By Saurav Mehra Bigg Boss Malayalam is one of the most popular reality television shows in Kerala. It is the Malayalam-language version of the Indian reality show Bigg Boss, which is based on the international Big Brother format. The programme brings together contestants from different fields and places them inside a specially designed house where they remain under continuous camera surveillance, participate in tasks, face nominations and compete to avoid eviction.
Bigg Boss Malayalam premiered on 24 June 2018 on Asianet. Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has been associated with the programme as its host from the first season and has continued in the role through the subsequent editions. Seven seasons have been completed so far, while Season 8 is scheduled to begin in September 2026.
List of Bigg Boss Malayalam Winners
| Season | Year | Winner | Runner-Up | Host |
| Season 1 | 2018 | Sabumon Abdusamad | Pearle Maaney | Mohanlal |
| Season 2 | 2020 | No Winner – Season Discontinued | No Runner-Up | Mohanlal |
| Season 3 | 2021 | Manikuttan | Sai Vishnu | Mohanlal |
| Season 4 | 2022 | Dilsha Prasannan | Blesslee | Mohanlal |
| Season 5 | 2023 | Akhil Marar | Reneesha Rahiman | Mohanlal |
| Season 6 | 2024 | Jinto Bodycraft | Arjun Syam Gopan | Mohanlal |
| Season 7 | 2025 | Anumol RS | Aneesh Tharayil | Mohanlal |
| Season 8 | 2026 | To Be Announced | To Be Announced | Mohanlal |
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 1 Winner – Sabumon Abdusamad
The first season of Bigg Boss Malayalam premiered on 24 June 2018 on Asianet. Actor Mohanlal made his debut as the host and has remained closely associated with the Malayalam edition ever since.
Season 1 ran for 98 days and featured 18 housemates. The specially designed Bigg Boss house for the inaugural season was set up at Film City in Mumbai.
Actor and television personality Sabumon Abdusamad emerged as the first Bigg Boss Malayalam winner. Popular television presenter and actress Pearle Maaney finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale was held on 30 September 2018. Sabumon’s performance and journey through the competition helped him secure the highest audience support among the finalists.
The success of the first season helped establish Bigg Boss Malayalam as an important reality television franchise in Kerala.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 2 – No Winner
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 2 premiered on 5 January 2020, with Mohanlal returning as host.
The season was originally planned to continue for more than 100 days and included a total of 23 housemates across its run. The Bigg Boss house was located at EVP Film City in Chennai.
However, Season 2 could not be completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production was stopped in March 2020 as restrictions and safety concerns increased.
The final episode was broadcast on 20 March 2020, after approximately 75 days inside the house. Since the competition was discontinued before reaching its planned finale, no contestant was declared the winner or runner-up of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 2.
This makes Season 2 the only regular completed or discontinued edition of Bigg Boss Malayalam without an official champion.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 Winner – Manikuttan
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3 premiered on 14 February 2021, with Mohanlal hosting the programme for the third consecutive season.
The season featured 18 contestants and was originally planned to run for a longer duration. However, the production again faced difficulties because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Filming was suspended on 20 May 2021, when the set in Tamil Nadu was sealed during lockdown restrictions. Unlike Season 2, however, the makers decided that Season 3 would still have an official winner.
Public voting was conducted among the finalists, and a special grand finale was later produced.
Actor Manikuttan was declared the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 3, while Sai Vishnu finished as the runner-up.
The special grand finale aired on 1 August 2021. Manikuttan’s victory gave the Malayalam edition its second official champion after Sabumon Abdusamad.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4 Winner – Dilsha Prasannan
Season 4 premiered on 27 March 2022 on Asianet, with Mohanlal returning as host.
The season featured 20 housemates and ran for 98 days. The Bigg Boss house was set up at Film City in Mumbai.
Dancer and actress Dilsha Prasannan emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 4. Muhammad Diligent Blesslee, popularly known as Blesslee, finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale was held on 3 July 2022.
Dilsha’s victory was particularly significant because she became the first female contestant to win Bigg Boss Malayalam.
Season 4 was also an important edition for the franchise because it expanded the show’s digital presence, with viewers able to follow much more of the activity inside the house through live streaming.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 Winner – Akhil Marar
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 5 premiered on 26 March 2023. Mohanlal continued as host for the fifth consecutive season.
The competition featured 21 housemates during its run. The season also introduced a notable change by providing an opportunity for a commoner selected from the general public to participate in the programme.
Film director Akhil Marar emerged as the winner of Season 5. Actress Reneesha Rahiman finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale took place on 2 July 2023.
Akhil remained one of the most prominent personalities of the season and eventually received enough viewer support to secure the title.
Season 5 continued the established format of weekly tasks, nominations, captaincy competitions, evictions and audience voting.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6 Winner – Jinto Bodycraft
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6 premiered on 10 March 2024 on Asianet, with Mohanlal once again returning as host.
The season featured 25 housemates, making it one of the editions with the largest number of participants in Bigg Boss Malayalam history. The contestants included celebrities, social media personalities and commoners.
Fitness trainer Jinto Bodycraft, also known as Jinto, emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 6.
Arjun Syam Gopan finished as the runner-up.
The competition ran for 98 days, and the grand finale took place on 16 June 2024.
Jinto remained in the competition from the beginning through the finale and eventually received the audience support required to lift the Bigg Boss trophy.
Season 6 also featured several wildcard entries, bringing new contestants into the house after the competition had already started.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 7 Winner – Anumol RS
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 7 premiered on 3 August 2025 on Asianet, with streaming available through JioHotstar. Mohanlal returned as host for the seventh consecutive season.
The season featured 25 housemates and continued for 98 days.
Television personality Anumol RS emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 7.
Aneesh Tharayil finished as the runner-up.
The grand finale was held on 9 November 2025, when Anumol was officially announced as the champion after reaching the final stage of the competition and securing viewer support.
Season 7 featured a large group of participants from television, entertainment, social media and other professional backgrounds, along with several wildcard entrants.
Anumol’s victory made her one of the female winners of the Malayalam edition after Dilsha Prasannan’s Season 4 triumph.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8
Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8 is the next regular edition of the reality show. It is scheduled to premiere on 6 September 2026, with Mohanlal returning as host.
Ahead of the regular season, the makers introduced Bigg Boss Malayalam Agnipareeksha, a special selection programme designed to give commoners an opportunity to earn entry into the main Bigg Boss house.
The Agnipareeksha programme began in August 2026 and forms part of the build-up to Season 8.
Since the main Season 8 competition has not yet started as of August 28, 2026, its winner and runner-up have not been declared. Their names will be added to the Bigg Boss Malayalam winners list after the season concludes.
Bigg Boss Malayalam Hosts Over the Years
Unlike several other regional versions of Bigg Boss that have experienced major changes in presenters, Bigg Boss Malayalam has maintained consistency with its host.
Mohanlal has hosted every regular season of Bigg Boss Malayalam from Season 1 onward.
His association with the programme began with the inaugural season in 2018. He subsequently returned for Seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and is also confirmed as host of Season 8.
Weekend episodes hosted by Mohanlal are an important part of the programme. These episodes generally review events from the previous week, discuss the behaviour and performance of contestants, announce important developments and handle eliminations.
Bigg Boss Malayalam House and Format
Bigg Boss Malayalam follows the basic format used across the Bigg Boss franchise. A group of contestants, known as housemates, live together inside a specially designed house with limited contact with the outside world.
Cameras and microphones monitor the contestants throughout their stay. Housemates participate in weekly tasks and challenges that can influence captaincy, privileges, nominations and other aspects of the game.
Contestants nominate fellow housemates for eviction, while audience voting generally plays a major role in deciding who remains in the competition.
The programme has used Bigg Boss houses in locations including Mumbai and Chennai across different seasons.
New contestants can also enter later as wildcard participants, while some seasons have featured commoners alongside personalities from films, television, social media, music and other fields.
As the competition reaches its final stage, the remaining housemates compete for audience support. The contestant receiving the required public backing in the finale is declared the season’s winner.
Final Words
Bigg Boss Malayalam has grown into one of Kerala’s best-known television reality shows since its launch in 2018. Sabumon Abdusamad became the first champion, followed by Manikuttan, Dilsha Prasannan, Akhil Marar, Jinto Bodycraft and Anumol RS.
Season 2 remains the only edition that ended without a winner after production was discontinued because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Season 3 also faced a COVID-related production shutdown, but public voting was later used to select Manikuttan as the winner.
Anumol RS is the latest completed-season winner after lifting the Season 7 title in November 2025. Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8 is scheduled to begin in September 2026, once again with Mohanlal as host.