Salman Khan apologises for Bigg Boss 20 chest pain promo: 'Sorry for the way it was cut'
Synopsis
Salman Khan staged a chest pain scene on Bigg Boss 20 to call out contestant Qazi Touqeer's repeated health pranks — but the show's promo team cut it so convincingly that fans feared for the host's life. Salman's candid Instagram apology acknowledged the backfire: in trying to expose a prank, the edit made him look like he was pulling the same one.
Key Takeaways
Salman Khan clarified on 20 September via Instagram Story that his health is fine after a Bigg Boss 20 promo showed him appearing to have chest pain.
The chest pain was staged by Salman to demonstrate the impact of contestant Qazi Touqeer 's repeated fake mental health episodes inside the house.
Salman apologised on behalf of the show's makers, saying the promo 'should not have been cut like the way it was cut.' Qazi had faked health distress multiple times, including summoning doctors inside the house before revealing it was a prank.
The episode has reignited debate about Bigg Boss 's editorial and promotional practices around health-related content.
Salman Khan has issued a public apology after a promo for Bigg Boss 20's 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode showed the host appearing to experience chest pain — a staged moment that left fans and contestants genuinely alarmed. The actor clarified on 20 September 2026 via his Instagram Story that his health is 'fine by the grace of God' and apologised on behalf of the show's makers for what he described as a misleading edit.
What the Promo Showed
The contentious promo featured Salman Khan asking for water and appearing breathless — visuals that triggered an outpouring of concern from viewers across social media. The clip aired ahead of the latest 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode and was widely shared before any clarification was issued. For a host of Salman's stature, any health-related visual carries outsized public anxiety.
What Salman Said in His Clarification
In his Instagram Story, Salman was candid about the intent and the miscommunication. 'Nothing is wrong with my health by the grace of God. The Bigg Boss promo should not have been cut like the way it was cut,' he wrote. He explained that the chest pain sequence was a deliberate act designed to mirror the behaviour of contestant Qazi Touqeer, who has been faking mental health distress inside the house. 'It totally beats the purpose and looks like I am doing the same thing that Qazi was doing in the house,' Salman acknowledged. He added that the pain was staged specifically to show Qazi the impact of using health for entertainment — particularly because the other 15 housemates were unaware it was an act and were genuinely worried. 'Sorry about the way the promo was cut. Guess it's the format that they use in promoting the shows, I apologise on their behalf,' his post concluded.
Qazi Touqeer's Health Prank Inside the House
The backdrop to Salman's staged moment is contestant Qazi Touqeer's repeated pretence of mental health issues within the Bigg Boss 20 house. According to reports, Qazi would privately confide to the cameras that he was acting unwell, while putting up a distressed front for fellow housemates. The act escalated to a point where Qazi summoned doctors inside the house; when they arrived to examine him, he reportedly told them it was all a prank. Initially, most housemates expressed genuine concern, though over time a few contestants began to suspect the performance was not authentic.
The Broader Concern: Health as Entertainment
This episode touches on a recurring debate around reality television: the ethical boundaries of using health — physical or mental — as a narrative device for viewer engagement. Salman himself acknowledged that the promo edit backfired precisely because it replicated the same problematic behaviour he was trying to call out. Critics argue that misleading health-related content, even when intended as a lesson, can cause real distress to audiences and can trivialise genuine mental health struggles. The episode is likely to renew scrutiny of how Bigg Boss promos are packaged and cleared before broadcast.
What Happens Next
Salman's apology has been widely noted, with many fans appreciating the transparency even as they criticised the promo's editorial choices. Whether the show's makers issue a formal response or modify their promotional approach remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Qazi Touqeer's position inside the Bigg Boss 20 house — already under scrutiny from housemates — is expected to face fresh heat in upcoming episodes.
Point of View
But the fact that it was needed at all points to a structural problem: Bigg Boss promos are routinely edited for maximum alarm, and health scares are a reliable hook. When the host himself becomes a casualty of that formula, it exposes how deeply the shock-cut has been normalised in Indian reality television promotion. The irony — that Salman staged a health moment to condemn health-as-entertainment, only for the promo team to deploy it as exactly that — is a neat encapsulation of the show's contradictions. More substantively, Qazi Touqeer's repeated fake mental health episodes raise a question the show has not answered: does Bigg Boss have a responsibility to intervene when a contestant instrumentalises mental illness as strategy in front of a national audience?
NationPress
20 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Salman Khan apologise on Instagram about Bigg Boss 20?
Salman Khan apologised because a promo for Bigg Boss 20's 'Weekend Ka Vaar' episode was edited to make it appear he was genuinely suffering from chest pain, causing widespread public concern. He clarified that the moment was staged to mirror contestant Qazi Touqeer's health pranks, and apologised on behalf of the show's makers for the misleading cut.
Is Salman Khan's health okay after the Bigg Boss 20 chest pain video?
Yes. Salman Khan confirmed in his Instagram Story that 'nothing is wrong with my health by the grace of God.' The chest pain shown in the promo was a deliberate act and not a real medical episode.
What did Qazi Touqeer do inside the Bigg Boss 20 house?
Contestant Qazi Touqeer has been reportedly faking mental health distress inside the Bigg Boss 20 house, confiding to cameras that he was acting while letting housemates believe he was genuinely unwell. He even summoned doctors inside the house before revealing to them that it was all a prank.
Why did Salman Khan fake chest pain on Bigg Boss 20?
Salman Khan staged the chest pain to show contestant Qazi Touqeer the effect of using health issues as entertainment, particularly because the other 15 housemates were unaware Qazi was pretending and were genuinely worried for him.
What controversy does the Bigg Boss 20 promo raise about mental health?
The episode has renewed debate about reality TV shows using health — especially mental health — as a dramatic device without adequate editorial responsibility. Critics argue that both Qazi's repeated fake health episodes and the misleading promo trivialise genuine mental health struggles and can cause unnecessary distress to viewers.
