Redefining surveillance: Exploring the post-panopticon society in the reality show Bigg Boss

In the early 2000s, television witnessed the ascendancy of reality TV, profoundly influencing societal norms and behaviours. Taking the culturally situated phenomenon of Bigg Boss (2006–present) in India as a prime case study, this research scrutinizes the Hindi-language version through the frameworks of Michel Foucault’s panopticon and Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the ‘society of control’. Utilizing close reading of episodes, the study examines how the show’s surveillance mechanisms shape contestants’ behaviour and the evolving power dynamics between producers and participants. The analysis explicitly traces a shift from traditional disciplinary surveillance towards post-panoptic, rhizomatic control within the Bigg Boss house. It reveals broader social implications for identity formation within mediated environments and critically reflects India’s contemporary sociopolitical shifts, particularly the interplay of digital democratization, performative nationalism and the commodification of personal lives. Ultimately, the research illuminates how Bigg Boss both reflects and reinforces the dynamics of societal control and personal identity in the digital age, offering a critical perspective on the intersection of media, surveillance and social behaviour within the specific Indian context.