We may have missed seeing Shilpa Shetty being poppadumed by the Jade Goodys in Britain’s Big Brother but the success of the homespun Bigg Boss is telling.

Big Brother, the international version of Bigg Boss, is on Indian television, courtesy Vh1. The show premiered with Big Brother Season 9, USA, on December 14 at 10pm, airing from Sunday to Wednesday.

For the first time in Big Brother history, 16 single house-guests have entered the house to compete for the grand prize of $5,00,000 and they try to find their true love. What they didn’t know was that thanks to a detailed personality assessment, each has been paired to play the game with someone who could eventually turn out to be a soulmate.

Not only do the prospective soulmates compete together, win the Head of Household title together and face eviction together, they even share a bed. The pairs include a gay couple, two ex-flames, neither of who knew that the other is taking part on the show and a real life couple who tries to con the housemates into believing they are single, but get conned instead and are paired with other people! What’s more, the eliminations take place by the houseguests themselves.

Commenting on the launch, Ferzad Palia, associate general manager, Vh1 India, told t2: “The success of Bigg Boss on Colors prompted us to bring Big Brother to India.”

If it is the US version that is being brought instead of the UK edition made famous by Shilpa Shetty’s participation, Palia pointed out that Brit humour is hardly appreciated in India. Neither does he agree that the show would clash with the VH1’s identity as a music channel. “We have always been a music and lifestyle channel. The music part will never get diluted.”

Another round of editing has been done for the Indian audiences. “The chosen season still has enough spice and scandal,” assured Palia.