Salman Khan
Salman Khan

Yes, it’s that time of the year again – Bigg Boss is back with season six, and with it is a host of new contestants. As with every year, my Twitter timeline was full of, “Who is ____?” tweets every time a new housemate was brought on stage, so if you still can’t seem to figure out who a certain contestant is – or you missed the show entirely – read on for the full round-up. And of course, don’t forget to check out the funniest moments from yesterday’s launch episode by MissMalini!

Navjot Singh Sidhu

Navjot Singh Sidhu (photo courtesy | Colors TV)
Navjot Singh Sidhu (photo courtesy | Colors TV)

Cricket commentator and former cricketer, Navjot Singh Sidhu is best known for Sidhuisms – his ridiculous one-liners that have achieved infamy, thanks mainly to Twitter. If you’ve not had the… uh, pleasure of listening to his commentary before, then be warned: he rarely shuts up and can spout off the kind of lines that will make you want to bang your head against a wall. Example: “If one-day cricket was pyjama cricket, then Twenty20 is underwear cricket.” Oh, and he’s also been found guilty of homicide.

Sana Khan

Sana Khan (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Sana Khan (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Sana Khan is a Tollywood actress (“I work down South” she tells us) with a penchant for introducing herself in the third-person (“This is Sana Khan.”) If you think she looks familiar at all, you may be remembering her from the Yeh Toh Bada Toing Hai ad. Besides that, she’s also done item numbers in films like Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and Bombay to Goa.

Vrajesh Hirjee

Vrajesh Hirjee (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Vrajesh Hirjee (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

The requisite house clown comes this year in the form of Vrajesh Hirjee, theatre and television actor you probably recognize for his comedic roles in the Golmaal series, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai and Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein. As MissMalini says, it seems like he’s already the camera hogger – a few steps into the house and he’s already spotted (and had an entire monologue with) the camera.

Sampat Pal Devi

Sampat Pal Devi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Sampat Pal Devi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Sampat Pal Devi is the founder and leader of the Gulabi Gang, a group of women vigilantes in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.

Urvashi Dholakia

Urvashi Dholakia (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Urvashi Dholakia (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Bringing up the string of TV actresses is Urvashi Dholakia, best known as Komolika from Kasautii Zindagii Kay. She’s the resident TV bad girl and we’ve gotta wonder if that’s gonna carry into the Bigg Boss house as well…

Aashka Goradia

Aashka Goradia
Aashka Goradia

Aashka Goradia shot to fame with her role as Kumud in Kkusum (God, remember that show? *facepalm*) and followed it up with a string of other TV shows. This is her fourth reality show and, let’s be real, will probably be her most famous.

Sayantani Ghosh

Sayantani Ghosh
Sayantani Ghosh

And to complete the TV Trinity (as Marv D’Souza calls it) is Sayantani Ghosh, who you probably know from Kumkum and Ghar Ek Sapna. The real question now, though, is how dramatic things are going to get with the three of them around – being direct competition and all, and not to mention being so used to the limelight on their respective shows.

Sapna Bhavnani

Sapna Bhavnani (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Sapna Bhavnani (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

We broke the news that she was entering the Bigg Boss house, and really, if there’s one contestant I’m very excited to see, it’s her. She’s one badass girl who has many titles to her name: celebrity hairstylist, producer, director, writer, photographer, DJ, the list goes on. Psst,  she’s also Ranveer Singh‘s half-sister (yes, he’s actually Ranveer Bhavnani).

Aseem Trivedi

Aseem Trivedi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Aseem Trivedi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Even if you didn’t know political cartoonist Aseem Trivedi up until a few weeks ago, you most likely have heard of him recently. He received a lot of attention when he made a cartoon parodying the Indian national emblem, and a case of treason was filed against him. Several people spoke up in defense of him – the very people who are now laughing at his decision to enter the Bigg Boss house.

Delnaaz Irani

Delnaaz Irani (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Delnaaz Irani (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

You know Delnaaz as Sweetu from Kal Ho Naa Ho, or perhaps her more recent stint on Kya Hua Tera Vaada (I wonder if the channel folks asked her that when she ditched the Sony show for Bigg Boss on Colors). She’s also the ex-wife of Rajeev Paul, which brings us to…

Rajeev Paul

Rajeev Paul (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Rajeev Paul (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Okay, now Bigg Boss is going to try to fake some sort of a patch-up to get the TRPs rolling – either that or some high intensity drama. Rajeev Paul entered the show claiming that he wants grace and dignity, but I just couldn’t help laughing at it all: grace and dignity. In the Bigg Boss house. Say it with me: L-O-L.

Dinesh Lal Yadav

Dinesh Lal Yadav (photo courtsy | Colours TV)
Dinesh Lal Yadav (photo courtsy | Colours TV)

The resident Bhojpuri star on this season’s Bigg Boss is Dinesh Lal Yadav, and he not only has several hit movies to his name, but also some music albums!

Niketan Madhok

Niketan Madhok (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Niketan Madhok (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Every season of Bigg Boss has to have one of these: the hottie of the Bigg Boss house, Niketan is a model who has walked the ramp for designers like Rohit Bal, Rocky S, Aki Narula, etc. He’s also apparently Salman Khan‘s friend, which is why he got the gig on the show – though I hear the term “friend” is a loose one, as I’m told he’s more of hanger on.

Karishma Kotak

Karishma Kotak (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Karishma Kotak (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

Karishma is a Kingfisher calendar girl and a model, and I really just can’t wait to see the drama she’ll have with the TV Trinity.

Kashif Qureshi

Kashif Qureshi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)
Kashif Qureshi (photo courtesy | Colours TV)

And now we come to the final contestant, the “common man” (’cause, you know, the rest are so uncommon… oh wait) Kashif is a martial artist from Hyderabad.

So let’s take a look at our contestants: a convict, an item girl, a divorced celebrity couple, a wacko lady who knows how to use her scissors, a martial artist, three dramatic television girls, two wannabe models looking for their ticket to fame (or infamy), a controversial cartoonist, the leader of a gang of women vigilantes… right. I am totally buying that this season of Bigg Boss is going to be parivaarik.