BIGG BOSS- SALUTE THE TECHNICLE TEAM

With an overall budget of Rs.115 crore, Bigg Boss is the most expensive reality show on Indian TV. The compound in which the house is built is owned by ABC Bearing Limited and is guarded like a fort. Only if your name is on the list approved by the show's production head, Sarvesh Singh, will you be allowed through the heavy metal gates. Deepak Dhar, managing director of Endemol India, the production house behind the show, refers to the compound as the headquarters of the like community. Inside, two rules apply: No honking and talking only in whispers.


Since nothing on the show is scripted, the crew members wait patiently for that priceless moment which will probably make or break the episode. In its seventh season, the daily show's trps range from 2.3 to 2.7, making it one of the most popular shows on TV. But patience is not the only quality common to the 500 people behind the scenes who make the show happen. Hard work and endurance are also mandatory given that this year's edition will last 104 days as opposed to last season's 97. Bigg Boss season seven will require the team to work non-stop for four months. "We never give a perspective. We just document what happens in the house," says Malaya Pradhan, editor-in-chief, who is responsible for the daily episodes.

In the projection control room, the story editor sits with his team. The story editor, who works on a four-hour shift, is the leader of the pack. He or she controls a switchboard, which has access to all the doors in the house and other key facilities such as the geyser and motor of the swimming pool. There's a notebook in which he or she notes the most interesting developments of the day. The short-listed material is presented for approval to the daily producer, who discusses it further with the editors in one of the 15 editing rooms.

Pradhan, 40, approves the final 44-minute cut that is aired on TV. It is then dispatched to the channel via high-speed broadband Internet, in most cases three hours before its scheduled screening time of 9 p.m.

Neighboring hotels are almost entirely occupied by employees of Endemol India. "It is a big human resource exercise," says Dhar. "You need to love being away from home for four-five months." Apart from the six hotels, there are two residential buildings in the ABC compound for the cooks, spot boys, light crew and security guards. Bungalows are leased and rooms in Lonavala's sole five-star hotel Fariyas are booked when big executives from Colors or other VIP guests drop by.(SOURCES)