Rahul Easwar entered Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 8 as one of its most talked-about contestants. The reasoning was simple: a man known for verbal sparring, sharp opinions and an easy command of a room seemed built for a format that rewards exactly that. A few days into the season, according to Filmibeat Malayalam, that reputation is taking a hit.

The report notes that Easwar has offered little in the way of content since the show began. He's frequently seen sitting withdrawn, not engaging with the house's dynamics the way viewers expected. The one recurring thread he does pursue, conversations with fellow contestant Rini around gender and men's rights, hasn't landed with the audience either. Filmibeat Malayalam points out that this isn't the debate viewers tuned in for.

Inside the house, Easwar has largely stayed neutral on contentious issues, avoiding taking sides. That includes staying silent, per the report, on what some housemates see as unfair conduct by house leader Jaseela Parveen, even in moments that seemed to call for pushback. Contestants who initially viewed him as a serious threat in the game are said to be reassessing that now.

The silence hasn't gone unnoticed online. Malayalam social media groups have been running jokes about Easwar's elaborate skincare habits inside the house, poking fun at a routine that reportedly runs from raktha chandanam in the morning to lipstick by afternoon, a face mask by evening and eyebrow threading at night. One widely shared post plays on the irony directly: a man who walked in talking about men's rights showing zero compromise for his own skincare.

Easwar isn't new to reality television. He won Malayali House, a similarly structured show that aired on Surya TV back in 2013, and did so on the strength of the sportsman spirit he showed through that run. Whether that same instinct shows up here remains to be seen. Filmibeat Malayalam's assessment is blunt: if he keeps the conversation limited to men's rights alone, he risks losing support even among male viewers, and could find himself voted out.

He isn't the only one struggling to convert hype into screen time. Vicky Tag, who entered with similar buzz, has also been low-key inside the house so far this season. Meanwhile, Jaseela Parveen continues to play her own game, and Sreelakshmi Arayakkal is beginning to make her presence felt. The season was pitched as an opportunity for lesser-known 'commoner' contestants to shine, and so far, none of them have fully taken it.

It's worth remembering the show is only days old. Bigg Boss seasons rarely play out the way they open, and there's a long way to go before anyone can call this settled. Whether Easwar finds his footing, or whether the house's early read on him holds, should become clearer over the coming weeks.