Yes, I recommend contestants

Last year, you said that Bigg Boss will be parivarik — it was anything but that with the likes of Imam Siddiqui using abusive language...
Tell me a family in which there are no fights? And what abuses are you referring to.  Which abuse of Imam do you remember? Yes, sometimes when it goes overboard, I try to restrain them, but some things people seem to like.

Today Imam is very popular and he is getting work in the same genre he has his own show! Now, whether it’s his personality or his performance, it is working for him. So, what does that mean? People want to see such things.

This year you seem to be spicing up the show with the heaven and hell theme..
Basically, the format of the show will remain the same. But to spice up the show and tweak it up, they came up with this jannat and jahannum theme and I thought it went very well with the show.

There is always something good and bad happening in everyone’s lives. We all believe in hell and heaven and it is all concentrated in this one house.

What keeps bringing you back to the show?
The fact that people like the show and that it deals with us as human beings. The problems in the house are similar to the ones that we all have in our households. The show doesn’t go out of the house, which is interesting.

We watch it for entertainment, for fights, for our favourite contestants and sub-consciously we relate to it at some level. When  you don’t like the way someone behaves, you are upset and when somebody does something that you like, you say ‘how sweet’. It happens to you in you everyday life too and you connect to that.
 
What have been the ‘aw’ and ‘vow’ factors in your life?
All the personal incidents in my life have been vow so far! I hope aw aaye hi nahi, aaye toh jhel lenge. 

Is it true that you recommend contestants?
Yes, I do. I have been in the industry for 27 years, have worked and interacted with a lot of people. I know their characteristics, and how they will fit into the show. The channel officials listen to me and do take them, if not the same year, the next, which is why I don’t know whether I will see him/her in the show. They tell the recommended contestants not to mention it to me. Instead, they give me false names.

I think Alvira (Salman’s sister) told them not to tell me as I will spread the word! First time they did this to me, I was really upset. I had told my friends, yeh jaa raha hai, who jaa raha hai and even prepared my questions accordingly but then I saw some faces that I had not seen in my entire life! It was weird.

Which TV shows do you watch?
My mother is a big fan of Madhubala. She likes the girl Drashti (Dhami). So, I watch that with her. Also, I am not the kind of guy who surfs channels. Whatever is on, I watch even if it is a South Indian show!

Who would you like to be the big boss to?
Mein agar apni sun loo to bahut accha hai!