Who is Santy Sharma? Rapper linked to Bigg Boss 20 amid YouTube channel removal row

Rapper Santy Sharma, whose real name is Ganesh Sharma, is among the names rumoured to be entering Bigg Boss 20, though neither the makers nor the rapper have officially confirmed his participation.

Sharma, widely recognised as an early hip-hop artist from Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, began his YouTube journey in 2016 and built a large following through music and motivational content over the following decade.

He said his YouTube channel was permanently removed following remarks he made about the Cockroach Janata Party, a political trend that had gained attention online.

In an Instagram story, Sharma said the channel represented 11 years of work and creativity, and that its removal felt deeply personal, though he did not receive an official explanation from YouTube linking the takedown directly to his comments.

Sharma had described the CJP trend as “just internet drama” and raised questions about alleged foreign engagement with pages associated with it, as well as the past political associations of its founder, Abhijeet Dipke.

Bigg Boss 20 is expected to premiere on September 21 on Colors TV and JioHotstar, with the makers yet to release an official contestant list.

Sharma is widely regarded as one of the earliest hip-hop artists to emerge from Madhya Pradesh, having released tracks including Udaan, Koshish Meri, and his solo album Reborn over the course of his career.

He recently made his Bollywood debut with a role in Akshay Kumar’s film Housefull 5, marking an expansion beyond his independent music career.

Speculation around his participation in Bigg Boss 20 has placed him alongside several other rumoured names, including social media personality Uorfi Javed, as the show’s makers continue to build anticipation ahead of the season’s launch.

Sharma addressed the controversy directly with his followers through an Instagram story rather than issuing a separate press statement.

The Cockroach Janata Party trend that Sharma commented on had itself been circulating widely online in the weeks before his channel was taken down.

Photo by Bollywood Hungama, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (representative Bigg Boss show image)