Exclusive! Omung Kumar reveals what went on behind designing Bigg Boss OTT sets

Bigg Boss OTT has been quite grand in terms of the interiors of the house. People have not been able to stop talking about the house ever since its first pictures were released. Filmmaker Omung Kumar is to be thanked for the beautiful execution of the house.

Omung, who has been a set designer for Bigg Boss for years, spoke to OTTplay exclusively about what goes on behind the glam world. He spoke about the nitty-gritties that go into making a Bigg Boss set from scratch and more.

Excerpts from the interview...

What would you say goes on behind designing the sets of Bigg Boss?

Every year, we design Bigg Boss in a way that it has to be the best for the next year. This time, it's a new genre altogether. Since it's Bigg Boss OTT, nothing from the previous seasons can be repeated. I was figuring out what new flavour I can bring to the show. While discussing and getting briefed, we were looking at different looks and feel of the place. Suddenly, somebody said that because it's digital, should it be high-tech and plain with LED lights? I refused because I don't want to go to some place where if a person is watching a show 24x7, they'll start getting bored. It has to be a place which is friendly, comfy or earthy, which gives you more flavour and fun. We thought about designing the set in such a way this time that we can show outdoors, because people are stuck in their homes due to COVID-19. So we thought about a gypsy camp or Bohemian style carnival. That's what clicked with everyone. Hence, the house is done in such a way as if you are entering a tent. The ceiling is full of curtains which are printed in the Bohemian style with lots of bulbs hanging on the ceiling. The colour flavour is what attracted us. The living room is designed in such a way that it has printed curtains from patchwork in a way that it gives the feeling of a tent. There's a whole basket of chandelier that tassels in it which highlights the Bohemian-style sofa. The kitchen is attached to the living room. It is done in rawness, this time in the form of crates. I have coloured them. The vessels and glasses come in that. This was the kitchen area. The best part about this, which we have changed, that we have never done before, is the bedroom. There are bunk beds in it. We never did it because it takes more cameras and also, how would people talk? But this gave us a new flavour that hinted that there could be fights and fun. It takes you back to school and colleges. We've got that flavour to the bedroom. It has become a new talking point. What can it look like? When going to a carnival, there is a tarot card reader or fortune teller, right? That is the theme of the bedroom. One wall is completely painted in curtains and that has sun signs. We tried to make the bedroom a cosy place. We tried to do something different and so, this has come into place. The best part is that we don't have the dining table this time in the living room. We shifted the dining table to the garden. This is also the first time we have sliding doors in the living room. So, the garden also becomes part of the living room. We've put lots of colour splashes in the garden area. We made curtains out of small pieces of cloth. If you see it, you will want to do that in your house. That's how we have come to design this place. We made a tent which looks very nice. There are jacuzzis so you can sleep on the floor itself, in the tent. There are lots of nooks and corners which people will claim. There are a few huge ostrich faces that make up one corner of the seating. There's a gym and pool. We have put a ceiling with rice lamps in the latter. If there are 100 rice lamps on the top, the reflection will make it look like 200. It's a full dome of rice lamps. We have a 10 feet dreamcatcher too. It is towards the entry. There are other smaller dreamcatchers spread all around the swimming pool. When the lights dim in the evening, only the rice lamps come alive. There are slacks of wood lit from inside, throughout the boundary walls. That gives you a different flavour. Obviously, I haven't done this before. So, the excitement of redesigning a place which is never-seen-before is a high that you'd get. Everytime I tell people that it is my set and that they are visiting my house. I want to make my house so beautiful that people would love to come here and stay. The same thing continues with the bathroom too. Again, we were wondering how to give the carnival theme to the bathroom. All the luxuries are in the bathroom but the feel is of being in a tent. Colourful flowers are painted on one side, the other side has tassels. One side is completely the bushes but their eyes are always on you. There's a huge mannequin on the ceiling as if it's flying. It is made of rope. There are wings made of tattered cloth. It gives you a beautiful feel. There's a bathtub cut into half but made of grass. All things raw are used beautifully here. It will be a talking point for everybody.

Will the sets of Bigg Boss OTT and Bigg Boss 15 be different?

It will be completely different.

Did you even design Salman's room?

Yes. This time it's Karan Johar's too.

How have you managed to balance between filmmaking and set designing over the years?

There's ample time. When I don't make films, then I design sets.

How do you give it a homely ambience considering there are a dozen people staying for nearly 80 days in the place designed by you and your team?

It's not a luxury resort where they can come and stay throughout. However, we make it in such a way. The place becomes their home and so, they become nostalgic while leaving. That is the good flavour of the designing concept we do. The Bigg Boss house becomes their house. Generally, they should be uncomfortable. Over here, we give them a comfortable house. Every means is there. The assignments and tasks they do makes them uncomfortable and fight for their place over here. That's the process they go through. Yes, there are restricted places where you can't go. There are three rooms which could suffocate you enough to stay. That becomes the highlight as well as the minus point. So I have to make it comfortable for everyone to stay there.

What goes on behind the sets during grand premiere and grand finale?

There's the eviction and entry set. They are different sets altogether. When Karan Johar comes to the premiere, it becomes a launchpad. Obviously, that is more high-tech and Karan's space. That's where the premiere, eviction and finale happens. That's a different floor altogether but the theme is continued over there, in Karan's style.