BIG BROTHER UP SET WITH BIGG BOSS FOR BELOW- THE- BELTSHOW.

THE reality TV show Bigg Boss 3 has drawn the ire of the information & broadcasting ministry. It has issued a showcause notice to Colors channel for offending good taste and the use of vulgar language in the show.

The ministry's notice reportedly comes in the wake of an episode last week in which housemates Shamita Shetty, Tanaaz Currim and Aditi Govitrikar pulled down stand- up comedian Raju Srivastava's shorts during a poolside party. Raju's rearside was of course pixilated and the comedian chose to grin embarrassingly and bear it.

But the authorities obviously do not share Raju's sporting mood.

" It has been brought to the notice of the ministry that certain parts of the reality show Bigg Boss 3 telecast and re- telecast on Colors channel are against good taste and decency and are not suitable for unrestricted public exhibition," says the notice.

The notice points out that certain housemates on the show have been abundantly using abusive language and that the visuals violate the government's programme code as laid down in the Cable TV Networks ( Regulation) Act 1995. Colors have to reply to the notice within five days, failing which the TRP topper show will be taken off air.

" The poolside incident is definitely a publicity gimmick. We should not forget that it was a party and the girls pulled off Raju's pants in jest. However, since this is a show for the family audience, the channel could have edited it," says Ashutosh Kaushik, winner of last year's Bigg Boss . Model Anupama Varma, who was a participant in the first season of Bigg Boss , agrees with Ashutosh. " It's a vulgar act and the channel should have avoided airing it. Television in India is primarily for the family audience and no joke should be taken so far. It puts off viewers in the long term. Also, such incidents can be embarrassing for the family members of the contestants," she says.

Others tend to think differently.

" It was just a practical joke. Aren't we all getting overtly hypocritical about issues related to nudity? If it scenes were pixilated, then why raise a hue and cry over them?" says ad guru Prahlad Kakkar.

Ironically, such below- the- belt antics have been a prime reason why Bigg Boss has been a hit over three seasons now.

This year, the bizarre drama, often bordering on the twisted, has helped Colors acquire a dominant position among all entertainment channels. The two- and- half hour launch episode of Bigg Boss recorded 4.6 TVRs, which is the highest opening rating for any reality show over the past two years.

Season 3 has also boosted the channel's Gross Rating Points, which measures audience size, to 338 -- a first for any Hindi general entertainment channel over the last 15 months.

According to TAM research data, Bigg Boss 3 has managed to reach 17.96 million people.

Just before the pant- pulling incident, housemate Kamal R. Khan got physical when he threw a bottle at fashion designer Rohit Varma after a round of expletive- laced bickering.

Kamal's boorish behaviour was of course taken note of, and he was thrown out of the show for his violent ways soon after.

Considering Bigg Boss 3 has been pitched as a family show, it shows gay designer Varma openly discussing the plight of transgenders and how he has been ostracised by his conservative family.

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