Indian reality show "Big Boss" is getting more and more controversial. After five seasons of fights and outrage involving celebrities in the show, the latest season will see children and teenagers participating in the big fights.
According to recent reports, season 6 will now target children and teens to expand its fan-base.
The report has sparked debate in the industry on whether it's okay to cast children and teens in the show which is high on glamour, drama, politics, not forgetting the imprisonment for months in a house with some strangers.
The idea has been slammed by some ex-inmates of the show.
"I don't think it's a good idea at all. The purpose of the show is to put the housemates under such extreme physical, mental, emotional stress that they crumble, thus providing drama and content. I don't think it's correct to put a child through this," Hindustan Times quoted actor Ashmit Patel, who was an inmate in season 4, as saying.
"I wouldn't want fragile teens or innocent children to be a part of this war zone," Afghan beauty Vida Samadzai, an inmate in season 5, said.
When the newspaper consulted psychiatrists for the idea, they too denied saying that it's not good to expose kids to so much stress.
"I would not recommend children to be part of such a show. Confinement of any kind adversely affects a child's intellectual pursuits. And I think the channel should not try to encash the vulnerability of kids for TRPs," HT quoted Dr Jitendra Nagpal as saying.
While some inmates slammed the idea, some think that if handled properly then it might just serve as a good exposure for the kids.
"Children need to be nurtured and loved, so if Bigg Boss promises tons of love and emotional protection to children, then it would be interesting to learn from them," singer Raageshwari Loomba, an inmate in the season 5, said.
