Tamil Features

Oviya, The Social Media Sensation: Here’s A Look At Her Stint In Bigg Boss Tamil

By Janani Karthik

She was definitely the odd one out in the Bigg Boss house, but Oviya with her guileless charm managed to capture the imagination of thousands of Tamil viewers. When Oviya smiled, there were loud cheers on social media. When she was cornered by the other housemates, the good people on Twitter outraged on her behalf. Thousands sighed when she shared her pain of thwarted love. Fan clubs were formed, hashtags started trending, the ‘Oviyans’ pledged their undying support.  

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

What was so special about Oviya? Was it the classic case of the underdog getting all the viewer sympathy? Was it her unabashed and unpretentious ways inside the house? Was it her heartfelt confessions of love? Was it the damsel in distress that thousands of Oviyans wanted to protect? It is difficult to pin down the Oviya phenomenon. From a not-so-famous actress to a social media sensation, Silverscreen.in traces Oviya’s journey on the reality television show.  

Episode 5: June 29: ‘Neenga Shut Up Pannunga’

During a luxury budget task, Oviya exhibited her utter disregard for rules. She fearlessly walked out of the meeting with not a care in the world. During an argument, when Kanja Karuppu interrupted, the now-famous words were uttered: “Neenga Shut Up Pannunga”. She managed to respectfully shut up a senior actor. Soon, it became a catch phrase. T-shirts were printed with this phrase. There were songs as well. Sample this: 

Episode: 11, July 5: Kokku Natta

In the Big Boss house, Oviya seemed to own the cameras. Her uninhibited renditions in front of the camera became quite a sensation. Here’s one for example: 

Not just the songs, her daily monologues in front of the camera, her dances, even her begging for bananas became talking points.

Episode: 16, July 10: ‘Bye Bharani’

That the Bigg Boss house is a psychological cesspool is evident in how it feeds all the voyeurs in us. When Bharani complained of body aches and dehydration and made a desperate attempt to escape the house, it was Oviya who came to his support, while the other housemates turned their backs.

Some even ganged up against Bharani and used the crude term “mental” to describe his state of mind. But not Oviya. When he was leaving the house, only one voiced called out to him and said, “Bye Bharani.” That was Oviya again. 

Episode 28, July 22: Julie vs Oviya

It’s typical to pit one woman against another and the Bigg Boss house is no different. If there is a hero, there has to be a villain. If there is an Oviya, there has to be a Julie.

When Julie complained of stomach-ache and wept, Oviya comforted her. While she complained about Gayathri, Namitha and Raiza to Oviya, Julie complained about Oviya to the other girls. The stereotypical tropes make the perfect recipe of a reality television show. 

It was after this that #OviyaArmy started trending and Julie became a meme. 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Episode: 27, July 21: Nine against one

This night played a key role in Oviya’s growing popularity. When the lights were switched off, the other women started bullying Oviya. Annoyed and cornered, she yelled at Julie and flipped off Gayathri. All the women ganged up against her and sang songs targeting Oviya. She had to take refuge in the men’s sleeping bay. When the thuggish Sakthi threatened to slap her, Oviya was not one to cower down. Inside the house, Oviya became the enemy, while outside she became the darling of the masses. 

Episode 40, August 3: Shift in attitude

The last few days before her exit, the calm and composed Oviya was replaced with a weepy and aggressive one. She lashed out against Julie and became a bully that confused her fans. She became morose after Aarav rejected her romantic advances. 

Episode 41, August 4: A cry for help? 

Oviya jumping into the swimming pool to get out of the house was seen as a cry for help. There were rumours that it was a suicide attempt and that the police reached the house. What really transpired forcing her to take that action is something only she will be able to answer. 

Episode 43, August 6: Popular even after her exit

Speculations on her exit reached a frenzy before the episode. A picture of Oviya sitting with Kamal Haasan drew extreme reactions. Oviya’s army vowed to stop watching the show if she exits it, some said they will continue to love her, some declared that she made the right call. She was lauded for taking a stand.

Now that she is out of the house, it remains to be seen if her popularity stays or was it just another social media trend — a flash in the pan.  

Here are some Twitter reactions: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Janani Karthik is a Alum at Silverscreen India, and can be reached by email at janani@silverscreen.in