`Bigg Boss 5` opens today with a bang

Mumbai: As the fifth season of the much-hyped reality show `Bigg Boss` kickstarts from today, the suspense is growing over the new inmates even as Nihita Biswas, wife of convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj, actress-cum-reality TV star Pooja Bedi and actor Shakti Kapoor are said to be sure shot participants.

Nihita is Nepali wife of Sobhraj, who is in prison since his arrest in Kathmandu in 2003. Sobhraj has allegedly committed at least 12 murders. Pooja, who hogged into limelight with `Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar`, will be one of the contestants of the `Bigg Boss 5`. She was earlier seen in the reality shows like `Nach Baliye`, `Khatron ke Khiladi` and the most recent being `Maa Exchange. Known for often courting controversies, actor Shakti Kapoor is another contestant, while other names include actress Mahek Chahal, who was seen in Salman Khan-starrer `Wanted` and performed an item song in recently released film `Yamla Pagla Deewana`. Mahek hopes to stay in the house for the entire period and emerge as the winner. This will be her second reality show. She was earlier part of a Norwegian reality show where she was the only Asian participant, sources closed to the actress said. Shonali Nagrani, a model-turned-actress, has made appearances in films like `Dil Bole Hadippa` and `Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi` and has hosted a couple of TV shows as well. Actress Shraddha Sharma who had grabbed eyeballs for her alleged relationship with ex-beau Raja Chaudhary, estranged husband of television actress Shweta Tiwari is also participating in the show. Shradha was last seen in `Emotional Atyachaar` and `Love Lockup` on Bindaas channel, has been maintaining a low-profile for quite sometime. Celebrity transgender and social activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi has also made it to the list in keeping with the tradition. Earlier, the likes of actor Bobby Darling and designer Rohit Verma had represented sexual minorities in `Bigg Boss`. Laxmi was also seen in other reality shows like `Sach Ka Saamna` and `Raaz Picchle Janam Ka`. Among other participants are TV actress Juhi Parmar, best known for her role as the title character `Kumkum`, Raageshwari Loomba, a singer-actor-VJ, who acted in hit films, including David Dhawan`s `Aankhen` and `Main Khiladi Tu Anari`, Pooja Mishra, a model-VJ and a socialite who had earlier been part of `The Big Switch` on Bindass channel. International personalities like former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, Colombian singer Shakira and former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, are likely to enter the house at a later date. The 14 handpicked strangers will be locked in the house for about three months with over 55 cameras following their every move 24x7. The contestants will have to do all household chores right from cleaning the washrooms to cooking with a handful of morsel to waking up in the wee hours to obeying the `Bigg Boss` house rules. PTI