Bigg Boss 3 brought genuine Bollywood gravitas to the franchise with Amitabh Bachchan taking over hosting duties, and closed 2009 with actor Vindu Dara Singh pulling off a rare feat — winning the trophy after having actually been evicted by his own housemates earlier in the season. Here’s the complete breakdown.
Season 3 at a Glance
The season premiered October 4, 2009, on Colors TV, and concluded December 26, 2009, running 83 days with 15 housemates. Amitabh Bachchan hosted, bringing a different tone to the show compared to earlier seasons. The house that year was located in Karjat, Maharashtra.
Who Won Bigg Boss 3?
Vindu Dara Singh, son of legendary wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was crowned the winner, taking home a cash prize of ₹1 crore (₹10 million) along with a Chevrolet Cruze for also being voted the season’s most stylish and bold contestant — a rare double win that hadn’t happened before in the franchise. His housemates had given him the nickname “Bade Dil Wala” (“man with a golden heart”). Notably, Vindu had actually been evicted by his fellow housemates on Day 68, only to re-enter the competition on Day 69 and go on to win the entire season.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
Model Pravesh Rana, who entered the house as a wildcard on Day 32, finished as first runner-up. Veteran actress Poonam Dhillon, who stayed in the house for the full 83-day run, placed as second runner-up.
Notable Contestants
Season 3’s cast mixed television and film veterans, a cricketer-turned-wildcard, and reality TV regulars:
- Vindu Dara Singh — Actor — Winner (evicted by housemates on Day 68, re-entered, then won)
- Pravesh Rana — Model, wildcard entrant — Runner-up
- Poonam Dhillon — TV and film actress — Second runner-up
- Bakhtiyaar Irani — TV actor — Walked
- Aditi Gowitrikar — Actress, model, doctor
- Claudia Ciesla — Model, Bollywood actress
- Raju Srivastav — Comedian
- Rohit Verma — Fashion designer
- Vinod Kambli — Former Indian cricketer, wildcard entrant
- Shamita Shetty — Film actress, sister of Season 1’s runner-up-adjacent star Shilpa Shetty
- Tanaaz Irani — Actress, model
- Ismail Darbar — Singer, music director
- Sherlyn Chopra — Model, actress
- Kamal Rashid Khan — Director
- Jaya Sawant — Rakhi Sawant’s mother
Hosting and Grand Finale
Amitabh Bachchan brought considerable star power to his hosting role, with the finale itself drawing a genuinely starry guest list — Bollywood veteran Hema Malini appeared to promote her dance series Dancing Queen, Kareena Kapoor promoted 3 Idiots, and Priyanka Chopra appeared to promote Pyaar Impossible! Several contestants’ family members, including siblings and spouses, also joined for support during the season’s closing week.
Final Thoughts
Bigg Boss 3’s most memorable storyline may well be its most unusual twist — a winner who had technically been voted out by his own housemates before making a comeback and claiming the title. Combined with Amitabh Bachchan’s prestige as host and a genuinely starry finale guest list, the season stands out as one of the more dramatically satisfying entries from the franchise’s earlier years.