A headline on June 7, 2024 online edition of one of the most trusted news organisations of India read – ‘Influencer arrested, released on bail for kidnap, assault of 18-yr-old in Ahmedabad.’
The influencer in question here is Rajat Dalal, one of the finalists of Bigg Boss 18.
Rajat Dalal was arrested on charges of kidnapping and assaulting the 18-year-old student over an Instagram post.
According to complainant Dhyan Lodha, around one-and-a-half months before the news came out, the accused began visiting the gym where he frequented. On June 1, Lodha had posted a video on his Instagram account where he, in reference to Dalal, allegedly said, “Roz subah apna munh gym mein dikha kar mera din kharaab karta huya mighty Raju.”
This angered Rajat Dalal, who phoned Lodha the next morning and came to his house. Rajat and his two friends then pushed him into an SUV that did not have any numberplates and took him to a cowshed in Chandkheda.
Rajat then allegedly put cowdung on Lodha’s face and made him apologise for posting the purportedly defamatory video — the same incident Karan Veer Mehra mentioned during one of their fights on Bigg Boss 18.
The three then took him to a flat where they allegedly forced Lodha to clean a toilet and beat him constantly. Rajat allegedly even urinated at the teenager. He was arrested and was later released on bail.
On August 30, 2024, Rajat Dalal was reported to have been involved in a road accident. Journalist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj shared the video on X (formerly Twitter). A part of her caption read, “Habitual offender Rajat Dalal hits a biker while driving at a speed of 143 Kmph on a busy inner city highway.”
The video, recorded by a passenger in the back seat, showed Rajat Dalal overspeeding at 140 km/h on a busy road, ignoring the pleas of his passengers who were urging him to slow down.
Dalal then hit the biker, and shrugged off the incident, saying, “Gir gaya, koi baat nahin. Roz ka yahi kaam hai ma’am.”
After watching the chilling video, many demanded his arrest for the “hit-and-run case” and termination of his driving licence. Faridabad police, too, took cognisance of the video and investigated the matter — but to no avail.
This man was later invited to be a contestant on the 18th season of Bigg Boss among the likes of TV and film celebrities – Karan Veer Mehra, Vivian Dsena, Chum Darang, Avinash Mishra, Eisha Singh, Shilpa Shirodkar and others.
Rajat went about with his violent streak inside the Bigg Boss house too. He would physically corner Vivian or Avinash in their fights, instigate them to get violent, and justify by saying ‘main aisa hi hoon’.
Rationality compels me to believe there’s a certain joy in glorifying stories that turn villains into heroes. And Bigg Boss does a pretty good job at that.
Earlier seasons have also famously transformed the public perception of men and women previously charged with violent activities. But this season has broken records in whitewashing the image of a person with criminal records — crimes that have been proven on social media and at police stations.
And I don’t say the makers of the show are solely responsible for it. The audience works hand-in-glove to set the narrative for such men outside of the show.
Rajat has been awarded monikers like ‘softie’, ‘pookie’ and ‘dil ka banda’ inside and outside the house, glorifying gestures that are otherwise considered regular.
Even his journey video – a ritual on Bigg Boss to showcase what the contestants have done in the months spent – glorifies him as someone who has taken the Bigg Boss opportunity to redeem himself. But all this while he mouthed the same ‘dhamkis’ over and over again.
Rajat Dalal is now among the six finalists of Bigg Boss 18, and in contention for the coveted trophy. And by contention I mean a damn serious competition for all other finalists.
He has been an influencer; so boasts of a large social media following. He has Elvish Yadav, Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner, another social media influencer with a fan army, for a friend. This only goes to imply that he would receive a humongous number of votes – enough to win a contest that has mere TV stars in competition.
But does he deserve to win? And against the likes of Karan Veer Mehra and Avinash Mishra who have genuinely tried to invest into the game? Of course, Rajat also played with his barrage of ‘samikarans’, investing heartlessly into people who were seemingly weaker than him to be the leader. His ‘samikarans’ were evicted one by one, leaving him to play so-low (read: solo).
Rajat did play but only to be tagged as ‘paltu’ throughout the season, for he would flip on his words and decisions at any given chance. His relationships inside the house were only aimed at elevating his game – not for the heart. And he miserably failed at that too.
Making him win would, hence, mean justifying a game play devoid of any heart, any emotion.
Making him secure a victory would also imply validating a person’s crimes — that he can knowingly commit a crime, then be called on national television, “redeem” himself and be glorified for the learning arc. But would this guarantee a redemption in the real sense? What if the person resorts to his earlier behaviour and continue to be a menace to the society?
And even if he does redeem himself and vow not to repeat his earlier life patterns, do we rename Bigg Boss as a rehabilitation centre?
Bigg Boss 18 is drawing to a close, and it depends on us – the audience, who we choose as the winner… A person who has practically given it all to the house or somebody with a criminal past, struggling through a similar behaviour inside the house but still getting whitewashed as an emotionally driven saint?
Do we vote for a person who has gained fans due to his game play and personality? Or do we get influenced by social media commentators and side with a non-deserving contestant?
The choice is yours.
(Disclaimer: The author is solely responsible for the opinion expressed in the article. The company does not hold any accountability of any lapse in judgement thereof.)
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