Sep 23, 2026 11:30am IST
‘Bigg Boss Bangla’ Host Sourav Ganguly: ‘I Cannot Copy Salman Khan’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Sourav Ganguly’s career as a TV host has been as illustrious as his cricketing one. After nine seasons of “Dadagiri Unlimited,” Ganguly has taken on the mantle of hosting “Bigg Boss Bangla.” He admits that making the switch needed a bit of deliberation, “Well, I’ve seen it for a long time. Obviously not on a daily basis, but whenever I’ve got time. It took me a little time to agree because I was hosting a different show for the last 10 years. But then I felt I needed to change and everything Star does, they do so well.... It was a good opportunity to be involved with them after my long association with them in cricket. I thought this was something I should do, and that’s how it started. It’s about an opportunity and me accepting it.”
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“Bigg Boss” is synonymous with Salman Khan, and his Weekend Ka Vaar is much awaited; Ganguly’s weekend episodes are christened as Dadar Dorbar. Ganguly reveals he has not taken any pointers from the Hindi host, “I’ve met Salman only once at a function in Kolkata. I’ve never interacted with him on the ‘Bigg Boss’ set, although I’ve seen him host. He has his own way, he’s different. Sourav Ganguly cannot do the same thing as Salman Khan. We are different people with different personalities. He hosts in his way, and I will do it my way. I think it’s the same with the other hosts as well, across versions.”
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Ganguly’s hosting and commentary have always got a good response. He tells Variety India, “I watch a lot of cricket on TV. I don’t watch many television shows. I’ve been on television for a long period of time, so I understand the audience. I like watching movies. But if you’re asking me about one television show and one person who probably helped me understand television and how to host in the early days, I would say it’s Mr. Bachchan on ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. My show (“Dadagiri Unlimited”) was pretty similar to that - questions and answers. I used to follow him a little, and then, obviously, I did it my way. I can’t copy Salman in 'Bigg Boss.' So, I host it my way, and hopefully people will like it.”
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