Filmmaker and art director Omung Kumar has been designing 'Bigg Boss' sets for several years now. He also designed sets of 'Bigg Boss OTT' and the sets of the second season of 'Bigg Boss OTT' is also designed by him and his wife Vanita. The couple has always wowed us with their creativity in all the seasons. In the second season of 'BB OTT' also, Omung and his wife have come up with something fresh and unique. Ahead of the premiere of the show, Garima Das of Outlook had a conversation with the 'Mary Kom' director where he spoke about the theme of 'Bigg Boss OTT 2', challenges, host Salman Khan and a lot more.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
You have been associated with the show for so many years now. You have designed sets for 'Bigg Boss' TV and 'Bigg Boss OTT'. Are there any major differences in designing the set for both formats?
Yes and no because the format is the same. But this year it's on OTT, last year also it was on OTT but it was similar to the Hindi set but here this time OTT has a different thing. We wanted something young and colourful things. We wanted to show something different because there are youngsters and all. I could have done the hashtag, the colorful set but that I have been doing anytime. We thought to make it more conscious of the things that when we are talking this time then it should be on the environment. So, we thought of a theme of recycled stuff which is made of junk, crazy stuff that people have thrown it away. We have used thousands of bottles and made the biggest eye in the garden and that becomes the entrance to it. All the scrapes that I had before, sets which were broken that can't be used, we joined everything and made a nice huge sculpture over the ceiling. That looks very beautiful. There is a jail that is made of only the car spare parts, and lamps on the floor are basically headlights that are thrown. So, that becomes the pathway. We have done coloured bottles on the wall which are thrown off, a mud wall with coloured bottles that looks pretty, there is a wall of paper cups. We have done all this crazy stuff to make this house a 'strange house'. That's why it's different than other 'Bigg Boss' houses.
How did this come to your mind of recycling and make a new set altogether?
The thought was basically youngsters. For them, I could have done different sets which are colourful but in my mind, I was not getting a theme to it. It was not inspiring to me. I wanted to shake up the system so that people can talk about it. I thought of how people can take notice of it and then the idea of recycling things came to my mind. For me being an artiste if you throw me somewhere where there is nothing I will make something out of it. That's the beauty of an artiste you can throw me something and see what I can make out of it. This time it was consciously to make the set of recycled stuff.
How long does it take to design the entire set?
Design is nothing more than half an hour or an hour. I am very fast in that. But yes, to make it, it takes 45-50 days and it takes 130-150 people to make it possible.
Till date what has been the biggest challenge you have faced?
Generally, if you get less time to make it then it's a challenge. For designing there is a challenge that how we can be better than the last time. The challenge is that you have to be one step ahead and challenge yourself. The biggest challenge is the time that we always face as there may be rain sometimes and how to do that. Other than that thought process is never a challenge, creativity is never a challenge. The challenge is that you have to outdo yourself. That's all.
Which part of the house do you find interesting and difficult to design?
We always have this in mind how it should be on Weekend Ka Vaar. It keeps on changing every time. For example what changes we can bring to a sofa. So, that's difficult. The wall in front of the sofa should be the highlight. So, how will you do that? That question is always there.
Do you feel bad when contestants break stuff inside the house?
I feel really bad and I call in the middle of the night to ask what is happening.
Do you feel that no matter how many hosts come and go, Salman Khan char chand laga dete hai?
He has his own swag and style and he knows every contestant in and out. He has been hosting the show for so many years now. So he knows how to talk, what to say when to say and that's why he is Salman Khan.
What's keeping you away from direction?
Nothing is keeping me away. 'Fouza' and 'Ramlali' are lined up.
