During the launch on 2 October, fourteen hand-picked housemates entered the house located in Karjat, a town, about halfway between Mumbai and Pune in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Four additional wild card entries were made during the second, third, fourth and the end of seventh week, taking the number of contestants to 18.

The extravagant introductory episode to the season 5 showcased different features of the Bigg Boss house and introduced each of the participant.

It also featured Bollywood actors Ajay Devgn for the promo of their upcoming film Rascals and Samir Soni for promoting his new serial Parichay on Colors.

(100% of the weekly luxury budget) Color Key The participation of the pornographic actress Sunny Leone was criticised by the Indian Artistes and Actors Forum (IAAF), who sent a request to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, to take action against Colors for indirectly encouraging and promoting pornography in India via the introduction of an adult entertainer.