Bigg Boss’s season 16 is in its eighth week, and the drama is consistently increasing every day. In the 52nd episode of the high-voltage reality show, something unprecedented happened that forced the parents of housemates Shalin and Tina to react.
Sumbul Touqeer, one of the housemates at Bigg Boss house, was called to the confession room as the makers of Bigg Boss were informed about her father’s illness. As a courtesy, the makers allowed conversation between Sumbul and her father, but it turned out it was a setup, and the conversation between them was not about her father’s health but the recent events on the show.
During the conversation, her father categorically asked her to stay away from Shalin and Tina and instructed her to “show them their worth”. The comments, as well as the way it was set up, irked the Bigg Boss fans and received a lot of backlash on social media platforms. Many fans called it unfair to other contestants as Sumbul was allowed to speak with her father. Furthermore, the parents of Shalin and Tina also reacted to what happened in the episode.
Shalin Bhanot’s father was not pleased with how Sumbul’s father portrayed his son. He did not like the way Sumbul’s father addressed Shalin. He said, “Is this the way people speak on national television? Making unjustified offensive comments on national television against other participants is very, very cheap! And it’s more shocking that these comments and abuses were not edited out and rather shown. Sumbul is an adult, either you shouldn’t have sent her on the show, and if you have, then no outside guidance should be allowed as per the format. This is unacceptable!”
Tina’s mother also released a video message published on Tina’s social media account. She broke down during the message as her daughter was humiliated and abused on national television. In her message, she asked the viewers of the reality show if they felt it was appropriate for someone to insult and use derogatory remarks against her daughter on a public platform.
In her message, she said, “I am here to talk to you as I did not get a chance that others got on the show. My daughter was humiliated on national television. Her father told Sumbul to kick her face. What kind of message is this? Who gave him permission to humiliate and abuse my daughter on national television? Who are you to abuse my daughter? If your daughter is not playing the game right, does that mean you will abuse my daughter? Is this the duty of the parents? I want you all to think how a mother must be feeling whose daughter was abused and humiliated?”
Salman Khan criticised Sumbul for her ‘obsession’ with Shalin
The conversation between Sumbul and her father resulted from the recent ‘Weekend Ka Vaar’ episode, where Salman Khan criticised Sumbul Touqeer Khan for her ‘obsession’ with Shalin Bhanot inside the Big Boss House. For those who are not aware, in the 48th episode of the show, housemates MC Stan and Shalin got into a verbal fight after Tina got a sprain on her ankle. While both were concerned about her wellbeing, Stan used abusive words for Shalin when he denied leaving her injured foot. Shalin got irked by Stan’s action, and both exchanged abusive language consistently for minutes.
At one point, Stan got so angry at Shalin that he charged and almost hit him. Sumbul, lurking around as the fight between the two was going on, jumped into the fight and grabbed Shalin. All the housemates were trying to take Shalin and Stan away from each other, including her. However, things turned weird when Sumbul categorically denied leaving Shalin’s side when Tina asked her to leave the room as she wanted to calm Shalin down. Notably, Shalin and Tina have a good bond on the show. Though both are often seen getting angry at each other, they are often seen comforting each other.
On the other hand, Sumbul, seen not only by the fans but also by the makers as obsessed with Shalin, often tries to stay around him. Those following the show must remember how Sumbul’s father came to the show in the first week and talked ill about Tina and Shalin. Despite his instructions not to be friends with the duo, Sumbul continued to stay friends with Shalin, and her alleged obsession led to differences between Shalin and Tina. On several occasions, Salman Khan, Bigg Boss and Shekhar Suman, who interact with the housemates every Sunday, pointed out and hinted to Sumbul that she needed to maintain distance from Shalin, but it did not happen.
The unexpected setup by Sumbul’s family
Though the issue should have been resolved after the ‘Weekend Ka Vaar‘ episode (50th episode), the show’s makers were yet to get another shock from Sumbul’s side. As it has been portrayed, the makers of the show got a call from Sumbul’s family that her father was not well and he was hoping to talk to his daughter.
Bigg Boss called Sumbul into the confession room and told her about the situation. He told her that going out of the house to meet her father would mean leaving the show, so before she took any decision, they wanted her to talk to her father once. The conversation between Sumbul and her father immediately shifted to what happened during the ‘Weekend Ka Vaar’ episode.
He asked Sumbul to stay away from Tina and Shalin. He said, “You kick Tina’s face and tell her ‘aren’t you ashamed of yourself? I trusted you as a friend, and you are speaking ill about me?” He further added, “Friends should be like Fahmaan. Shalin and Tina are using you. They say one thing in front of you and another in the back. It is giving a wrong message to the public that an 18-year-old girl is obsessed with a 40-year-old man.” Fahmaan is Sumbul’s co-star in the show Imlie. There have been rumours that Sumbul and Fahmaan were dating. However, it was said that the two broke up right before Sumbul entered the Bigg Boss house.
He further said, “These rascals can do character assassination of anyone to win the trophy. They will kill you [he meant they would kill her chance to win the show].” He added, “You are a tigress. You cannot lose. Shalin and Tina are your enemies. These are the biggest enemies in the world. You get nominated every week. We will save you every week. This is a guarantee of your father. Show Shalin and Tina their worth on national television. Show them what you can do.”
Bigg Boss expressed displeasure
Following the conversation, Bigg Boss told Sumbul that whatever happened was unacceptable. He said, “This call was made under unusual circumstances. However, the conversation that happened was inappropriate. If something like this happens again, we will have to take strict actions.”