Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 ran from July to November 2019, launching from a house built at Nagarjuna’s own Annapurna Studios property, and closing with a genuinely close finale between a Telangana folk-influenced playback singer and a well-known TV anchor. Here’s the complete breakdown.
Season 3 at a Glance
The season premiered July 21, 2019, on Star Maa, and concluded November 3, 2019, running 105 days with 17 (originally 15) housemates. Nagarjuna Akkineni hosted most weeks, with actress Ramya Krishnan filling in as guest host for Week 6 while Nagarjuna was in Spain celebrating his 60th birthday — a guest stint that was widely praised by viewers and fans, some of whom even called for her to host the following season. The Bigg Boss house itself was constructed at Annapurna 7 Acres, a property belonging to Nagarjuna’s Annapurna Studios.
Ahead of the premiere, the show was surrounded by real controversy — journalist Swetha Reddy and actor Gayatri Gupta were among several women who publicly alleged they had been sexually harassed by organizers connected to the show, leading to police complaints and a protest outside Nagarjuna’s residence.
Who Won Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3?
Playback singer Rahul Sipligunj, known for blending Telangana folk influences into his music and for the song “Ranga Ranga Rangasthalana” from Rangasthalam, was crowned the winner, taking home the trophy and ₹50 lakh in prize money. He won with the highest number of audience votes — out of roughly seven crore votes cast during the final episode — narrowly ahead of runner-up Sreemukhi. Tollywood superstar Chiranjeevi made a special appearance to help announce the result alongside Nagarjuna.
Runner-Up and Top Finishers
Television anchor Sreemukhi finished as first runner-up, having built a season-long following as one of the competition’s most consistently popular contestants. Choreographer Baba Bhaskar, actor Varun Sandesh, and actor Ali Reza rounded out the top five finalists.
Notable Contestants
Season 3’s 15-strong original lineup included singers, actors, comedians, and social media personalities:
- Rahul Sipligunj — Playback singer — Winner
- Sreemukhi — TV anchor — Runner-up
- Baba Bhaskar — Choreographer
- Varun Sandesh — Actor
- Ali Reza — Actor
- Vithika Sheru — Actress
- Mahesh Vitta — Comedian, known for a notable in-house conflict during a “childhood” themed task
- Hema — Actress
- Punarnavi Bhupalam — Contestant
- Himaja — Contestant
- Ashu Reddy — Social media personality
- Ravi Krishna — Contestant
- Shiva Jyothi — Contestant
- Rohini — Actress
- Jaffar — Journalist
Hosting and Grand Finale
Notably, producers had initially tried to bring back Jr NTR — the franchise’s original Season 1 host — for a reported fee of ₹35 lakh per episode, but he ultimately withdrew to focus on S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR, paving the way for Nagarjuna’s continued tenure. The finale drew a starry guest list including Catherine Tresa, Anurag Kulkarni, Srikanth, Raashi Khanna, and director Maruthi, alongside performances from former contestants.
Final Thoughts
Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3 is remembered for a genuinely tight finale between Rahul Sipligunj and Sreemukhi, decided by one of the largest single-episode vote counts the franchise had seen at that point. The season’s off-screen controversy around the harassment allegations, along with the near-miss of bringing back Jr NTR as host, also make it one of the more eventful chapters in the show’s behind-the-scenes history — even setting the drama inside the house aside.