Bigg Boss Malayalam has been hosted by superstar Mohanlal since its 2018 debut, making him one of the most consistent faces across the entire Bigg Boss franchise. But the show’s run hasn’t been entirely smooth — the pandemic disrupted two consecutive seasons in ways that genuinely shaped how those years are remembered. Here’s the complete winners list.
Quick Reference: All Winners
| Season | Year | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | Sabumon Abdusamad | Pearle Maaney |
| 2 | 2020 | No winner — cancelled due to COVID-19 | — |
| 3 | 2021 | Manikuttan | Sai Vishnu |
| 4 | 2022 | Dilsha Prasannan | Muhammad Diligent Blesslee |
| 5 | 2023 | Akhil Marar | Reneesha Rahiman |
Season 1 (2018): Sabumon Abdusamad
The debut season premiered June 24, 2018, on Asianet, and concluded September 30, 2018, running 98 days with 18 housemates (including two wildcard entries), produced by Endemol Shine India. Sabumon Abdusamad emerged as the winner over runner-up Pearle Maaney, who had built a massive social media following throughout the season despite ultimately falling short. Sabumon’s win came with more than just the trophy — he was subsequently offered a key role in director Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu, and producer-actor Vijay Babu offered him a role in an upcoming production as well.
Season 2 (2020): No Winner — Cancelled
Season 2 premiered January 5, 2020, with 22 contestants, but was suspended after 76 episodes (75 days) in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the following season, no winner was ever declared for Season 2 — it remains the only season in the show’s history to end without crowning a champion.
Season 3 (2021): Manikuttan
Season 3 premiered February 14, 2021, with 18 contestants, but was suspended on Day 95 after Tamil Nadu Police sealed the production set for violating COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, with contestants relocated to a hotel. Rather than leave the season without a resolution as had happened previously, producers declared the eight remaining contestants finalists and ran an online public vote to decide the winner. Actor Manikuttan — who had spent 16 years in the Malayalam entertainment industry, including roles alongside both Mohanlal and Mammootty — won the poll and was crowned champion at a special grand finale broadcast on August 1, 2021, taking home a flat worth ₹75 lakh, a trophy, and a citation. Model Sai Vishnu finished as runner-up.
Season 4 (2022): Dilsha Prasannan
Season 4 premiered March 27, 2022, with 20 housemates, running under the tagline “Ini Sangathi Colour Aakum” (“It will be colourful now”) — a season widely praised for its commitment to queer representation, featuring openly gay contestants and a housemate who came out during the show itself. Actor and dancer Dilsha Prasannan, a D4 Dance Reloaded champion before entering the house, won the season with 39% of the final vote share, taking home the trophy and ₹50 lakh — becoming the first woman to win any version of Bigg Boss Malayalam. Musician Muhammad Diligent Blesslee finished as first runner-up, with social media influencer Riyas Salim as second runner-up.
Season 5 (2023): Akhil Marar
Season 5 premiered March 26, 2023, on Asianet and Disney+ Hotstar, under the theme “Battle of the Originals,” with the house built at Mumbai Film City and designed by director Omung Kumar. Public speaker and filmmaker Akhil Marar won the season on July 2, 2023, taking home ₹50 lakh, with actress Reneesha Rahiman (known for Seetha Kalyanam) finishing as runner-up. Marar’s win proved genuinely controversial — he’d made widely criticized comments during the season touching on domestic violence and women entrepreneurs, yet remained an audience favorite for his comic timing and gameplay, sparking broader public conversation about how contestants with problematic statements can still build strong fan-driven support. His frequent clashes with fellow contestant Shobha Vishwanath, a domestic violence survivor and founder of Weavers Village, were a defining storyline of the season — Shobha notably wore her wedding saree to the finale as a way of reclaiming difficult memories from her own abusive marriage.
Final Thoughts
Bigg Boss Malayalam’s first five seasons tell a story of real resilience — two pandemic-disrupted years, one of which ended without any winner at all, didn’t stop the franchise from returning to record ratings and increasingly ambitious social themes, from Season 4’s queer-inclusive format to Season 5’s pointed real-world controversies. Mohanlal’s unbroken hosting run across all five seasons has given the Malayalam edition a stability few other regional versions of the franchise can match.