Imam Siddique cites 44-year career in Salman Khan Bigg Boss plea

Weekend Ka Vaar usually puts the current Bigg Boss 20 contestants in the hot seat. This week, the conversation moved outside the house. Bigg Boss 6 runner-up Imam Siddique has written an open letter to Salman Khan after his name was used as an example of harassment on Saturday’s episode.

The comment that sparked the letter

Salman Khan was scolding contestant Qazi Touqeer about his behaviour with Kanika Manna. To drive the point home, Salman referred to Imam Siddique and, according to Imam, said: “Imam Siddique ne bhi yeh kiya tha…” The suggestion, as Imam read it, was that he had troubled other contestants during his season.

Imam shared the clip and responded with a public note on Instagram. He called the comparison “extremely defamatory and factually incorrect.”

Imam’s denial and what he wants

In the letter, Imam wrote: “I have never harassed any contestant with the intent to trouble them.” His Bigg Boss Season 6 run, he said, was built on entertainment, tasks and performance, and he completed it with dignity.

He also placed the comment in a longer context. The letter points to his 44 years of work in advertising, broadcasting, corporate, design, education, events, entertainment and fashion. Being used as a negative example in a discussion about harassment, he argued, damages his reputation and his family’s honour.

What Imam has asked for:

• A clarification and correction on the show.
• An assurance that his name will not be used in a defamatory context again.

He addressed Salman as an elder brother of the industry and said he hopes the host will show the same fairness he asks for inside the house.

The Bigg Boss moment behind the row

Saturday’s Weekend Ka Vaar was already a talking point because of Qazi’s behaviour with Kanika. Salman also clarified that he was not favouring any contestant, saying viewers should not read his dressing-down as one-sided. He added that Qazi had told the audience he would pretend to be ill, so the audience already knew it was an act.

But the Imam reference is what reached a former contestant and turned a current-season moment into a question about how past contestants are remembered. Imam is known to viewers for his “Salman Bhai, time out” line from Bigg Boss Season 6.

For Bigg Boss fans, it is a reminder that what is said on air can follow someone long after their season ends. Imam finished as runner-up on Bigg Boss 6 in 2012-13; Urvashi Dholakia won that season. Now he is asking for the record to be corrected before the same audience that heard the comment.

Source: Hindustan Times