Sep 07, 2026 9:00am IST
‘Bigg Boss 20’ Premiere Highlights: Salman Khan Freestyles With Yung DSA, Mary Kom Gets Shoutout From Priyanka Chopra
“Bigg Boss 20” kicked off with its much-awaited premiere, an event eagerly anticipated by fans of the reality show. This year, there was considerable discussion around the contestant lineup, with loyal viewers feeling that some of the biggest names in television were missing. On the bright side, the season gave relatively lesser-known faces a chance to gain new fans through the show.
“Bigg Boss 20” began with Salman Khan showing off 20 moves from his iconic songs. The superstar host looked noticeably lean with the look for his upcoming film with Vamsi Paidipally, “Monster.”
Kanika Mann was the first contestant to enter the house. She made her entry with a dance performance. Mann was known for her work in serials such as “Guddan Tumse Na Ho Payegaa,” “Chand Jalne Laga” and “Naagin 7,” and is one of the strongest contestants in terms of on-ground popularity, thanks to her previous shows. Khan told her that his mother was a huge fan of the actress’ avatar as a dragon in “Naagin 7.” He also teased her about whether she would erupt inside the house. Rohed Khan and Kanika Mann appeared to hit it off from day one, hinting at a possible love angle this season.
“Mirzapur” and “Paatal Lok” actor Aasif Khan was also part of the show. Salman Khan appeared touched when the “Panchayat” actor spoke about his love for his mother. Qazi Touqeer Khan made a dashing entry as well. The singer, who had won the first season of “Fame Gurukul,” reiterated that he was a rockstar and said he was incredibly happy to be back in the spotlight.
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The best entry of the premiere night was reserved for Mary Kom. India’s sporting legend received every bit of the respect she deserved, with the highlight being a special message from Priyanka Chopra. As we know, Chopra had played the titular role in the boxer’s biopic, “Mary Kom.” She revealed that she had been a Salman Khan fan since childhood and even sang a few lines of “Dil Deewana” from the 1989 blockbuster “Maine Pyar Kiya.” Her sons, Rechungvar Kom and Khupneivar Kom, also accompanied her. Khan hugged Kom, who stated that she was not going to tolerate any nonsense inside the house.
Isha Rikhi’s promo gave viewers a glimpse of how she wanted to start afresh after the upheaval in her personal life. Salman Khan encouraged her and told her not to let anyone hurt her feelings. He also told her that “Bigg Boss 20” should be her priority right now. She was joined on stage by Rohed Khan. He was an Austrian citizen with roots in Afghanistan. He said he was Indian at heart and revealed that he had once gatecrashed a hotel’s security to meet Salman Khan.
Every premiere night, viewers get to see a contestant who openly swoons over Salman Khan. This time, it was Aamrapali Dubey. Fresh off “Bhojpuri Bawaal,” she was one of the strongest names in regional entertainment. The Bhojpuri actress was accompanied by her co-star Nirahua (Dinesh Lal Yadav), who came to see her off. He had previously participated in “Bigg Boss 6” in 2012. Dubey said Khan was the ultimate ‘Prem’ of her life.
While Mary Kom had the best entry, Salman Khan’s conversation with rapper Yung DSA (real name: Harsh Machare) was arguably the best part of the episode. Khan teased him by asking whether he was associated with any gang. The rapper’s reply that he was not affiliated with anyone had everyone in stitches. Yung DSA could emerge as the dark horse of the season. On stage, he was impressive with his humor, spontaneity and ease.
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Love Gill overtook Rhiya Ahir in the voting to enter the show. Khan reminded the two girls that they had been taking potshots at each other on social media. The other two contestants whose entries grabbed attention were Rhiti Tiwari and Mahhi Vij. Manoj Tiwari, who had been part of one of the early seasons of “Bigg Boss,” came to see off his daughter. Mahhi Vij, who had been part of several “Bigg Boss” judge panels, entered the show as a contestant this time around. She spoke about how motherhood had made her even more fearless and resilient.
The high points of the evening were undoubtedly Salman Khan’s energetic dance performance on 20 of his iconic songs, his conversation with Yung DSA, and the appearances by Nirahua and Manoj Tiwari. “Bigg Boss 20” got off to an edgy start, with housemates already being given a chance to send someone to the house of danger.
Mahhi Vij appeared to be positioning herself as the season’s first villain, with her no-nonsense approach and tendency to order others around already creating friction. Younger contestants wondered how they should address Mary Kom. However, Arifsha Khan quickly reminded Kom that everyone was equal inside the house. Isha Rikhi was also seen being vocal about her dislike for Mahhi Vij.
The premiere night was concise and featured some engaging contestant introductions. Overall, it was a decent start to the season, which seemed to be lacking some of television’s bigger names.
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