Zinia Sen & Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; April 6, 2016)
Did Mikhail Bora walk into the Bigg Boss Bangla house to keep the home fires burning? Hours after he made a sensational entry on screen as someone who can whip up “105 kinds of pastas“, friends and acquaintances in Guwahati suggested that Mikhail's life was in such a flux after the Sheena Bora murder case broke and his mother Indrani Mukerjea went to jail for it that he desperately needed the money to bring things back on track.
Mikhail's financial trouble is even more shocking since his mother, the well-heeled and well-to-do Indrani - arrested by Mumbai Police last August for her alleged involvement in Sheena's murder - is a media executive, who is also the present wife of disgraced media mogul Peter Mukerjea.
Sanjib Kalita, Sheena's batchmate from Disneyland High School in Guwahati, who has known Mikhail for years, said he came to know about the Bigg Boss chapter only recently. “Some of our close friends told me that Mikhail was joining Bigg Boss Bangla,“ he said. On being asked if Mikhail was going through a financial crisis, he told us, “When his grandmother Durga Rani passed away last year, Mikhail did not even have the money for the shraddh. All his friends, including me, raised funds for the ceremony. We gave whatever we could - Rs 200-300. The family had also rented out a portion of their house and ran the kitchen with that money.“
Mikhail's girlfriend, Moushumi Das, told us that though he was in dire straits, Mikhail was hesitant about taking up the offer from Bigg Boss. “He was quite averse to the offer at first. But I made him understand that it is a good opportunity and he should go for it. Money is very important for each one of us and financially Mikhail is not in a sound place. So the money is much needed. I've been in a relationship with Mikhail for the past two years and I am very happy that he has gone to Bigg Boss Bangla. I know how he has suffered during the Sheena Bora case. He would cry all night. I want him to be positive and concentrate on the show. I told him I will look after the family and he should be free in his mind and give it his best,“ she told us from Guwahati.
Earlier, Mikhail used to reportedly get Rs 15,000 every month from his mother. Some reports claim the pocket money continued to come his way even after the disappearance of Sheena in 2012, but stopped last year. His friend Sanjib feels the Bigg Boss Bangla offer might help Mikhail tide over the crisis. “Whatever money he gets will help Mikhail set up a business in Guwahati. He also has to take care of his old and ailing grandfather (Upendra Kumar Bora),“ he said. An image makeover for Mikhail would be vital at this point. Sujoy Kutty, senior vice-president of the channel airing the show, said it wasn't easy convincing him to enter the Bigg Boss house. The move was guarded like a state secret. “It took us four months to convince Mikhail. At first, he was uncomfortable and refused to speak to us,“ said Sujoy. But isn't the channel trying to exploit Mikhail's controversial past for the show? To this, Sujoy retorted, “Mikhail is a good contestant for the show. Every participant has a past and so does he, but we are trying to reveal the unknown side to him. Also, we have no business probing the Sheena Bora murder case, but can't stop anyone from bringing it up.“
Though Sujoy did not reveal how much the channel had to shell out to convince Mikhail, sources close to the show said he would be getting Rs 50,000 per week. Though unconfirmed, the source added, “It is meagre in comparison to what some of the other contestants are getting. This only shows how desperate Mikhail is to make money at this point in time.“
Mikhail's financial trouble is even more shocking since his mother, the well-heeled and well-to-do Indrani - arrested by Mumbai Police last August for her alleged involvement in Sheena's murder - is a media executive, who is also the present wife of disgraced media mogul Peter Mukerjea.
Sanjib Kalita, Sheena's batchmate from Disneyland High School in Guwahati, who has known Mikhail for years, said he came to know about the Bigg Boss chapter only recently. “Some of our close friends told me that Mikhail was joining Bigg Boss Bangla,“ he said. On being asked if Mikhail was going through a financial crisis, he told us, “When his grandmother Durga Rani passed away last year, Mikhail did not even have the money for the shraddh. All his friends, including me, raised funds for the ceremony. We gave whatever we could - Rs 200-300. The family had also rented out a portion of their house and ran the kitchen with that money.“
Mikhail's girlfriend, Moushumi Das, told us that though he was in dire straits, Mikhail was hesitant about taking up the offer from Bigg Boss. “He was quite averse to the offer at first. But I made him understand that it is a good opportunity and he should go for it. Money is very important for each one of us and financially Mikhail is not in a sound place. So the money is much needed. I've been in a relationship with Mikhail for the past two years and I am very happy that he has gone to Bigg Boss Bangla. I know how he has suffered during the Sheena Bora case. He would cry all night. I want him to be positive and concentrate on the show. I told him I will look after the family and he should be free in his mind and give it his best,“ she told us from Guwahati.
Earlier, Mikhail used to reportedly get Rs 15,000 every month from his mother. Some reports claim the pocket money continued to come his way even after the disappearance of Sheena in 2012, but stopped last year. His friend Sanjib feels the Bigg Boss Bangla offer might help Mikhail tide over the crisis. “Whatever money he gets will help Mikhail set up a business in Guwahati. He also has to take care of his old and ailing grandfather (Upendra Kumar Bora),“ he said. An image makeover for Mikhail would be vital at this point. Sujoy Kutty, senior vice-president of the channel airing the show, said it wasn't easy convincing him to enter the Bigg Boss house. The move was guarded like a state secret. “It took us four months to convince Mikhail. At first, he was uncomfortable and refused to speak to us,“ said Sujoy. But isn't the channel trying to exploit Mikhail's controversial past for the show? To this, Sujoy retorted, “Mikhail is a good contestant for the show. Every participant has a past and so does he, but we are trying to reveal the unknown side to him. Also, we have no business probing the Sheena Bora murder case, but can't stop anyone from bringing it up.“
Though Sujoy did not reveal how much the channel had to shell out to convince Mikhail, sources close to the show said he would be getting Rs 50,000 per week. Though unconfirmed, the source added, “It is meagre in comparison to what some of the other contestants are getting. This only shows how desperate Mikhail is to make money at this point in time.“