India, Sept. 7 -- Bigg Boss 20 has finally opened its doors and the milestone season wasted little time establishing that this year's game is going to be about more than just fights and nominations. Hosted by Salman Khan, the grand premiere introduced a striking mix of television stars, actors, digital creators, reality-show personalities and sports icons. But more importantly, the episode gave viewers an early idea of who could actually matter once the game gets serious.

There was Kanika Mann, who entered first and was immediately handed a special power. There was Mahhi Vij, who entered last and made it clear that she is not someone who plans to quietly disappear into the background. And then there was Mary Kom, whose very presence chan...