Host Salman Khan introduced 18 contestants and sent them inside the two houses of Colors' reality TV show Bigg Boss 11, which was launched on Sunday.
Most of the contestants on Bigg Boss 11 are popular faces from various TV serials and reality shows. Along with celebrities, some commoners have also checked into the house. Here are the profiles and photos of the 18 participants of Bigg Boss 2017.
Hina Khan: Born in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on October 2, 1987, Hina Khan completed her MBA from CCA School of Management in Gurgaon. She had made her acting debut in the TV industry with soap opera Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai in 2009. After eight long years, she decided to quit the show in 2016. In 2017, she joined Colors TV's Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 8 as a contestant where she finished up as the 1st runner-up. She made a guest appearance on several TV shows and was also a Celebrity Judge on Star Plus' Masterchef - Kitchen Ke Superstars in 2013.
Shilpa Shinde: She started her career with a negative role in Bhabhi in December 1999 and went on play important roles in Amrapali, Meher, Hari Mirchi Lal Mirchi, Chidiya Ghar, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai, Miss India, Hatim and Sanjeevani. She has acted in Dasari Narayana Rao's Telugu film Chhina and Suresh Verma's Shivani. She has also done an item song in the film Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi.
Hiten Tejwani: He is a popular TV actor, who was born in Mumbai on March 5, 1974. He is known for his performance in serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kutumb and Pavitra Rishta. He married his co-star Gauri Pradhan and has two children - daughter Katya Tejwani and son Neevan Tejwani. He has featured in many serials, reality shows and movies and has also won some awards for his acting.
Priyank Sharma: Hailing from Delhi, he is an engineering graduate and a well-known choreographer. He had hogged the limelight with MTV Roadies Rising and MTV Splitsvilla.
Mehjabi Siddiqui: Mehjabi Siddiqui is a commoner contestant in Bigg Boss 11 and one among the four padosis, who keep an eye on the celebrities. She says, "Raita failaungi main ghar mein, saaf woh log karenge."
Vikas Gupta: Born in Haridwar, Vikas is an Indian-American internet entrepreneur. He started his career at Amazon, where he led the payments and web services groups. He later founded an online company Jambool that was acquired by Google in August 2010. His latest venture is Play-i, which was started in November 2012.
Jyoti Kumari: She is the daughter of an office clerk from Patna. In her videos, Jyoti, who is someone who dares to dream, has made it clear that her father's status doesn't stop her from aiming big in life.
Shivani Durgah: She hails from Noida and is based in Mumbai. She is a self-proclaimed god-woman and holds two PhDs from Chicago University. She has founded organisations called Sarweshvari Shakti Women Akhara and Wicca, Tantra and Vodou Temple. She addresses herself as 'Singh Vahini'.
Sapna Choudhary: Hailing from a middle-class family in Haryana, Sapna made it to the news for her Haryanvi Ragini song which created quite a stir in North India. She was said to have hurt the sentiments of a particular caste with her Ragini. In fact, it was this song which landed her in legal trouble and the final verdict on the case is still pending. But Sapna has been granted bail. Later, it was her hot dance videos which went viral on digital mediums and she became a star on the social media circuit.
Zubair Khan: He is the son-in-law of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parker. But he refuses to be related to the dark world. Having left 'his family' back in 1997, he has been associated with filmmaking for the last 15 years. He produces films with Chandrapal Singh under the banner Garbage. In a video on Twitter, Zubair says, "Underworld se mera nikaah zarur hua hai par meri pehchaan maine khud banayi hai (I have got married to the underworld but I have made my own existence.),"
Benafsha Soonawalla: Born and brought up in Goa, Benafsha completed her post-graduation in Business Management. She began her career as a MTV VJ and was also seen in MTV Roadies X4 in 2016. She had also hosted MTV Campus Diaries. This petite lass, who stormed the Internet with her bold bikini pictures, is active on social media and has a huge fan following on her Instagram page. She is sure to raise the temperature on Bigg Boss 11.
Puneesh Sharma: He is a civil contractor in Delhi and recently moved to Gurgaon. He is also an investor in a chain of clubs in Delhi-NCR. In 2009, he had participated in Sarkar Ki Duniya and won the reality show, wherein he had to survive on a deserted island along with other participants. He loves to party and has a fast and exciting lifestyle. But he is excited to reinvent the idea of a commoner in the Bigg Boss house.
Akash Anil Dadlani: He is an Indian-born sportsman from the US and clinched the title of Tennis State Level Championship in Texas in 2009 when he was just 16 years old. At the age of 24, he entered the music industry and has worked with popular bands including Baby Doll fame Meet Brothers. He is known for his outgoing personality. He was already in the infamous underground jail when contestant Hiten Tejwani entered the house.
Luv Tyagi: He hails from Budhana, Rajasthan, but now resides at Roorkee, Uttarakhand. He is passionate about chess and thinks the life is a game of chess. He will be a neighbour who will make the life of housemates a hell.
Lucinda Nicholas: She is an Australian model, actress, writer and a qualified yoga instructor. She chanced upon modelling during her college days. She participated in the Miss World pageant and was crowned Miss World South Australia in 2010, when she was just 17. Later, she went on to work with top brands and starred in French producer Watermat's hit single Bullit and other popular music videos. She featured in an Australian film The Tail Job and Indian TV show Pardes Mein Hai Mera Dil. She debuted in Bollywood with Akshay Kumar's Boss and played a cameo with Ajay Devgan.
Arshi Khan: She was born in Afghanistan and her family migrated to Bhopal when she was four. She was spotted by theatre director Janab Ehsaan Chishti, who suggested her to take up acting as a profession. She was in news for slapping Bhojpuri artiste for touching her butt at MB Club in Lucknow in March 2015. She also made it to headlines, when she revealed that she had sex with Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi.
Bandgi Kalra: This gorgeous girl, who hails from Mumbai, has dashing looks and beautiful smile. She is active on social networking website – Instagram, where she has created a huge fanbase for herself by uploading her pictures.
Sabyasachi Satyapathi: He hails from Odisha and is a designer and TV personality based in Mumbai. He is the brother of former Ranji cricketer Jitu Satpathy. He is a big gamer and would love to play in the house making strategic moves.
