Bigg Boss Telugu 5 - All you need to know about the launch episode, contestants of the Nagarjuna-hosted show

The fifth season of Bigg Boss Telugu commenced with a bang with actor-producer Akkineni Nagarjuna returning as a host for third-consecutive time. The host was at his energetic best in welcoming audiences to a new season of the show and promised 'five much' excitement, entertainment and glitz. Nagarjuna took the audiences through the exquisitely designed Bigg Boss house set, from the swimming pool to dining area to the bedroom, the vast open space and the living room. The house's interiors were nothing short of a visual delight. After a brief sneakpeek into the house, Nagarjuna interacted with Bigg Boss who assured that the contestants and audiences would have several surprises in store.

Popular Youtuber Siri was the first contestant to enter the house in a golden-coloured attire and brought in a lot of energy into the proceedings with her joie de vivre and enthusiasm. She had a ball being the first contestant, having the house for herself, exploring it in its entirety, jumping around with excitement before she was joined by television actor, VJ Sunny. VJ Sunny, calling himself a boy-next-door, meanwhile had a funny intro with the host Nagarjuna asking him to draw the girl of his dreams on a piece of paper, with the former doing a shoddy job of it. 

Arjun Reddy-fame actress Lahari Shari, the third contestant to enter the house, proved to be a diehard fan of Nagarjuna. She gifted Nagarjuna a pair of roses - red and blue. Yes, you heard it right, a rare blue rose that Lahari felt only someone with the charm of Nagarjuna deserved. The fourth entrant in the house was the most popular among them all - actor, singer, former Indian Idol winner Sreerama Chandra, who impressed the host rendering a series of songs from his films like Manmadhudu and Geethanjali. The singer hoped the show would take him one step closer to Telugu audiences beyond Indian Idol and his Telugu numbers.

Film choreographer Anne, who's also popular as a reality show judge, shared that Bigg Boss was an opportunity for the public to know her more as a person than her dance move. She was emotional about leaving her family behind for the show and later expressed her desire to be the first female contestant to win Bigg Boss Telugu. Before the other contestants had come in, there was a musical chairs themed task that worked as a ice-breaker among the house mates. VJ Sunny emerged the winner of the round. 

The next contestant to arrive was VJ Lobo, who remained thankful to the television channel 'Maa Music' for giving a major break to his career as a host and laying a platform for all the fame and popularity that he enjoys today. Character actor Priya, the seventh entrant in the house, received a surprise from her supposedly introverted son, who wished her well for the opportunity. "I wanted to know what I would do if I was left all alone in life through Bigg Boss," Priya said. A relatively unknown name, Jessie, a fashion consultant and super model who holds a record for hosting a 36-hour-long fashion show, made his way to the Bigg Boss Telugu House. 

Priyanka, the trans woman who shot to fame with Jabardasth, the ninth contestant, made use of the platform to discuss her struggles in coming out to her family (based in Srikakulam). A name that needs no introduction in the digital space for his dance moves, cover songs and web series, Shanmukh Jaswanth, added sheen to the house with his presence. Another task revolving around the identification of animal sounds was organised shortly, which was won by Priyanka. Later, two other contestants entered the house in quick succession, actress Hamida and another choregrapher Natraj. The latter was particularly sad about leaving his pregant-wife to take part in the show.

The next set of contestants included the super-enthusiastic Youtuber Sarayu, film actor, fitness enthusiast Vishwa, television actors Uma Devi, Maanas and popular host, Youtuber and RJ Kajal. While Vishwa was part of the Nagarjuna-produced television show, Naga Chaitanya's Josh, Uma Devi is known for her vamp roles on the small screen and brief parts in a few mainstream Telugu films.Maanas has consistently dabbled between television and films in a wide variety of characters too. In between, Vishwa won a task where the contestants were judged on their ability to eat five kulfis as early as possible. Swetaa Varma, who enterted the house later, was interestingly referred as a woman in a Ravi Varma painting by Nagarjuna. The final entrant, anchor Ravi, arrived in style with a happy, chirpy film number and was surprised with an audio message from his daughter.

(The show can be watched on Disney+ Hotstar)