Karan Patel calls Bigg Boss a ‘dirty, disrespectful show to be associated with’; says ‘where the level of calling people celebrities has come down to?’

Actor Karan Patel criticized reality TV show Bigg Boss, labeling it a "dirty, disrespectful show" to be linked with, questioning the plummeting standards of celebrity status. Reflecting on his TV industry beginnings, he humorously refers to himself as the "highest-paid junior artist," highlighting the contrast between his humble start and the current landscape of fame. In a recent podcast, Karan Patel spoke about all these topics and more.

For the first six months, I didn't have a dialogue only. I was playing one of the most important characters. I'm telling you, I was so good that I wouldn't even give you a chance to blink. Because if you blinked, you'd miss me. I was that important. I'm trying to figure out what I was doing for the first six months. And then after that, I got my first dialogue. That too from the camera's place at the back. And I had to just say, Bhabhi ji.

I was there and not there in a lot of many other shows. At one point, I was doing 13 cameos. I was the highest paid junior artist of Balaji. Yeah, I called myself that. I coined that from myself. I'm the highest paid junior artist boss. That time I remember getting 2600 or 2800 rupees a day. And that day could be anything from 16 hours to maybe 35 hours. Because I was doing like Kahani, Kasautii, Kesar. And what else was I doing? Kavyanjali and Karam Apna Apna. Those were the shows I was doing. But six shows. And I was consistent in all shows. Quiet everywhere. Yeah, so then I started making fun of myself. I said, imagine I am sitting quiet and in so many shows… if I start talking then where all I’ll be.

Bigg Boss. She loves to just see these couples and what's going on between them. Who doesn't like to gossip in India? And the biggest source of gossip is daily soap. In daily soaps, there are so many affairs. Maybe not in India. So that's the biggest thought of a gossip. It's just not possible how in one person's life they can have so many affairs. I got married to the same girl three times in a daily soap. And I still had a child with an earlier wife.

Television is such a wonderful world. Imagine I got my father-in-law three years before I got my wife. My on-screen father-in-law is my real father-in-law. I met him three years before I met my real wife. So can you imagine? Think about it. I made a son-in-law first and then a husband. Imagine.

Guys, I give up. I quit. No, no. I want to find out that person who's coined this word influencer. It's... So now what has happened is that donkeys, horses, pigs are all running in the same race. Right? Whom no one is asking, who is the influencer? Who are you influencing? Myself, bro. That is... I'm a liver. Forget influencing people. Influencer word has become as cheap and as... 100%. As valueless as the word actor has become, it's become as vain and as easily used. People have become TikTok actor. What is a TikTok actor, man? In 30 seconds, what acting will you do? You can't call yourself an actor because of that. These Bigg Boss OTT star this so and so. It's stupidity. And that was like on 24 hours or whatever. Those who have nothing to do outside, they are looking at those who have nothing to do inside.

We've misunderstood social media for fame and we've misunderstood the followers for fans. That's true. Because followers... You'll have a million. But out of those million, how many are going to pay money and come to a theatre to see you? Those are the fans. Yeah. Following you doesn't cost. It doesn't matter. And following is as easy as unfollowing also. Today they followed you, tomorrow they'll unfollow you. It doesn't matter to them. So that's what I'm saying. People are mistaking followers for fans. Yeah. Somebody might have 40 million followers. But the point is, what is the footfall of that particular person when that person's film is in a theatre?

Imagine Bigg Boss has picked up TikTok/Influencer people and put them into the houses with contestants. So where has your understanding and level of calling people or treating people like celebrities has come down to? Earlier you had only strictly actors. Then you started spoiling the entire fabric by getting actors with commoners. Then you started getting them with commoners and even commoners from even a lower section of the society. Then you started combining everything together. It's become such a dirty, disrespectful show to even be associated with.

Because of our Indian culture, we avoided from having stunts where you need to eat animals. In Khatron Ke Khiladi, they understand Indian sentiments. But with Survivors, you couldn't even turn one single pebble around from the format. Everything was so raw and real. We've fought for life for one handful of rice. Held on to it… I mean, the task is going on, you want to take a shower, but the rice can’t get out of your hand. It's crazy. Super fun. But that is again, those are the things which will stay in your head. Those kind of memories are not replaceable with anything. Those memories are the ones that influence you.