Upholding the Social Mirror: A Sociocultural Reading of Bigg Boss

Author(s)	Dr. Sovana Mukherjee
Country	India
Abstract	Bigg Boss, one of India’s most watched reality television shows, functions not merely as a spectacle of entertainment but as a cultural text that mirrors and negotiates the complexities of Indian social life. This study undertakes a sociocultural reading of Bigg Boss through the lens of sociology and cultural studies, analysing how the show constructs, contests, and normalises notions of class, gender, caste, morality, and power. By exploring the interplay between performance, surveillance, and identity, this chapter argues that Bigg Boss serves as a social mirror that reflects both the aspirations and anxieties of a rapidly transforming nation. Drawing on theories of symbolic interactionism, cultural hegemony, and the sociology of media, the study foregrounds the show as a space where the boundaries between reality and representation collapse, offering insights into the moral economy of contemporary Indian society. The chapter concludes that Bigg Boss embodies the contradictions of neoliberal India—valorising individuality while perpetuating collective conformity—thus revealing how popular culture both sustains and subverts dominant social narratives.
Keywords	Reality Television, Bigg Boss, Surveillance, Popular Culture, Symbolic Interactionism
Field	Sociology
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2025
Published On	2025-12-20
DOI	https://doi.org/10.70528/IJLRP.v6.i12.1882
Short DOI	https://doi.org/hbhfgk

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