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The Dutch show Big Brother is called Bigg Boss in India. It is legally owned by the same company.

I think it is because the Indian audience might not understand what Big Brother really means in American English. It means someone who is always watching you (can also be used in a negative way e.g. NSA is like big brother).

Is there any other reason for that? Maybe something to do with a different law or something else.

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    I think it has to do with the condescending nature of "Boss" in India. – ABcDexter Dec 1 '17 at 13:00
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This is most likely done due to language difference.

The term Big Brother comes from English, its source goes back to the book Nineteen Eighty-Four published back in 1949 by George Orwell.

Those who are not familiar with this term, or "western culture" in general, where it's widely known, will just assume "Big Brother" means just that: older brother, without any idea what it should mean. (24/7 surveillance, basically.)

On the other hand, installing cameras in work places and tracking employees 24/7 appears to be very common (and legal) in India, so the term "Big Boss" is easily associated with the concepts of the Big Brother show. Perfect fit.

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'Boss' has an authoritative tone to it whereas 'brother' in India has more of a family-oriented tone which might not have been a good strategy for the Indian market keeping in mind the controversy that happened when it first started. Also, it might have been a simple marketing strategy.

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  • what controversy? – Ankit Sharma Dec 3 '17 at 9:38
  • Racial fights allegations in the Celebrity Big Brother Season 5 with Shilpa Shetty and other housemates. However, I checked the dates and the timeline again and apparently Big Boss had already started in India a year before this. So that may not have been the reason to change the name. Hence, I think as others pointed out, it is simply a marketing strategy – Tushar Dec 3 '17 at 16:03
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Because they cannot use the same name. as It violates the trademark. Big Brother has nothing to do with Bigg Boss. Bigg Boss is just another show in India which inspired from the Big Brother show.

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    Both are from Endemol, so which trademark is broken here? – Ankit Sharma Dec 1 '17 at 13:16
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    This is totally and utterly wrong. Please make some basic research before posting false information. – Shadow The Vaccinated Wizard Dec 3 '17 at 11:09

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