A rapper from Pune has won the 16th season of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of the long-running international reality show Big Brother.
MC Stan, whose real name is Altaf Shaikh, beat 16 other contestants in the viewer-voted show, where participants are locked in a house for 136 days with their every move watched by audiences.
Shaikh, 23, was a known musician before he appeared on the show, but his popularity is expected to rise further with previous winners going on to become celebrities after the season finale.
"We created history. Stayed real throughout, repped hip-hop on national TV," he posted on Instagram after his win, along with a photo of himself with host, Bollywood star Salman Khan.
Along with the title, Shaikh also won a Hyundai Grand i10 Nios hatchback as well as 3.1 million Indian rupees ($37,400) in cash.
"I couldn’t understand if Salman was joking or if I had really won. Even after he announced my name, I was still wondering if it was for real, but after he hugged me, I knew I had won. It was an amazing feeling," he told The Times of India.
"My mum and dad were so proud when my name was announced, I could see it on their faces. This made me feel very good."
As with every season, the latest version of Bigg Boss featured a number of colourful characters including Tajik influencer Abdu Rozik, a Dubai resident, who last year bagged a role in Khan's upcoming Bollywood film, tentatively titled Bhaijaan.
Rozik, 19, who stands a little over 91 centimetres tall, was an audience favourite, but voluntarily left the show twice — first in December due to medical reasons and the second time in January due to prior commitments.
He was good friends with Shaikh and also attended the Bigg Boss finale in Mumbai on Sunday. Another close friend of Shaikh's on the show, Shiv Thakare, was named the first runner-up.
Shaikh, who said he participated in the show because he wants his music "to reach more people", says he will focus on his rap songs and continue "to send out positive messages to people through that".
Bigg Boss first aired in India in 2006 and was immediately a ratings hit. It's now spawned a number of regional shows including versions in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
Khan has hosted the show for 13 seasons.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Why seagrass matters
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
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Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
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Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
TOURNAMENT INFO
Opening fixtures:
Friday, Oct 5
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers
Saturday, Oct 6
4pm: Nangarhar Leopards v Kandahar Knights
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends
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Tickets can be bought online at https://www.q-tickets.com/apl/eventlist and at the ticket office at the stadium.
TV info
The tournament will be broadcast live in the UAE on OSN Sports.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
