Kalyan Padala’s Historic Win
Kalyan Padala has made history as the first commoner to win Bigg Boss Telugu, sealing his victory in the grand Season 9 finale. After 105 days of high-stakes drama, Kalyan lifted the winner’s trophy and walked away with ₹35 lakh in prize money. ( Prize pool had originally been ₹50 lakh, but was reduced after Demon Pavan accepted a ₹15 lakh offer.) In addition to the cash, Kalyan also received a brand-new Car as part of his prize package. Overwhelmed with emotion, the 25-year-old commoner – became a national sensation overnight, with fans celebrating his journey and cresting memes about his victory. His win made him not only the season’s champion but also Bigg Boss Telugu’s first non-celebrity champion.
Grand Finale Kicks Off in Style
The finale opened in a festive mood. Host Nagarjuna made a grand entry (dressed in a blue suit with a gold-printed shirt) and welcomed all five finalists – Kalyan Padala, Thanuja Puttaswamy, Sanjjanaa Galrani, Emmanuel, and Demon Pavan. Each finalist made a flashy solo entrance with music reflecting their Bigg Boss journey, hyping up the crowd. The five then came together for a high-energy group dance, a coordinated routine that drew loud cheers, applause and whistles from the audience. Nagarjuna quipped “Simon is back” to greet them, and even invited the housemates to hug their families – in a touching moment each finalist spent a few minutes speaking with parents who had joined the finale stage. With nostalgia in the air, Nagarjuna unveiled the season’s trophy – a striking gold-and-silver statuette with the Bigg Boss signature eye and the number 9 engraved on it – and reminded everyone that the winner would take home the trophy plus ₹50 lakh (though that prize fund would later be adjusted). He also announced that fan votes had poured in “by the crores” for this finale, underlining the overwhelming public support.
A special video montage of the season’s highlights was played on the big screen, prompting a wave of emotion. The compilation rolled back the clock through this season’s funniest, most dramatic, and most heartfelt moments. Watching themselves on screen, finalists Emmanuel, Thanuja and Sanjjanaa (and even some former contestants) were moved to tears. After the montage, the finalists shared a laugh by giving mock “winning speeches.” Emmanuel kicked off with a hilarious impersonation of Demon Pavan (complete with an imaginary lip balm), and Sanjjanaa followed by imitating Thanuja. These light-hearted bits had everyone giggling and eased the tension before the more serious competitions began.
Celebrity Guests and Performances Lighten the Mood
True to tradition, the finale featured several star appearances and performances. Folk singer Mangli energized the crowd with her viral hit “Bayilone Ballipalike,” dancing on stage in her signature energetic style. Actors Roshann Meka and Anaswara Rajan – who starred together in the movie Champion – were the first celebrities on stage. The son of actor Srikanth (Roshann) shared how special it was to stand alongside Nagarjuna again (he had met Nagarjuna as a child), and they even launched the Champion trailer on-air. The duo later danced gracefully to one of their film’s songs, earning kudos from Nagarjuna. Next, actress Dimple Hayati took the spotlight: draped in a red shimmery saree, she performed a lively dance to Telugu hit songs, her moves and infectious energy getting the audience clapping along.
Bollywood star Ravi Teja made a massy entrance together with co-stars Ashika Ranganath and Dimple (again!), promoting their film Bharateeya Mahasayulaku Vignapthi. The trio even showed the audience a teaser of their movie and cracked jokes with Nagarjuna, making everyone laugh (Ravi quipped, “This is the first time I’m sandwiched between two girls”).
Meanwhile, Nagarjuna introduced a series of playful interactions. Choreographers Shekhar Master, Sada and Sridevi (judges of BB Jodi 2) were on stage, and Nagarjuna had them dance for fun, even asking Shekhar to create a hook step for the Bigg Boss theme. He also invited Meka Srikanth (actor and father of Roshann) into the Bigg Boss house at this point. Srikanth – who confessed he’s watched every season of Bigg Boss Telugu – praised the finalists, calling Thanuja a “Telugu inti ammayi” (a quintessential Telugu girl) who gave strong emotional support inside the house. He also commended Kalyan Padala and Pavan for their gameplay consistency. (Amusingly, Nagarjuna revealed that Srikanth had once worked as Nagarjuna’s body double in a movie, drawing cheers from the crowd.) These guest segments lightened the atmosphere and reminded everyone of the camaraderie the season had built.
Drama and the First Eviction
Soon the competition resumed. Nagarjuna handed the microphone to Srikanth to deliver the first eviction twist. The five finalists turned their backs and-one by one-Srikanth announced “safe,” sparing Thanuja, Pavan and Emmanuel first, and teasing Kalyan Padala by leaving him in suspense. At that point, he dramatically paused and sent in a troupe of drummers and garland-bearers. The garlands pointed to Sanjjanaa Galrani, who was declared the first finalist evicted.
Sanjjanaa accepted the outcome with grace. Hugs were exchanged as she said, “Okay sir, what a journey,” and serenaded the housemates with “Love you, Bigg Boss!” She thanked Nagarjuna for everything, even calling him the show’s “second daddy.” Afterwards, back on stage, Sanjjanaa was asked who she thought should win. She surprised everyone by championing Thanuja – pointing out that in nine seasons Telugu Bigg Boss had never had a female winner and insisting, “This time it should be a female winner – Thanuja.” (The crowd applauded this sentiment.)
Returning to tasks, Nagarjuna had the Final Four (Kalyan PadalaThanuja, Emmanuel, Pavan) take part in a “Thank You / Sorry” activity. Each finalist picked colored bracelets from a tray and publicly placed them on someone, thanking or apologizing. Kalyan chose a yellow bracelet for Thanuja, saying earnestly that he’d formed a “strong bond” with her in a short time. Ramya (a former housemate) also appeared and apologized to Kalyan, adding emotion and closure to their past disagreements. Thanuja then stepped up and put a bracelet on Kalyan, thanking him for always understanding her – “If there was anyone in the house who understood me and stood by my side like family, it was Kalyan Padala” she said. The three finalists shared smiles and heartfelt gestures as they expressed gratitude and made amends; even Emmanuel declared the two men as his brothers and lightened the mood with jokes.
The Cash Temptation: Pavan’s Exit
Next came the climax twist of the finale. Vijayawada superstar Ravi Teja returned, this time with a suitcase of cash, and entered the Bigg Boss house. He led the remaining “fantastic three” finalists (Kalyan Padala, Thanuja, and Demon Pavan) into an activity room and revealed a high-stakes offer. Each contestant could quit the competition on the spot and walk out immediately with a cash prize – but doing so would end their chance to win the trophy. The briefcase started at ₹5 lakh, and Ravi raised it to ₹7.5 lakh, then ₹10 lakh. All three initially refused the offer, determined to stay for the title. After consulting privately, Pavan eventually accepted a ₹15 lakh offer, explaining emotionally that his family needed it more. He hugged the others and said, “I know I’m letting people down, but this is the right thing for my family.”
As Pavan left the house with the money, Nagarjuna confirmed the outcome: Pavan was the season’s second runner-up and the grand prize pool was reduced. With Pavan out, only two finalists remained. Nagarjuna announced that the final winner’s cash prize would now be ₹35 lakh instead of ₹50 lakh.
Final Showdown and Kalyan Padala’s Triumph
With just Kalyan and Thanuja left, and the green room lights dimmed, it was down to the final moments. Nagarjuna made one last attempt to tempt them: he offered the pair a special golden briefcase worth ₹20 lakh each. Opening it on stage, he gave them nine seconds to take the money and quit, or pass. Kalyan and Thanuja looked at each other, then firmly shook their heads. (Kalyan later said “this amount is huge for me, but I can’t accept it,” and Thanuja agreed – she didn’t want to disappoint her fans.)
Finally, Nagarjuna declared the long-awaited result: Kalyan Padala was the winner of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 9. The audience erupted as Kalyan, overwhelmed, broke into tears. Thanuja stepped forward with a gracious smile and gave him a hug, applauding her friend’s hard-earned victory. Nagarjuna announced Thanuja as the runner-up. It was a triumphant moment for Kalyan – a young man from an ordinary background who had navigated the game with sincerity and grit to lift the trophy (and the ₹35 lakh prize money and new SUV).
In the end, the finale blended spectacle with heartfelt moments. From dance performances to emotional family reunions, from laughter (thanks to Emmanuel’s antics) to suspenseful reveals, the episode kept viewers hooked. But it was Kalyan Padala’s story that resonated most – the commoner who won over the public’s votes and became Bigg Boss Telugu’s first-ever commoner champion. His win not only concludes Season 9 on a historic note, but also ignites excitement for future seasons of Bigg Boss, showing once again how unpredictable and entertaining the game can be.
