Playing 'house' in the UK

members about Shilpa Shetty's inclusion in Britain's popular reality show .

Director Deepak Tijori is keeping a close watch on Big Brother, the international reality show which currently has a popular desi version Bigg Boss on Indian television. His "old friend", actor Shilpa Shetty is the first Indian ever to take part in the UK show and he's keeping track of all the developments taking place there.

"The day I was evicted from Bigg Boss, I heard the news that Shilpa was off to London to be a part of Big Brother," he says. Though Indian media already had a whiff of her inclusion in the international reality series (it gets over in 25 days) and reported it even before she could enter the Celebrity Big Brother house, sources say that the organisers were miffed with the report having leaked out.

And while Tijori is already logging on to the BBC Channel 4 website and speaking to producers on a regular basis, he is keenly observing the way his friend is coping with other celebs in the house.

Though the series may not be aired in India "" Star World might pick up rights for the Asian market but that could take a while ""the Channel 4 website is one option to check out how Shilpa is coping with the other 10 celebrities in the house.

Our suggestion to readers interested in the programme is to take a look at some of the YouTube videos that are already doing the rounds on the Net. The short videos upload faster and despite the poor sound quality, they are worth it.

So what's Shilpa doing in the celebrity house, or the "golden cage" as model/actor Aryan Vaid calls it? For starters, other celebrities, including Jermaine Jackson (Michael's brother), film director Ken Russell (who irritated Shilpa with his constant snoring and eventually walked out of the show citing health problems) and model Danielle Lloyd gawked at Shilpa in admiration when she walked into the house wearing a Tarun Tahiliani saree.

And while most housemates there agreed that Shilpa was "a pretty girl", unfortunately the party didn't last too long and soon other celebrities began feeling uncomfortable with her, reducing her to tears on the second day itself.

The 10-day-old show saw Shilpa getting nominated (for eviction from the house) in the very first week and other celebrities talking about the girl "from a strange country who will find it difficult to adjust to the other people in the house".

On her part, Shilpa was confessing in the house's diary room (that's what they call the confession room) "" talking about "missing my mother who always travels with me". Predictably, she has photographs of her family members on her bedside table.

Ragini Shetty (no relation) alias Abhijata, who was also a part of Bigg Boss, says, "Talking to your family on a daily basis and even staying with them at the age of 30 is an alien concept in the West. In that sense, Shilpa might not be able to relate with other members of the house." She adds, "People might get intimidated by her beauty, grace and her dignified ways."

She could be right. In one episode, Jackie (one of the members, evicted two days ago) asks Shilpa about her life in India and is surprised when Shilpa says, "I have the entire seventh floor to myself." This prompts Jackie to call her "Princess".

The camaraderie doesn't last too long and at one point Shilpa is briefly miffed that Jackie doesn't try to pronounce her name properly. While members of the house blame Jackie for doing this purposely, Jackie on her part has a severe showdown with Shilpa.

Tijori adds, "She is also feeling uncomfortable discussing her personal life openly. Let's face it, we aren't the sorts to discuss sex and boyfriends in public."

Though Shilpa is safe from eviction for now, Tijori feels she can easily win the celebrity show this year. If she does, she will be richer by £100,000 going by reports.

Last year, the winner Chantelle's prize money was £25,000. Shilpa's acceptance to be a part of the show has already fetched her Rs 3 crore, according to reports.

"I could never agree to be a part of such a show ever again," says Vaid. As someone who was part of Bigg Boss, he feels such reality shows are a mixed bag comprising good, bad and ugly moments, but they eventually contribute to damaging an individual's psyche to some extent.

"Nobody can be graceful 24x7 and that's an important lesson to be learnt," he adds. Has he changed after coming out of the show? Vaid would say yes to that. "I have become more blunt with people and sometimes I feel disconnected with people. That's a big change I've seen in myself post-Bigg Boss," he adds.

Ragini Shetty admits to coping with depression and is recuperating through yoga, meditation and getting steadily involved in NGO work, something she was doing even earlier.

"I watched two episodes of the show and it hurt too much. A 24-hour schedule getting compiled in one hour will not present us in the right light. I hope audiences realise that people in that house are real and not as bad as the programme shows them to be."

Deepak Tijori, on his part, would love to go back to another show like this and says, "I already have a script ready and will be making a film on this reality format. I would actually like to be a part of the original format."

Meanwhile, in Big Brother's celebrity house, some housemates are evidently jealous of Shilpa's lifestyle in India. "Stars here can live simply but in India, they don't live simply," says Carole, a journalist, who is present in the house's scullery section, while discussing "India's Angelina Jolie's" lifestyle, complete with chauffeurs, maids and cooks and fans who worship her.

For now, Shilpa's giggles continue to echo in the celeb house as she promises to prepare a delightful Indian meal for her housemates.