999 and has been a TV personality, anchor, actress, Television Presenter, singer and dancer. She is married to television personality and businessman Sachin Shroff.
15.Amar Upadhyay: Indian model, film and television actor. The role which gave Amar his major breakthrough and is well known for is of Mihir Virani from the popular serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus channel. He enters the house on Day 8 as the second male contestant.
16.Siddharth Bhardwaj: Winner of MTV Splitsvilla along with Sakshi Pradhan. Presently, Siddharth is a VJ on MTV India. He is a part of Mtv Stripped ,Gone in 60 Seconds ,One short plot and Wassupri8 and Roadies 8.0. He entered the house on Day 15 as the third male contestant.
17.Akashdeep Saighal:alias "Sky"
'Serial' Bad Boy who played Amar Upadhyay’s son in "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" .Akash shot to fame as the winner of the Gladrags Manhunt contest in 1998. He is most popular for his role on the popular serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus. He is also a reality TV veteran of sorts, having participated in popular shows like Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao. Through these shows, he created an image of himself as an angry young man
18.Swami Agnivesh: Agnivesh (born September 21, 1939) is an Indian social worker, self-titled Arya Samaj scholar, and a Hindu social activist. He is best known for his work against bonded labour through the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, which he founded in 1981. Agnivesh also founded and become president of the World Council of Arya Samaj, which he describes as an associate of the original Arya Samaj, and served as the chairperson of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery from 2001 to 2004
19.Sunny Leone: Sunny Leone, whose real name is Karen Malhotra is an Indo-Canadian pornographic actress, businesswoman and model. She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003 and was a contract star for Vivid Entertainment. Named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010, she has also played roles in independent mainstream films and television shows.
