'Look at comedians like Kapil Sharma, Krushna Abhishek, and Kiku Sharda; they're brilliant at what they do, but they don't cross certain lines.'
'If saying something about me helps boost your profile, go ahead. But inside this house, you need to compete fairly.'
The first Weekend Ka Vaar episode of Bigg Boss 19 had Salman Khan taking stock of the contestants' journey so far. While some housemates were praised for their performance, others were asked to reflect and make changes in their game.
Salman appreciated Mridul Tiwari, Kunickaa Sadanand, Tanya Mittal, and Natalia Janoszek for their efforts inside the house.
At the same time, he advised Nehal Chudasama, Gaurav Khanna, Amaal Mallik and Pranit More to improve.
Pranit, in fact, found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Salman told the stand-up comedian that he seems to be dependent on Tanya Mittal.
"Tanya is a one-man army for you. Have you even noticed that you've become completely dependent on her?" Salman asked him.
"Your entire game seems centred around her. No one else in the house seems to take you seriously except for her. When you want to speak up, you only feel comfortable doing so around Tanya. You never joke around with Zeishan, Gaurav, or Amaal, probably because you're intimidated. Tanya sees you as a friend, which is why she doesn't take offence," he added.
The host reminded Pranit about the jokes he had made at his expense before joining the show.
"I've seen the jokes you cracked about me outside. What all have you spoken about me?" he asked.
Pranit replied with, "Let the bygones be."
Giving a strong reminder, Salman said, "I am letting it be, but understand, it's easy to mock someone when they're not around. Think about everything you've said about me or others. If the roles were reversed, how would you feel? A lot of things you said about me were wrong, but you had to take a punchline using my name; it was your job, and you did it."
Salman also offered him a perspective on comedy and where to draw the line.
"If you're able to make money by using my name, whether rightly or wrongly, I'm genuinely happy for you," Salman said.
"I don't have a problem with what most of you do. Look at comedians like Kapil Sharma, Krushna Abhishek, and Kiku Sharda; they're brilliant at what they do, but they don't cross certain lines. If saying something about me helps boost your profile, go ahead. But inside this house, you need to compete fairly."
"I don't think you should go beneath the belt, because if you do, others will respond the same way, and they might not be as forgiving as I am."
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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