Much of the credit of bringing out the better aspects of Sidharth's personality goes to his co-contestant Shehnaaz.
Over the years he did the path-breaking show 'Balika Vadhu', Sidharth Shukla largely appeared as a brat who would pull his co-star's leg in interviews, laugh uninhibitedly, and throw his attitude around. He was never a Bigg Boss material, for he was real, or so told by a few of his co-stars. He spoke his heart, did not try to please anyone, and most importantly, was too suave to be seen in a voyueristic reality show.
In his largesse, however, 'Bigg Boss 13' found its Badshah -- a maverick who would think through even the easiest of tasks and always fight to win. His competitiveness has sometimes been confusing, but always amusing. It's no joke that he was given the tag of a king twice in the runtime of the season -- first a few weeks ago (Raja) and the second time in the recently telecast 'Weekend Ka Vaar' (Badshah).
Sidharth Shukla's journey in the show has been no less than a surprise -- a happy one. His bromance -- earlier with Asim Riaz, and now with Paras Chhabra, his romance-cum-attachment with Shehnaaz Kaur Gill, his aggression, his logic, his flirtatious nature, his quirks, his "shorts", his charm, his wit, his sense of humour, his anger, and his towering personality -- the star contestant has shown every emotion in his four-month journey in the house.
Much of the credit of bringing out the better aspects of Sidharth's character goes to his co-contestant Shehnaaz, who just by virtue of being an innocent, beautiful girl broke through the tough exterior of BB13's Kabir Singh.
The three -- Sidharth, Shehnaaz, and SidNaaz -- have accumulated unprecendented popularity on the social media and the real world, so much so people have now begun referring to them as the "best couple" in the entire history of 'Bigg Boss'.
Shehnaaz did not have the easiest start on the show. She thought she was in "love" with Paras because she felt connected to his Punjabi swag. She was termed stupid, flipper, dhokhebaaz, and disloyal. And when she began to find true friendship with a guy 13 years older than her, 'Bigg Boss' introduced the house to Himanshi Khurana, who she had been embroiled in an ugly controversy with.
Her new-found friend Sidharth gave her the strength to fight when all she wanted was to quit the show. And what we began watching on our TV screens everyday was the gradual unfolding of a beautiful friendship.
Shehnaaz became Sidharth's human shield when he got into ugly physical fights with Arhaan Khan or Asim. She calmed him down, and transformed herself into a refuge Sidharth would go to find the child within.
With her, he became the child we never knew he was -- fun-loving, flirtatious, and witty **without being sarcastic**.
In return, Sidharth gave Shehnaaz the ground to grow. When she came to the house, she was an immature girl who interpreted "crush" as love, and spoke it out loud on national television. In the first few weeks, she was a kid who would run around the house, and make fun of herself to make others laugh.
Sidharth taught Shehnaaz to respect herself, to make others laugh without getting manipulated, to answer back, to stand up for herself, and more than that, to invest in the right person.
The emergence of this new synergy in the house gave the entire world a new moniker to associate emotions with -- SidNaaz, and 'Bigg Boss' its most interesting season.
SidNaaz is unique -- flawed on various levels, but real. Too real to be taken on the face value sometimes. Sid and his Naaz fight, make up, fight, make up and then fight again. But they cannot be separated. They may sit with different people, but always look out for each other.
If the Captain Room is witness to their budding romance, the Garden Area watches their silly antics in full view.
If Shehnaaz is a fireball of energy, Sidharth is a calm sea. She speaks it out, cries and gives loud reactions, whereas he takes it all in, overthinks and covers it up with a brazen attitude.
Shehnaaz's innocence and a simple lack of exposure to a different set of people always force her to ask Sidharth what she means to him. She understands too, but wants it in words. He doesn't believe in spelling emotions out -- though he spews venom when angry.
And yet, the two diametrically opposite souls stand by and for each other. So much so that Shehnaaz is often asked if she's losing her self respect in going after Sidharth. But the sweet little bean is not, by her own admission, even aware of the societal concept. She loves (in a positive way, by her own definition) without inhibition.
Sidharth's name has been put in various hashtags -- #SidHira (with Mahira Sharma), #SidRa (with Rashami Desai), #SidArt (with Arti Singh), #SidLeena (with Devoleena Bhattacharjee) and #SidRima (with Madhurima Tuli), but he has furiously refuted the possibility each one of them. The only hashtag he has never taken the pain to even show disagreement with is #SidNaaz.
In the fake eviction episode of Shehnaaz's, Sidharth's moist, red eyes spoke volumes about the large-sized marshmallow heart the big man keeps inside his tough body. That he chooses to not show emotion and respect his female friend on national television adds to his charm.
Sidharth could easily have been reciprocating Shehnaaz's hugs and kisses -- maybe with a more piercing intensity (like other housemates do), but he chooses to keep the dignity of their friendship. Maybe that's what encourages Shehnaaz to do it even more -- she feels safe with Sidharth.
The three -- Sidharth, Shehnaaz, and SidNaaz -- have accumulated unprecedented popularity on the social media and the real world, so much so that people have now begun referring to them as the "best couple" in the entire history of 'Bigg Boss'. That they can still remain a couple after the show ends is their sole prerogative.
Their fans, however, have been praying for a smooth romance, and a smoother wedding after February 15 -- the finale. They anyway already look like a married couple.
Of the three, logically and mathematically speaking, Sidharth is emerging to be the undisputed winner of the season. He has been poked, insulted, age-shamed, body-shamed, laughed upon and degraded -- yet he has given it back. He has given this season his all -- without playing cheap. He has his shortcomings -- his aggression and unbridled anger, but he is real -- the most real inside the house (as said by Devoleena too).
However, if one goes by the emotion, Shehnaaz is the queen of the show, and deserves to win. She has made a name for herself without a strong backing, and fan following. Naysayers may call her out for her game, stupidity, or flippant nature, but she has earned the love of the host Salman Khan as well. Whatever she has today, she has done it in four months. That alone calls for a separate award.
Asim Riaz deserves a special mention here. He too started off as a fairly unknown face. But with a strong game inside the house, he earned accolades, and hate in equal measure. Be it his fights with Sidharth, or declaration of love for Himanshi, Asim has ruled headlines like no other. His arrogance, however, became a dampener in the otherwise meteoric rise in his stardom. When he looks back at his journey in the house, he will have more regrets than memories.
Shehnaaz is a more deserving candidate than Asim -- by virtue of the immense amount of entertainment she has provided to the season. Her gibberish conversation with a crow, better known as #CrowNaaz, can alone give a hearty dose of laughter to the audience. That says a lot.
If Sidharth has been the mind/brain/logic/head of 'Bigg Boss 13', Shehnaaz is the heart. And together they formed SidNaaz. If TRPs are any parameter to judge the success of a show, reports say the episodes that had more SidNaaz scenes amassed greater TRPs in comparison with the ones where there was no Sidharth and Shehnaaz.
If Shehnaaz is a fireball of energy, Sidharth is a calm sea.
The dynamics in- and out- side the house have made it quite clear that Sid and his Naaz are going to switch off the lights of the house, and make their way to the finale stage. And if the 'Tedha' season does not have a tedha twist, Sidharth is going to be the winner, considering his huge fan following and daily, enormous Twitter trends. And even Shehnaaz will be happy with this. Trophy toh ghar hi aayegi na... ;)
The most successful season of 'Bigg Boss' is coming to a close on February 15. That the winner will be announced a day after the Valentine's Week gets over, and Sid and his Naaz (at least according to me) are in the reckoning for lifting the trophy is a fortuity of the highest order.
Who do you think will win?
(With inputs from @TeamSiddShukla)
