Bigg Boss 10, subtitled “India Isse Apna Hi Ghar Samjho,” made television history by opening the house’s doors to non-celebrities for the first time — and it was one of those “commoners” who ultimately walked away with the trophy. Here’s the complete breakdown.
Season 10 at a Glance
The season premiered October 16, 2016, on Colors TV, and concluded January 29, 2017, running 105 days with 18 housemates. Salman Khan hosted for the seventh time. This was the first Bigg Boss season to stream on the OTT platform Voot, which also introduced an “Unseen-Undekha” feature offering additional unaired footage. The season’s central format twist pitted celebrities against a new group of contestants dubbed “Indiawale” — ordinary members of the public competing alongside television and film names.
Who Won Bigg Boss 10?
Manveer Gurjar, a dairy farm owner from Noida and one of the season’s “Indiawale” commoner contestants, made history as the first non-celebrity to win Bigg Boss. He took home the trophy and a cash prize of ₹40 lakh, out of which his father pledged to donate fifty percent to Salman Khan’s Being Human charity. Gurjar’s win came down to earning the highest number of votes in the finale, beating out established television and reality personalities with what was widely credited to his straightforward, unfiltered personality throughout the season.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
Reality TV personality Bani J finished as first runner-up, having openly expressed disappointment after the loss during her post-show interactions. Model Lopamudra Raut placed as second runner-up. In a notable finale twist, Manveer’s close friend and fellow commoner contestant Manu Punjabi chose to accept a Bigg Boss offer of ₹10 lakh to exit the competition early rather than continue for the trophy — a decision made shortly before the final vote count, given he was reportedly trailing behind the other three finalists.
Notable Contestants
Season 10’s cast reflected its “celebrities vs. commoners” format:
- Manveer Gurjar — Commoner, dairy farm owner (Indiawale) — Winner
- Bani J — Reality TV personality — Runner-up
- Lopamudra Raut — Model — Second runner-up
- Manu Punjabi — Commoner (Indiawale) — Walked away with ₹10 lakh
- Priyanka Jagga — Contestant, known for heated conflicts with Bani J
- Swami Om — Self-styled godman, known for controversial behavior during the season
- Rohan Mehra, Gaurav Chopra, Mona Lisa, Nitibha Kaul, Lokesh Kumari, Navin Prakash — Evicted contestants who returned for finale performances
Hosting and Grand Finale
Salman Khan hosted his seventh season, opening the finale with performances of “Mera Hi Jalwa” and “Aaj Ki Party.” The cast of Colors’ then-upcoming show Dil Se Dil Tak — Sidharth Shukla and Rashami Desai, later both Bigg Boss contestants themselves in Season 13 — made a guest appearance to interact with the finalists, alongside Neha Dhupia and Sohail Khan.
Final Thoughts
Bigg Boss 10’s “celebrities vs. commoners” experiment paid off in the most literal way possible — an unknown dairy farmer from Haryana outlasting a house full of television and film names to become the franchise’s first-ever non-celebrity champion. Manveer Gurjar’s win, and his decision to have his family donate half the prize money to charity, gave the season a genuinely feel-good ending that stood out from some of the franchise’s more dramatic finishes.