Bigg Boss Malayalam 7's Sarika KB: It was one of the worst seasons ever, I regret being a part of it

Bigg Boss Malayalam 7 concluded weeks ago, but the buzz around the show continues. From roadshows for the finalists to contestants making controversial statements about former inmates, the controversies seem never-ending. Amid all this, we spoke with former contestant and interviewer Sarika KB, who received mixed responses for her outspoken stint in the house. Here’s everything the viral Hot Seat anchor had to say.Sarika, a well-known interviewer, was one of the most anticipated contestants of the season. However, soon after her entry, an old interview of hers criticizing Bigg Boss, which she once claimed to “hate,” resurfaced and caught viewers’ attention.“Though I wasn’t a fan, I started watching Bigg Boss from the 5th season as part of my job. My initial idea about the show was that it’s negative and doesn’t contribute anything good to society. Later, when I was getting a lot of negative publicity because of my interviews, many suggested I join Bigg Boss. I thought, why not? I already had a negative image, so there was nothing to lose. And honestly, I was curious to know how the show actually works. Plus, as I said in my introduction video, I genuinely wanted to bring a change to the show,” she said.Different from previous years, this season introduced the unique concept of 7nte Pani, where Bigg Boss himself gave tough challenges to the contestants. From restricting access to their own clothes to surprise mid-week suspensions, the season is considered one of the toughest. “It was just four days before the entry that the crew asked us to bring clothes for 100 days. Right then, I sensed something fishy. It wasn’t just 7nte Pani, it was double of it. The first couple of weeks were literally hell. Bigg Boss played us all. If anyone deserves the trophy for this season, it’s Bigg Boss and Lalettan,” Sarika said.One major twist that shocked both viewers and contestants was the mid-week suspension, a task where housemates nominated each other for a quick eviction without audience votes. Sarika and Oneal Sabu were temporarily suspended.“I didn’t shed a tear during the original eviction, but this one broke me. We enter the house knowing a weekly eviction will be decided by audience votes. But getting removed just because your inmates want you out, while some who didn’t even perform stayed, was extremely hurtful. I cried out of shame. The two and a half days outside the house were worse. Even though I was in a hotel with good food, my mind was still in the house. We kept wondering whether we would be allowed back in or leave with shame. Until the moment we got into that auto to re-enter the house, my mind was wandering,” she shared.Sarika said her most memorable moment was staging the Hot Seat with Kalabhavan Sariga, one of the most talked-about incidents during her stint.“Hot Seat is a roasting show, and we stage an imaginary post–Bigg Boss interview there. So I had to frame questions about Sariga’s journey in the house. She herself asked me to interview her, and everyone, including her, took it sportively at first. But hours later, Sariga came and criticized me for the questions. Then, as expected, everyone who didn’t even know the issue started blasting me. I felt like I was put in a furnace. I apologised to Sariga and her family. What made me happy, though, was when Mohanlal mentioned that it was Sariga who couldn’t handle such an interview. He also gave me a chance to do the same on the weekend episode. It felt like the show finally recognized my profession, which was often criticized and shamed,” she said.Despite topping TRP charts, the season received heavy criticism for controversial and reportedly indecent acts. Sarika openly stated that she regrets being part of it.“As a viewer, I’d say this season was full of contestants without any quality. The TRPs may have been high, but there was no quality content. Most contestants were aggressive and inhuman, with no respect for Bigg Boss or even Lalettan. Even now, we can’t pick a single quality contestant from the season. I regret being part of a season that couldn’t give meaningful content to family audiences,” she shared. “It was the paid PR outside that made the show this bad. Many had PR, and I’m not against that. But this year, rather than promoting their own contestants, PR teams focused on destroying others. Bulk voting and eliminating deserving contestants… bullying and character assassination, it all went too far. My genuine request to future contestants is: only join the show if you can afford PR. And to the makers, please reduce the weightage of public votes to 20% and let 80% depend on the contestant’s game,” she added.Soon after Anumol lifted the trophy, controversies erupted online claiming her win was due to paid PR and not genuine gameplay. Sarika seemed to agree.“I’m not satisfied with the winner. Anumol hasn’t done anything inside the house to deserve the title. There were better gamers like Aryan, Gizele, and Binny. It’s a shame that someone like Anu, who mostly played the victim card, cry-baby card, and did nasty acts, became the winner. What a shame, winning a show while people say you don’t deserve it! Haters may say we’re jealous of Anumol. Frankly, it’s not jealousy. It’s sad that someone who bullied, hurt, and character-assassinated others became the winner. Well, karma is there. If she deserved it, let her rise. If we’re speaking out of jealousy, let us face the consequences,” Sarika concluded.