For the past two seasons, viewers have complained about Bigg Boss being openly biased and favouring certain contestants. While the show appeared to tone down that perception, this season, it seems Salman Khan himself has stepped into that role and Kunickaa Sadanand is the new Pooja Bhatt of Bigg Boss 19.

Salman Khan favouring Kunickaa Sadanad

From day one, the drama in the house set high expectations for Weekend Ka Vaar. But instead of delivering fireworks, the episode turned out to be a let-down. The Weekend Ka Vaar began with Salman praising Kunickaa for behaving like the house captain without officially being one. What seemed like harmless appreciation soon shifted into outright defence, as he dismissed every argument made against her — even when other contestants had valid points.

Take Gaurav Khanna, for instance. He had expressed to Ashnoor Kaur that he wanted her, not Kunickaa, to be captain. Tanya Mittal later relayed this to Kunickaa, who called it a “serious heartbreak.” Salman sided with Kunickaa, painting Gaurav as a betrayer, but conveniently skipped over the fact that Kunickaa had betrayed him first.

Remember this week’s infamous food fight? Contestants accused Gaurav of eating portions meant for seven people. It was Kunickaa who initially hinted to Nehal Chudasama that Gaurav had eaten “a good portion,” sparking the chaos. Yet, Salman never once addressed Kunickaa’s role in the matter.

Unfair bashing of Pranit More

Similarly, viewers expected Tanya Mittal to be called out for her superiority complex and her habit of fuelling fights. Instead, because she stood by Kunickaa, she escaped it all together. On the other hand, comedian Pranit More, who opposed team Kunickaa, was slammed for making below-the-belt jokes about Tanya, despite the fact that his mimicry and humour targeted everyone in the house and his bond with Tanya seemed friendly.

All of this feels like déjà vu. Back in Bigg Boss 17, Pooja Bhatt was shielded from criticism and frequently guided by Salman, while those who supported her were spared during Weekend Ka Vaar. Viewers grew frustrated at the obvious favouritism, and now the same pattern seems to be repeating with Kunickaa.

Not just that, Salman completely overlooked the fact that Amaal Mallik and Zeishaan Quadri had called Tanya disrespectful names like “leech” and “ganda macchar” behind her back. Instead, he chose to pull up Abhishek Bajaj for something as trivial as not folding his blanket, while never addressing how Abhishek was unfairly targeted over food. It’s starting to feel like Salman is showing clear Bollywood bias inside the house.

Weekend Ka Vaar losing its charm

Beyond favouritism, the makers had promised the return of the “OG Salman” this year (fiery, bold and unapologetically entertaining). While glimpses of that energy were visible in parts, overall, the episodes felt flat and boring, suggesting that Weekend Ka Vaar is losing its charm.

This season, Bigg Boss has certainly experimented with a stronger set of contestants (except for Natalia and Neelam, who remain relatively lost) and has revived tasks that audiences have long missed. But what viewers are still waiting for is the return of Salman Khan in full force, the unfiltered host who once made Weekend Ka Vaar the highlight of the week.