Latest news with #StarMaa
Pink Villa
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Bigg Boss Telugu All Season Winners: From Siva Balaji to Nikhil Maliyakkal, contestants who created history
Bigg Boss Telugu has become one of the most-watched reality shows over the years, captivating countless audiences. It follows the format of the original Big Brother franchise, which was first developed in the Netherlands. BB Telugu began airing in 2017, and there have been 8 seasons so far. The show has been hosted by some of Tollywood's leading stars, including Jr NTR, Nani, and, most recently, Nagarjuna Akkineni. One of the iconic aspects of BB Telugu is its mix of contestants from both celebrity backgrounds and ordinary people, who clash and compete during various tasks as housemates. Bigg Boss Telugu: All Season Winners and Runners-Up Season 1 (July 2017) Winner: Siva Balaji Runner up: Aadarsh Season 2 (June 2018) Winner: Kaushal Runner up: Geetha Season 3 (July 2019) Winner: Rahul Runner up: Sreemukhi Season 4 (September 2020) Winner: Abhijeet Runner up: Akhil Season 5 (September 2021) Winner: VJ Sunny Runner up: Shanmukh Season 6 (September 2022) Winner: Revanth Runner up: Srihan Season 7 (September 2023) Winner: Prashanth Runner up: Amardeep Season 8 (September 2024) Winner: Nikhil Runner up: Gautham Most popular winners of BB Telugu Siva Balaji Siva Balaji emerged as the first-ever winner of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 1. After tough competition from all other housemates, he claimed victory and took home a prize of Rs. 50 lakhs. Interestingly, his win over the first runner-up was by a narrow margin. Siva received 3.34 crore votes, while Aadarsh secured 3.25 crore votes. Kaushal Manda Kaushal Manda won Bigg Boss Telugu Season 2, hosted by Jr NTR. His aggressive and unapologetic gameplay became a major talking point during the show. A surprising moment came when he squeezed lemon into a housemate's eyes as part of a task. Following this, Kaushal's popularity soared, with fans rallying massive support. This led to the rise of his huge fanbase outside the BB house, known as the Kaushal Army—though it was later shut down amid fraud allegations. Nikhil Maliyakkal Bigg Boss Telugu Season 8 winner, Nikhil Maliyakkal, kept fans on the edge of their seats with his nail-biting gameplay until the very end. Hosted by Nagarjuna, the show saw Nikhil lifting the trophy and winning not only prize money but also a luxury car. His victory sparked intense debates online, with netizens accusing the hosts and Star Maa channel partners of bias. Many demanded that Gautham be declared the winner, calling Nikhil's win an act of partiality. BB Telugu prize money trends over the seasons Besides the strategic gameplay, Bigg Boss Telugu has also attracted attention for the rewards and prize money awarded to its winners, which have fluctuated over the years. The show began with a prize of Rs. 50 lakhs for Season 1, but the amount has seen both decreases and increases since then. For example, Bigg Boss Telugu 8 offered the highest prize money yet, with the winner taking home Rs. 55 lakhs. In some seasons, the winner's package included additional rewards like a new car, adding to the overall value. Furthermore, strategic rules such as the Immunity Boosters introduced in Season 6 affected prize money, as contestants who used their prize cheques to buy immunity faced deductions from their final winnings. Conclusion Fast forward to now, all eyes are on the next season of Bigg Boss Telugu. There's a strong buzz about Nagarjuna Akkineni being replaced as the host of the upcoming season. A report by Siasat claims that Vijay Deverakonda is being considered for the role, though nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Overall, the show continues to evolve—its strategies, tasks, and even the iconic BB house layout have changed over time—keeping viewers hooked with every season.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
19-year-old Pravasthi Aaradhya gets bullied after she alleges harassment from singer Sunitha on TV show Padutha Theeyaga
19-year-old singer Pravasthi Aaradhya shocked everyone by posting videos on Instagram, accusing the judges and production team of Padutha Theeyaga Silver Jubilee Series of harassment, bias, and body shaming. She singled out singer Sunitha Upadrashta, in particular, for being biased against her and claims to have been bullied by her fans after she decided to expose some behind-the-scenes instances on the TV show. (Also Read: MM Keeravaani says Oscar-winning Naatu Naatu from RRR is not his 'best' song: 'Global recognition has come…') In the video Pravasthi posted online, she claims that despite winning Star Maa's Super Singer in 2024, she decided to participate in Padutha Theeyaga Silver Jubilee this year for better exposure. She also claims that when she took part in the show, when SP Balasubrahmanyam was alive, she had a completely different experience. Calling out Sunitha, she said, 'Sunitha garu always looked disgusted whenever I came on stage. She also badmouthed me to Keeravaani garu about my talent. When she said that, my earpiece was plugged in, and she didn't know it.' Pravasthi then stated that lyricist Chandrabose was 'initially appreciative' of her, but he soon changed too. As for music composer MM Keeravaani, Pravasthi claims she was hurt by some of the comments made on the show that she felt were intended for her. 'He was very biased towards melodies and his compositions. When I got eliminated, he looked at me and commented on how he disliked singers performing at weddings. Everyone there knows I do that due to my financial situation. He also used the word 'chakiri' (colloquial word for job) when describing the singers who work for him, which felt off.' Pravasthi also stated that while she was advised not to make the video, she has no hope of making a living in the industry anymore and hopes no one else has to face what she did. 'They treated me like I was worthless and cracked jokes about my body. I did not expect this from them at all because I have participated in numerous singing shows. The production often pressured me to wear sarees and tie them low to expose my navel. Even the costume designer told me to my face he couldn't dress me better because of my body. My self-esteem and confidence have taken a hit.' A post shared by @pravasthi_aaradhya The young singer also told Big TV that Sunitha addressed her mother as 'nuvvu' (informal you) instead of 'meeru' (formal you) and it was disrespectful. She also alleged that the show was scripted, with songs being changed last minute to control some eliminations. Pravasthi also told ABN Telugu that when her mother tried to get her off the stage because she didn't like how everything went down, host SP Charan (SPB's son) told her she couldn't leave till they allowed her to leave and tugged on her hand. After Pravasthi put up the videos, she addressed those claiming she's only creating a fuss because she got eliminated from the show. She said, 'Eliminate ayyanu ani nen ivanni cheyyatledu. (I'm not doing this because I got eliminated) I've gotten eliminated from other reality shows but I've never made a scene. Ippud enduk chesanu ante anyayam ga chesaru kabatte nen antha matladenu. (I am only speaking out now because I was treated unfairly)' She put up another post on her Instagram stories, asking Sunitha's fans to back off. Her post reads, 'To all the Sunitha garu fan accounts who are bullying and threatening me, first meeru celebrities ni gods laga treat cheyyadam aapandi. Valu kuda mee laga naa laga humans ee. (first stop treating celebrities like gods. They are humans like me and you).' She added, 'Don't discredit my feelings because you like their voice or talent. Talent veru oka human heart veru. Naku aina experience nenu cheppanu. (Talent is different from the human heart. All I've done is share my experience) So please stop bullying me.' Sunitha, MM Keeravaani, Chandrabose, SP Charan and the production team, Gnapika Productions, have yet to respond to Pravasthi's allegations.
