Malayalee House

Malayalee House was an Indian Malayalam-language reality TV show which aired on Surya TV. It was a South Indian Malayalam version of Big Brother. The first season started airing on 5 May 2013, and ended on 30 August 2013. Revathi was the host for the show. Rahul Easwar was declared the winner of the first season, followed by Sindhu Joy as first runner up and Thinkal Bhal second runner up.[1]

Malayalee House
Intertitle of Malayalee House, season 1
GenreEntertainment
Created bySurya TV
Presented byRevathi
Country of originIndia
Original language(s)Malayalam
No. of seasons01
No. of episodes85
Release
Original networkSurya TV
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Original release5 May (2013-05-05) –
30 August 2013 (2013-08-30)

Concept

Malayalee House is a reality show based on the original Dutch Big Brother format developed by John de Mol. A number of contestants (known as "residents") live in a purpose-built house and are isolated from the rest of the world. Each week, residents nominate one among them for eviction, and the resident who receives the most nominations has to leave the house. The residents in Malayalee House are famous personalities in their respective fields. All the rooms in Malayalee House are locked in the beginning of the show. A room will be opened when a contestant gets evicted. The room to be opened after an eviction will be decided by the contestants through voting.

The house

The Malayalee House was built exclusively for the show at a film studio in Hyderabad owned by actor Nagarjuna. The open area at the center of the house (Nadumuttam) is the center place for all house activities. There is a kitchen, prayer room, and several bedrooms in the house. The house has no TV connection, no phones, and no Internet connection or clocks. Residents were overseen by 30 close circuit television cameras (hidden behind mirrors) 24/7. The house was equipped with LCD displays/speakers through which instructions were given to the contestants. The contestants have named all the cameras and the main camera is called "Kanthaari".

Rules

The show consists of 16 'residents' who live together with the main intention of creating a show out of the space and time provided to them. Residents must evict the least liked participant, from the option given to them by the Anchor, based on the rule set (with consideration of the ratings and the response from TV viewers). The rules for the contestants have never been told to the audience. They cannot leave the premises unless they are evicted or due to special reasons (e.g. medical concerns). Some of the contestants may be 'planted' or 'guests'. The audience is made to keep guessing as to who is acting, fake or genuine.

Publication

The main television coverage took the form of a highlights programme aired on Surya TV at 8:00 PM (Mon-Fri). Each episode contains the main events of two days worth of previously recorded footage. The extra video footage that is not part of the daily episode are aired at 10:30 PM on the same day which is called Malayalee House -Kaanakazhchakal. The episodes were also uploaded to the Surya TV YouTube channel.

Contestants
CareerContestants
PoliticsSindhu Joy
SingerChithra Iyer
Harisankar Kalavoor
Sherrin Varghese
Social Activist and Media ProfessionalRahul Easwar
IntellectualG. S. Pradeep (GS)
DirectorSojan Joseph
Fashion ChoreographerDalu Krishnadas
ActorsNeena Kurup
Sneha Nambiar
Bindu Varapuzha
Rosin Jolly
Narayanankutty
Santhosh Pandit
ModelsSandeep Menon
Dr. Asha Gopinathan (Sasha)
Akshitha
Thinkal Bhal

Eviction

Eviction by inmates
  • In the first week, Bindu Varapuzha was eliminated by 11 votes.
  • In the second week, Akkshita was evicted by 9 votes.
  • In the third week, Harishankar Kalavoor was eliminated due to health reasons.
  • In the fourth week, Santosh Pandit was eliminated by 6 votes.

Up for public eviction the most times
Evictions facedHousemate(s)
8Sasha
5Thinkal Bhal, Rosin Jolly
4Sherrin Varghese, Rahul Easwar
3Neena Kurup, Sindhu Joy
2G. S. Pradeep
1Narayanan Kutty, Chitra Iyer, Dalu Krishnadas, Sandeep Menon, Sojan Joseph, Santhosh Pandit

Eviction pattern
ContestantWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 8Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12Week 13Week 14Week 15Week 16Week 17
Rahul EaswarNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedWinner
Thinkal BhalNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedFinalist
Sindhu JoyNominatedNominatedNominatedFinalist
Asha GopinathanNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedEvicted
Neena KurupNominatedNominatedNominatedEvicted
Rosin JollyNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedNominatedEvicted
G S PradeepNominatedNominatedNominatedEvictedGuest
Sherrin VargheseEntryNominatedNominated NominatedEvicted
Santhosh PanditEvictedRe-EntryEvicted
Sneha NambiarDisqualified
Sojan JosephEvicted
Sandeep MenonEvictedGuest
Dalu KrishnadasEvicted
Chitra IyerEvicted
NarayanankuttyEvicted
Harisankar KalavoorEntryEvicted
AkshithaEvictedGuest
Bindu VarappuzhaEvicted
     Not in MH      Wild Card Entry      Evicted week      Disqualified      In MH      Finalist      Winner

Timeline of events
  • Week 1 - Week 4: contestants held a poll to vote out another disliked contestant. Whoever got the maximum votes were evicted that week.
  • Week 3: Harisankar Kavaloor was eliminated for medical reasons.
  • Week 4: Santhosh Pandit was eliminated by 6 votes by other contestants
  • Week 5: Public voting began this week. Narayanan Kutty was eliminated. Due to huge public support Santhosh Pandit made a re-entry via wild card.
  • Week 6: Chitra Iyer was eliminated.
  • Week 7: Nominations were by playing a surprise game where each contestant is given a set of animal names which they had to match with other contestants. Those contestant whose names were not on the list went for nomination. Sherrin Varghese entered MH as a Planted Contestant.
  • Week 8: There was no eviction in this week. Rosin Jolly was removed for some time to make the contestants believe she had been eliminated. However, she returned after a few hours.
  • Week 10: For the first time Saasha was not nominated for eviction.
  • Week 11: Rahul nominated three contestants for elimination (Asha Gopinathan, Santhosh Pandit and Sherrin Varghese). Thinkal Bhal was automatically nominated. Sneha Nambiar was asked to leave the house for violating rules. Santhosh Pandit was evicted this week.
  • Week 12: There was no eviction this week as a Ramadan gift for the nominees.
  • Week 13: Sherrin was evicted. The contestants played a game to win a Renault Duster SUV.
  • Week 14: Rahul won the SUV. Akshita made a re-entry as a Guest. There was no eviction.
  • Week 15: All the inmates were nominated for Week 16 elimination. Sandeep Menon made a guest appearance.
  • Week 16: A new competition was held for a Tata Nano car. Ridhi made a guest appearance in the house. G S Pradeep was evicted. Sindhu Joy won the Nano Car task.
  • Week 17: MH completed 100 days on 13 August 2013.

Inmates voted against
ContestantWeek 1Week 2Week 3Week 4Week 5Week 6Week 7Week 8Week 9Week 10Week 11Week 12Week 13Week 14Week 15Week 16Week 17
Rahul EaswarSanthosh?SashaSanthoshSanthoshSashaThinkalSherrinThinkalSherrin, Sasha, SanthoshSherrinSherrin
Thinkal Bhal??ChitraPradeepRosinPradeepRosinSashaSojanRosinRosin
Sindhu JoyBindu?SanthoshSanthoshChitraSashaSherrinThinkalSashaSasha
Asha Gopinathan??ChitraSnehaSanthoshPradeepThinkalNeenaThinkalSindhuRosin
Neena Kurup??SashaPradeepNarayananSashaThinkalSashaSojanSashaRahul
Rosin Jolly??SashaNarayananNarayananSandeepSashaSherrinThinkalSashaSherrin
G. S. PradeepAkshithaAkshithaSanthoshNarayananSashaSashaNeenaThinkalSashaRahul
Sherrin VargheseSashaSashaSojan Rahul
Santhosh PanditAkshitha?PradeepNarayananRosinSherrinSojan
Sneha NambiarBindu?SashaNarayananSanthoshSashaSashaSandeepThinkal
Sojan Joseph??ChitraNeenaSandeepNeenaSashaNeenaThinkal
Sandeep MenonBindu?ChitraRahulSanthoshChitraRosinRahul
Dalu Krishnadas??ChitraSanthoshSanthoshChitra
Chitra Iyer??SashaNarayananNarayananPradeep.
Narayanan Kutty??ChitraSanthoshSanthosh
HarisankarKalavoor
AkshithaBinduPradeep
Bindu VarappuzhaAkshitha

Youtube hits

From the initial episodes itself, the program received very good viewership (approximately 0.25 - 0.3 million per episode) in the Surya TV YouTube Channel.[2] However, the view count hit below 0.2 million from approximately days 40-50 (eviction week of Chitra Iyer). Later, though, for a brief period, the view count could hit above 0.2 million. From approximately days 70-80 (eviction week of Santhosh Pandit and the disqualification of Sneha Nambiar) the viewership again fell below 0.2 million.

Controversies and criticism

Contestants allowed contact with outside world

Even though the second title of Malayali House indicates that there is no connection to the outer world, Pradeep's wife came into Malayali House on 19 June 2013. The episode shows G S Pradeep and his wife use a secret code language to communicate with each other about the outside world and the viewers' opinions. Also, Pradeep's kids, Souparnika and Suryanarayanan; Sojan's kids, Chelsa and Crisa; and Sneha's kids, Varun and Tarun were in Malayali House on the 6th week. In later weeks, more guests were introduced into the house, including Neena's daughter Pavithra. Rahul and Sneha won a contest and were allowed to go out of MH to a mall to view a movie. There, Sneha contacted the outside world using a stranger's phone. She did this in a restroom where there were no crew members. Later, she was disqualified for breaking the rules. Thinkal's sister and Sasha's mother are also allowed in the house as guests.

Accusations of rigged evictions

MH was recorded two weeks before it was aired. Therefore, the program completed 100 days on 13 August 2013 but this final episode was aired on 26 August. In spite of this fortnight-long lag, the show had listed contestants for eviction on Facebook and through SMS. Since the broadcast events had already taken place, public votes had no effect, but this was not made clear.

Producers brought in Sherrin Varghese as a planted guest. The viewers were never informed of this. Sherrin Varghese was kept in all the eviction nominations, even though MH had no intention of removing him through public voting.

The hosts of the show decided to invite a public poll for the eviction of housemates from the 5th week onwards. But, one of the housemates Santhosh Pandit was having the maximum audience support and was evicted in the 4th week by Anand. The audience of the show widely claim that this was a planned move by hosts of the show to evict Pandit. The public support suggested that Pandit was perhaps better off than some of the other participants who have been exposed through the show.[3] Later the makers of the show admitted that evicting him was a mistake.[4] The makers of the show surprised the audience and housemates by bring back Pandit as a wildcard entry to the house at the end of the 5th week in a dramatic way. He was introduced back by lowering him from the top with the help of a crane.[5] Santosh Pandit was evicted again on 11th week by public voting.

There has been an outcry on the internet over the eviction of Dalu Krishnadas, Sandeep Menon and Santhosh Pandit. During the nomination of Dalu, a Facebook poll in Surya TV channel showed the maximum votes of eviction to Neena Kurup and Thingal Bhal. In spite of receiving a huge number of votes for eviction, Neena was not evicted and Dalu was shown going out of the house. Sandeep Menon suffered a similar fate. During the eviction of Santhosh Pandit the second time, the following votes were received by the contestant for eviction in Facebook: Santhosh Pandit (199), Sherrin Varghese (780), Thinkal Bhal (270), and Asha Gopinathan (227). In spite of receiving the lowest votes, Santhosh Pandit was asked to leave the house. There was an outcry on Facebook and their YouTube channel about the eviction. It became very evident that the show was trying to protect some contestants by the 12th week. Two instances of elimination were canceled when Rosin Jolly was nominated, much to the disdain of the public.

Criticism from women's groups and on social media

Many women’s organisations such as the Women Commission of Kerala. The commission has asked for an explanation from Surya TV and discussed the matter in a meeting at Thiruvananthapuram. It concluded that some participants are degrading female participants in the show. Social media was full of criticism about supposed tastelessness.[6] Earlier, the Democratic Women’s Association and DYFI opposed this programme and asked for it to be banned.[7] "All the women are prostitutes and the men skirtchasers," said one transliterated comment by a man on one of the MH clips. "Oh, what shame. Please remove the word Malayalee from the title," said a woman.[8]

A case was filed by Endemol Group, the makers of the popular reality TV show Bigg Boss, against the Malayalee House makers (Sun TV and Vedartha Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.) for copying the production format of Bigg Boss. Endemol filed a suit in Bombay High Court against Sun TV Network Ltd. and four others, seeking an injunction to restrain them from exploiting, telecasting, publicizing or continuing to telecast the reality show Malayalee House which had allegedly infringing the Group's copyright in the production format of Bigg Boss.[9]

References
  1. Pillai, Gayathry V (31 August 2013). "Rahul Easwar - Malayalee House Winner - Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. "Surya TV Youtube channel".
  3. "Santhosh Pandit lauded in Malayali house".
  4. "Santhosh is waiting. Malayalee house to call back". www.reporteronlive.com (in Malayalam). 2 June 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013.
  5. "Mr.Santhosh Pandit coming back to MH".
  6. "Malayali House under attack". Deccan Chronicle. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  7. "Kerala women's commission against Malayali House". Dcbooks.com. 29 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  8. Manayath, Nithin (19 August 2013). "Why We Keep Watching Malayalee House and Bigg Boss - Yahoo! News India". In.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  9. "Bigg Boss makers seek stoppage of telecast of Malayalee House".
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