For Kerala’s LGBTQIA+ community, season 7 of Bigg Boss Malayalam just offered a moment that was profoundly affirming and long overdue — a superstar’s public defense for queer dignity on prime-time television. In a recent episode, host Mohanlal confronted two wildcard contestants, Lakshmi and Mastani, who had made disparaging remarks about Adhila Nasarin and Fathima Noora, the show’s first openly lesbian couple. Lakshmi had gone so far as to say she would never welcome them into her home, while Mastani accused them of “normalising LGBTQ culture.”
Mohanlal didn’t hold back. He asked Lakshmi how anyone could make such a statement, and made it clear that if they could not accept the couple, they were free to leave. “They don’t live at your expense,” he said, adding that he would welcome Adhila and Fathima into his own home with an open heart. He also emphasised that Bigg Boss Malayalam demands respect and inclusivity, warning that repeated disrespect could lead to removal from the house.
The impact of the actor’s words is even more profound when considered alongside what Adhila and Fathima have endured. Their bond has long been shaped by very public struggles against discrimination, coercion, and erasure. When their relationship came to light, both faced intense familial and social opposition. The conflict reached a point where Noora was forcibly subjected to conversion therapy, a discredited and pseudoscientific practice aimed at ‘changing’ someone’s sexual orientation through psychological and sometimes physical coercion.
Adhila ultimately approached the Kerala High Court with a habeas corpus petition, and in a landmark 2022 ruling, the court affirmed their rights as consenting adults to live together — a decision that was celebrated as a victory not only for them but for LGBTQIA+ rights in the country more broadly.
It was this couple who had been insulted on Bigg Boss, and Mohanlal’s forceful defense of their dignity was a striking intervention. The moment also resonates within a larger pattern in Malayalam popular culture, where leading stars are beginning to use their visibility to challenge prejudice. Mammootty, for instance, made waves with his portrayal in Jeo Baby’s Kaathal, a 2023 film that sensitively explored queer desire and the social constraints faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals in Kerala.
Queer representation on Bigg Boss Malayalam is not new. Across nearly every season, contestants who identify as LGBTQIA+ or actively support queer issues have appeared in the show. Season 4, which we covered extensively at the time, offers a clear example of how meaningful moments can unfold.
That year, contestant Ashwin Vijay came out as gay to two fellow housemates, Aparna Mulberry and Jasmine Moosa, both openly lesbian. Their conversation was quietly revolutionary. Jasmine reassured Ashwin that he did not owe anyone an explanation for his sexuality, while Aparna helped him anticipate reactions outside the house. They discussed the politics of coming out, privacy, and social pressure with a sensitivity rarely seen on regional reality TV.
Queer rights activist Muhammed Unais told TNM at the time that the show’s initiative towards queer representation gave the community unprecedented visibility in Kerala. “[Viewers become] aware that there are people like us coexisting with them. The onus is not on us to explain to them what a gay person is and why it is okay to be so,” he said. Even if much of their conversation was edited out, their presence challenged audiences to see queer people as real human beings, not entertainment fodder.
Allies also played a crucial role. Season 4 contestant Riyas Salim used his airtime to explain LGBTQIA+ terms and discuss gender issues, sparking curiosity and dialogue among housemates and viewers. While these moments might not overturn prejudice overnight, they opened the door to conversations society usually avoids.
However, reality TV remains a double-edged sword. Visibility often comes at a cost, as contestants end up facing scrutiny, harassment, and misinformation, both from housemates and viewers online. Many discussions are edited for TV, leaving gaps in context. Even as representation grows, the framing and conditions under which it occurs can reinforce biases or pressure contestants to perform aspects of their identity for the camera.
Mohanlal’s intervention this season highlights both the promise and the tension of such mediated visibility. Bigg Boss thrives on conflict, and the show’s decision to bring in contestants with openly homophobic views was no accident. While the actor’s words definitely carried weight, it is important to acknowledge that they likely unfolded against a backdrop of staged drama — a scenario that ultimately compelled two queer contestants to defend their existence on camera.
Yet, even within this charged environment, seeing a superstar affirm the dignity of queer participants on a platform watched by millions is deeply meaningful. It offers a rare moment of recognition for audiences who might seldom encounter LGBTQIA+ lives beyond stereotypes. And in a state where queer people continue to face organised cyberattacks, harassment, and attempts at erasure, such moments of visibility matter all the more.
They may not dismantle prejudice overnight, but they chip away at it, offering glimpses of a different cultural imagination — one in which queer lives are not treated as spectacle, but as lives worthy of respect.
Views expressed are the author's own.