Shah Rukh Khan chance to host Bigg Boss 8?

That actor Salman Khan is not hosting the upcoming season of the ­television ­reality show, Bigg Boss, is old news. What’s new,  ­however, is that the 48-year-old, who has been hosting the controversy drama for the past four ­seasons, is most likely being replaced by the other big Khan — Shah Rukh. While the host channel couldn’t be reached for confirmation, a source close to the channel reveals the inside story.

“Shah Rukh has been the ­channel’s favourite for quite some time now, and they are in talks with him,” says the source. While Shah Rukh’s spokesperson has brushed it aside as a rumour, our source says, “SRK has appeared thrice on comedian Kapil Sharma’s show and he even opened Anupam Kher’s chat show on the channel last week. They are also in talks with SRK to host an upcoming awards night.” Other reliable sources confirm that Salman is certainly not in the picture any more.

“Salman was unhappy since last season itself, because he felt that ­people were blaming him for the mistakes committed by others on the show, and he had several disagreements with the ­channel on the stand he wanted to take on certain matters,” adds the source. In an earlier interview with us, Salman had admitted that he “doesn’t follow a script” as a host. Last season, Salman faced flak for supporting ­contestants Tanishaa Mukherji and Armaan Kohli, and rebuking winner Gauahar Khan and Kushal Tandon on several occasions, to the extent of #unfairSalman trending on Twitter. Meanwhile, former ­contestants aren’t happy with this developement.

“If Salman doesn’t host the show, it’ll go off air within a ­season. Shah Rukh may be great but he will not be able handle things like Salman,” says wrestler and ex-contestant Sangram Singh. VJ Andy, too, agrees. “Salman doesn’t care about popular opinion. He stands up for what he believes is fair,” he says.

Gay couple in the house

Having married or even divorced couples in the show isn’t new. This time around, however, there’s strong buzz that the ­producers are trying to rope in a gay couple. “They’ve already approached several celebrity gay couples, including a Delhi-based fashion designer couple, but are yet to finalise,” says a source.