Bigg Boss Tamil S6 Crowns Azeem Winner: Time We Stop Normalising Toxic Misogyny

It’s been almost a week since Bigg Boss Tamil Season 6 concluded, but the buzz hasn’t subsided yet, and it’s not really for a good reason. People have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with this season's title winner, Mohammed Azeem. How can a human red flag, an embodiment of misogyny and narcissism, become the title winner? Have people really cast their votes for an abuser after witnessing his toxic and abusive patterns throughout the show?

Following a post from The Women of Cinema, singer Chinmayi Sripaada took to her social media handle to voice her opinion on the issue. Attaching the post by The Women of Cinema, the singer wrote, "A post from the Women of Cinema. It’s not surprising that when toxic misogynists and transphobes (and assaulters and abusers) "win" in real life, their winning in a reality show is a no-brainer. Such people always receive support."

For those who haven’t followed Bigg Boss Tamil season 6, here's why Bigg Boss Tamil S6 winner Azeem facing flak.  He is a human red flag. Throughout the show, he exhibited toxic masculinity, abusive traits, and narcissistic behaviour.

When the host, actor-politician Kamal Hassan, interacts with the housemates on weekends, Azeem, like any other narcissistic abuser, transforms into a completely different person. He realises his mistakes, apologises to the contestants (survivors of his abuse), and vows to never repeat his toxic behaviour again. To add a sentimental touch, he talks about his love for his toddler son, who lives with his ex-spouse. And guess what? He gets saved every weekend and has finally won the title!

Bigg Boss Tamil S6 Winner Azeem

This is nothing but a vicious cycle of abuse. Abusers gaslight, manipulate, and deliver Oscar-worthy performances to make people believe that they have changed. Like Shamshunissa (Shefali Shah) from Darlings tells her daughter Badrunissa (Alia Bhatt), "stinging is what scorpions do; some men are scorpions; they never change." In a nutshell, Azeem is a scorpion.

The audience has various speculations about the show. While some say it is scripted or semi-scripted, others believe that it is real. Regardless of what the show is, what is a show that is reportedly being watched by 30 million people teaching us? A person can abuse everyone, be disrespectful, name-call, mock, belittle, exhibit transphobic actions towards a fellow queer contestant, and behave in a passive-aggressive way and still be awarded a trophy, a cash prize of Rs. 50 lakhs, and a car. What audiences learn is that an abuser can easily get away by gaslighting, manipulating, and shedding a few fake tears.

Sounds familiar? This is typically what we see in the real world. It either happens to us or someone we know. Most women, even today, are told to adjust and compromise because "men will be men." At a time when movies like Darlings, Ammu, and Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey are making it clear that abusive and toxic behaviour is wrong and abusers will not be tolerated, Azeem’s victory is a win for patriarchy. This comes as a huge blow when we are taking baby steps toward a brighter future by smashing the patriarchy. Just from watching promos and video snippets, it's clear to see that Azeem is a misogynist through and through.

Some might argue that movies and TV shows are just for entertainment, but I disagree. Why has defending patriarchy become a form of entertainment? Isn’t entertainment supposed to be fun? It is an undeniable fact that movies, TV shows, and society are interlinked. While some movies are inspired by real-life incidents, some crimes are inspired by movies. So, no! Entertainment does not have the liberty to promote unacceptable behaviour and risk misleading people. Media, ethically, needs to have a decent degree of social consciousness while producing content.

I was someone who was extremely delighted by actor Aari Arjunan’s victory in Bigg Boss Tamil Season 4. It is disheartening and infuriating to see the same show celebrating a toxic misogynist as the title winner after everything he has done. If this isn’t justifying and normalising patriarchy, toxicity, narcissism, and abusive behaviour, I don’t know what else is.

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