South superstar Kamal Haasan, on Sunday, said he has exited the reality TV series ‘Bigg Boss Ultimate’ owing to scheduling conflicts with his forthcoming film Vikram.
The official statement of Haasan quitting the digital version of ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’ comes a day after speculation in the media about the same.
The 67-year-old actor announced the news in a statement shared on Twitter with the caption: ‘After a short break’, promising fans that he will be back for the sixth season of the popular reality show.
“The pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and restrictions rightly imposed by the government has created disarray and has constrained us to reschedule the production and post-production of our forthcoming film, Vikram,” Haasan, who has hosted five seasons of the show's Tamil on TV since 2017, said in a statement.
He said the team had meticulously planned the production schedule of Vikram so that it does not affect his commitments to ‘Bigg Boss’, a show which the actor said is very close to his heart.
“… So much so, I did not let any personal discomfort I might have had after I was personally down with Covid. I was back onstage meeting all you and hosting this wonderful show, the moment tested negative,” he added.
The actor also revealed that he was honoured to launch the first digital avatar of ‘Bigg Boss’, as he has always been a supporter of innovation and technology in the field of entertainment.
‘Bigg Boss Ultimate’, the OTT version, was announced on January 17 and the show went live from January 30.
“Disney Plus Hotstar has been a pioneer of many such initiatives and innovation. It is a matter of pride for me to be associated as a brand ambassador of Disney Plus Hotstar,” Haasan said of the streamer.
However, the rescheduling of the production activities for Vikram forced on account of the lockdown and restrictions imposed resulted in overlap of dates required to be allotted for ‘Bigg Boss Ultimate”, he said.
According to the actor, it has become impossible to manage both Vikram and ‘Bigg Boss’ together.
“Considering the fact that some more days of shoot are left to complete the scenes which have the combination of some of the most prominent stars and technicians of the film industry, it has become practically impossible to manage both Vikram and ‘Bigg Boss’ together.
“It would be unfair to make such eminent stars and technicians wait for me, considering their schedule and other commitments that they might already have. Consequently, I am now constrained to opt out of this season of Bigg Boss Ultimate,” Haasan said.
“Till I meet you again in Season 6 of Bigg Boss. My best wishes to you all,” he concluded.
Vikram is produced by Haasan's banner Raaj Kamal Films International. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj of Master fame, the Tamil-language film is billed as a high-octane action drama.
The team kick-started the film's shoot in July 2021. Vikram also features two of the South cinema's biggest names--Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil.
Haasan is awaiting the release of Indian 2, which has been directed by S Shankar. The movie also features Siddharth, Kajal Aggarwal and Rakul Preet Singh.
