Every season of Bigg Boss, host Salman Khan often finds himself as central to the conversations as the contestants themselves. Season 19 is no different, with widespread speculation about his massive hosting fee, rumored to be around ₹150 crore, and discussions about his alleged favoritism towards some participants.
In a recent interview with India Today, Rishi Negi, a producer from Banijay Asia and Endemol Shine India, addressed these persistent rumors and fan observations.
Addressing Allegations of Bias:
Salman Khan has faced accusations of being overly harsh with some contestants while showing leniency towards others, with specific mentions of Amaal Mallik and Kunickaa Sadanand. Negi clarified that Salman makes an effort to watch the episodes, and when he can’t, he reviews key footage before filming begins. He also mentioned that Salman receives feedback from personal contacts who are regular viewers of the show.
“So, he has a huge buy-in on what’s happening in the house, what’s happening with the contestant. He has a point of view. We, as the creators of the show, have a point of view in terms of how we are viewing it. We also have a lot of audience feedback that keeps pouring in. So, putting all of that together is how we stitch the weekend together,” Negi explained, adding that such accusations are not new to Salman.
When questioned about whether the show’s team feeds information to Salman through an earpiece, the producer firmly stated that it’s “not possible” to make Salman say anything he doesn’t genuinely believe in.
On Salman Khan’s Reported Salary:
Regarding the substantial salary rumors, Negi chose not to confirm specific figures, deferring to JioHotstar for contractual details. He commented, “This contract is between him and JioHotstar, so I am not privy to that. But whatever the rumour is, whatever it is, he is worth every penny. For me, as long as he is there on my weekend, I am a happy person.”
Salman Khan has been the charismatic host of Bigg Boss since Season 4, briefly sharing hosting duties with Sanjay Dutt in Season 5. He has since continued to host the show solo, with other notable personalities like Farah Khan, Karan Johar, and Anil Kapoor having hosted different iterations of the popular reality series.