Bigg Boss Season 20 Episode 17: The episode had a very specific Bigg Boss energy where a conversation about who gets the ration somehow becomes a conversation about friendship, betrayal, contribution, loyalty and eventually whether being a good person is actually worth anything at all.
Bigg Boss Season 20 Episode 17 Review
Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Gullu was seen speaking to Love, which was not appreciated by Love’s friends. After Gullu was involved in the decision that cost Yung one of his life, Amrapali called out the contradiction, pointing out that one probably should not be giggling around with someone who has played against your friend.
A tiny moment but very Bigg Boss: even though there was a sudden tension within the group, Love was seen hugging things out with her friends by the same night.
Gullu Has Been Through His Own Kind of Breaking
Before the ration drama took over, Gullu opened up to Qazi about a very personal chapter of his life: Gullu spoke about his divorce. He spoke about coming out of what he described as a low phase, saying that he knew things would eventually get better once the period was over. There was something stark about hearing him talk about it without trying to turn it into an inspirational speech.
Gullu revealed that he was in a marriage and wanted to end it, while the other party did not want to, but he knew it was the right way for him. He said, “Waise dil nahi toota. Kisiko bata nahi sakte kyunki sabko woh cheez lag rahi thi galat aur sirf mujhe lag rahi thi sahi mere liye; mujhe woh step uthana tha apne liye” (transl. I was not heartbroken. I could not tell anyone about this because everyone felt it was wrong, but I felt that it was the right step for myself). He mentioned how it is difficult to share about it, as people even make fun.
He spoke about his family cutting him off at one point. Interestingly, he did not frame this entirely as a story about people wronging him but rather acknowledged that from where they stood, they had their reasons and were right in their own place. Qazi then said that his family would now be proud of him.
He revealed that the marriage was not a love marriage and spoke about how even today there are places where people get married very young, irrespective of gender.
Bigg Boss Gives Another Chance to Earn the Ration
Then came the real task as Bigg Boss gave the housemates an opportunity to earn ration, but of course with a task attached. The housemates who still had two lives intact had to rank themselves.
Everyone unanimously decided to put Qazi in the first position. Then came ranks 10 and 9, which were given to Isha Rikhi and Rhiti Tiwari, respectively, but after everyone was placed, Rhiti was not particularly accepting of the spot and argued that she did more than Mary Kom and therefore deserved rank 8, which meant Mary Kom moved to 9.
This is where the task stopped being a simple ranking game because the entire angle of contribution sneaks into the conversation.
Clashes over Positions
The ranking also had Aman and Love fight, but they eventually landed at 7 and 6, respectively. The larger tension was clearly about what each one believed they had contributed and whether the others really recognised it.
Then came Arishfa, who fought for second place, which the majority had decided for Mahi; since it was about ration, Mahi moved down to fourth, and Arishfa was given second. The ranking board by this point had become a physical manifestation board.
Kanika Gets the Final Say
Kanika Mann was the “sanchalak” for the task and was asked whether she agreed with the rankings decided by the housemates. She agreed for 6 positions but had a different arrangement for 4.
She rearranged Arishfa to number 4, Mahi to number 2, and swapped Mary Kom and Rhiti’s positions, ranking them as 8 and 9 respectively. Bigg Boss then asked the housemates to place themselves according to the “sanchalak’s” ranking.
Only six positions matched with Kanika’s idea, and thus the housemates were granted 60% of the ration.
Isha and Rhiti Pay the Price
Since Isha and Rhiti occupied the last two positions, Bigg Boss took away one life from each of them, and this is where the task suddenly stopped feeling like a game for Isha.
She was later seen breaking down, feeling hurt with herself for trusting people and for trying to be good to others. Honestly, that was probably one of the more emotionally striking moments of the episode, along with Gullu’s recalling of his past.
Bigg Boss 20 Episode 17: Final Thought
The central idea of the episode at face value was ration, but the underlying idea that echoed throughout was “value”. The ranking board simply gave everyone a board on which they could write their answers.
Gullu’s conversation with Qazi, opening up about his divorce and coming out of a low phase, offered a strangely different lens on the same idea: he spoke about a low phase and eventually walking away from a life he could not really stay in. Then we had Isha sitting with the thought that being good to people has only left her being vulnerable.
Perhaps that is the real thing about Bigg Boss: you think you would be strong for three months, but as a human being, there are rollercoasters of emotions within you knocking to be let out.
Watch Bigg Boss Hindi Season 20 Episode 17 on JioHotstar.
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