Bigg Boss 20 Premiere Highlights: Salman Khan Consoles Isha Rikhi, Priyanka Chopra Warns Contestants

Written By: Entertainment Desk

Sep 07, 2026 14:14 IST ⓘ

Salman Khan launched ‘Bigg Boss 20’ on September 6.

Few television shows could place a 20-song Salman Khan medley, an emotional conversation about heartbreak, a warning from Priyanka Chopra and a joke about Ravi Kishan’s “desh ki duty” in the same episode without blinking. ‘Bigg Boss 20’ did precisely that on September 6, as Salman returned to launch the milestone season with the familiar mixture of spectacle, teasing and sudden emotional turns. The premiere streamed first on JioHotstar at 9 pm and aired later on Colors TV at 10.30 pm, continuing the show’s OTT-first strategy.

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The final 16 contestants who entered the house are Kanika Mann, Aasif Khan, Qazi Touqeer, Isha Rikhi, Amrapali Dubey, Rohed Khan, Love Gill, MC Mary Kom, Harsh Vijay Machare aka Yung DSA, Tanmay Singh aka ScoutOP, Arishfa Khan, Kushal Tanwar aka Gullu, Aman Gandhi, Uditi Singh, Rhiti Tiwari and Mahhi Vij. Rhiya Ahir also appeared during the premiere as Love’s rival in an audience vote, but did not become a housemate after Love secured more votes.

The doors are now locked, the cameras are permanently awake and the contestants have already begun negotiating beds, chores and egos. Before the season produces its first proper war, here are the moments that made its grand premiere worth discussing.

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1. Salman Khan Turned Season 20 Into His Mini Concert

A milestone season demanded a little more than a routine walk-on, so Salman entered with a medley constructed around 20 of his songs. The selection moved from older favourites such as ‘Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali’ to the more recent ‘Leke Prabhu Ka Naam’, allowing the premiere to double briefly as a whistle-stop tour through his screen career. Bigg Boss then congratulated Salman on completing 38 years in the film industry.

The conversation soon became even more Salman-coded. Looking back at everything that had changed over the years, he observed that Bigg Boss and he were still single. Bigg Boss suggested this might be why both were happy, only for Salman to add that he was “not ready to mingle” either.

2. Housemates Received Two Lives, But No Promise Of An Easy Game

The big structural reveal was the season’s Extra Jeevan Daan. Under the “Tathas-Two” or Vardaan idea, contestants effectively begin with two lives, meaning an elimination may not immediately end someone’s journey. Salman had warned in the pre-launch campaign that the advantage was not as straightforward as it sounded, and the premiere retained some mystery around its precise consequences.

Even the house appears to have fallen down a reality-TV rabbit hole. Its duality-driven design combines Wonderland-style fantasy with a shark-themed pool, a teapot couch, balloon-like seating, watchful eyes and two mystery spaces called 2X and Room No. 20. It looks playful, surreal and just unsettling enough for a house in which privacy is mostly decorative.

3. Kanika Mann Entered First And Immediately Became Puppet Master

Kanika Mann opened the contestant parade with a performance to ‘Shararat’. Salman told the ‘Naagin 7’ star that his mother, Salma Khan, had enjoyed her on the show – after briefly joking that he says such things to every actress he meets. Kanika had barely crossed the threshold when Bigg Boss called her into the Confession Room and handed her the premiere’s first special power.

The advantage gave Kanika power over the subsequent entrants, instantly transforming the first contestant into what the episode called the “Puppet Master”. Most housemates require at least one argument before acquiring that kind of authority; Kanika received it before everyone had even unpacked.

4. Aasif Khan’s Meeting With Salman Became Full-Circle Moment

One of the night’s most popular moments belonged to Aasif Khan. Long before audiences recognised him from shows such as ‘Panchayat’, ‘Paatal Lok’ and ‘Jamtara’, he had worked as a junior artiste and background dancer on Salman’s 2011 film ‘Ready’, including the song ‘Dhinka Chika’. On the ‘Bigg Boss’ stage, that old proximity finally became a face-to-face introduction.

Aasif grew emotional while speaking about his journey and told his mother that she could now be proud to see him sharing the stage with Salman.

5. Qazi Touqeer Returned To Prime-Time Television With Blast From The Past

The arrival of Qazi Touqeer delivered the premiere’s strongest nostalgia hit. The singer became a household name after winning ‘Fame Gurukul’ in 2005, but has spent much of the period since then away from mainstream television. His entry, therefore, felt less like the introduction of a new reality-show face and more like someone reopening a mid-2000s time capsule.

Qazi performed ‘Afghan Jalebi’ and spoke about returning to prime-time television after roughly two decades. Salman appeared impressed by his voice, while the exchange neatly reminded viewers that reality TV had created major celebrities long before social-media follower counts became part of every introduction.

6. Salman Consoled Isha Rikhi, But She Refused To Make Badshah Her Identity

Isha Rikhi’s introduction carried the most immediate real-world baggage. She and rapper Badshah had announced on August 31 that they had mutually decided to part ways, only months after their marriage became public. In her introduction on ‘BB 20’, Isha spoke about broken trust and feeling reduced to a side character in her own life, but she did not name Badshah or provide details about the relationship.

Once she joined Salman on stage, Isha made it clear that the chapter belonged to her past and that she wanted viewers to know her as an individual. Salman supported that boundary, said personal matters should remain personal and urged her to move forward because the “other party” had already done so.

7. Nirahua Brought Amrapali Dubey To The Doorstep

Bhojpuri star Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as Nirahua, arrived onstage hoping to take the season’s second-chance promise rather literally. Salman quickly informed the former contestant that the Vardaan did not mean he could simply enter the house again. Nirahua was instead there to introduce his friend and frequent co-star Amrapali Dubey.

Amrapali confessed that Salman remains “Prem” from ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’ in her eyes and said she would like a partner with those qualities. Later, when Austrian actor Rohed Khan joined the lineup, Salman asked Amrapali to teach him Bhojpuri – an early cross-cultural assignment before ‘Bigg Boss’ had even distributed household duties.

8. Love Gill Won Her Place Before The Game Properly Began

For Love Gill and Rhiya Ahir, nomination-style uncertainty arrived before either had received a house key. The two faced one another onstage as part of Fans Ka Faisla, with the audience choosing which contender would receive the vardaan of entry. Their verbal sparring supplied the required premiere-night friction, but only one could cross the door.

Love won the public vote and promised Salman that she would not disappoint the viewers who had selected her. Rhiya, despite appearing during the premiere, went home.

9. Priyanka Chopra Issued Knockout Warning As Mary Kom Entered

Mary Kom did not need an elaborate mystery video. Salman introduced her through a resume that included six world titles, an Olympic medal and victories at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The boxer arrived with her sons, but the premiere had another surprise waiting: a video message from Priyanka Chopra, who portrayed her in the 2014 biopic ‘Mary Kom’.

Priyanka wished the champion luck, celebrated her strength and resilience, and advised the other contestants not to underestimate the weight of her knockout. It was affectionate, filmi and an entirely reasonable warning when one’s new roommate is one of the most decorated boxers in the world. Mary had said before entering that she wanted to bring discipline to the house; Bigg Boss may finally have found someone capable of making a chore roster sound non-negotiable.

10. ScoutOP’s Monthly-Income Answer Left Salman Temporarily Speechless

The premiere also made room for the enormous audience that now follows esports rather than daily soaps. Tanmay Singh, better known as ScoutOP, introduced himself as a professional gamer and content creator. When Salman asked about his earnings, Scout said he makes around Rs 30 lakh a month – a figure that visibly surprised the host.

Scout’s entry came with support messages from CarryMinati, Elvish Yadav and Abhishek Malhan, giving him a ready-made digital cheering squad before Day 1. His real challenge, of course, is deliciously analogue: no gaming setup, no escape button and 15 housemates who cannot be muted.

11. Rhiti Tiwari’s Entry Produced Two Throwback Jokes For Price Of One

Manoj Tiwari returned to the ‘Bigg Boss’ stage, but this time only to accompany his daughter Rhiti into the house. The singer-songwriter performed an original song and earned praise from Salman before receiving perhaps the most family-specific survival advice ever offered to a contestant: do not fight over eggs. It was a callback to Manoj’s famous ‘Bigg Boss 4’ kitchen argument with Dolly Bindra, capped by Salman’s mischievous “baap pe mat jaana” reference.

Salman then widened the joke to include Ravi Kishan. As Manoj put his public duties aside to support Rhiti, the host invoked Ravi’s much-memed “desh ki duty” explanation while leaving the reality show ‘Alliance’. Ravi was nowhere on the stage, yet still found himself caught in the premiere’s comic crossfire.

12. Rapid-Fire Entries Produced Cats, A Kareena Doppelgänger And A Winning Streak

Not every contestant received a long emotional film, but the quicker introductions still delivered useful personality clues. Influencer Arishfa Khan revealed that she has 10 cats – and that the cats themselves have around one lakh social-media followers – prompting Salman to request follower-growth lessons. Uditi Singh was greeted as “Kareena Kapoor” because of a resemblance people often point out, before Aman Gandhi and back-to-back reality-show winner Kushal Tanwar aka Gullu were asked to impress her.

Yung DSA brought hip-hop into the mix, while Salman’s reaction to the Pune rapper mentioning Yerawada supplied a very Salman-style piece of self-referential humour. Gullu, meanwhile, handled the host’s questions so smoothly that Salman remarked that he now understood why the contestant kept winning reality shows.

13. Mahhi Vij Said Yes After Years, And Took Charge Almost Immediately

Mahhi Vij was saved for last. Salman revealed that the television actress had been approached repeatedly over the years but had continued to decline. This time, encouragement from her three children helped change the answer, and daughter Tara accompanied her for the send-off. Mahhi admitted that she is short-tempered and dislikes unhygienic behaviour, which is practically the opening sentence of a future Weekend Ka Vaar montage.

The closing glimpse suggested she would not take long to become central to the house. Mahhi began organising chores and asking fellow contestants to help with tea and clothes, while several housemates questioned her commanding manner.

14. Mary Kom And Qazi Touqeer Made First Bed Dispute A Heavyweight Affair

The premiere had barely finished introducing everyone when the most traditional ‘Bigg Boss’ disagreement arrived: who gets which bed? Mary asked Qazi to give up a single bed, but the singer refused. What might sound like minor furniture administration outside the house immediately created friction, giving the season its first unexpected clash of preferences.

It was the perfect final note for a premiere full of polished videos and celebrity endorsements. Songs, speeches and Salman’s advice can introduce the players, but Bigg Boss truly begins only when grown adults start negotiating mattresses as if national territory is at stake.

Season 20 has only just opened its doors, but it has already placed enough combustible personalities inside to ensure the cameras will not be bored.