Jul 09, 2026 8:30pm IST
Farah Khan On Akanksha Chamola Being Outed As Bisexual on ‘Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa’: ‘I Felt She Would Be Crucified’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Farah Khan returns to the small screen as the host of “Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa,” alongside Riteish Deshmukh. The unscripted captive reality show brings together some of Indian television’s biggest stars, who will compete as contestants in a high-stakes battle of strategy, survival and secrets. About the contestants, she tells Variety India, “It is a fabulous mix of people. Between Balaji, Netflix and the creative team they have managed to get people whom you would never expect to see on a reality show. You have the likes of Harshad Chopda, Ram Kapoor and Akanksha Chamola who have made it very exciting.”
Maintaining a neutral stance on her favorites on “Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa,” she shares that she was surprised to know that Harshad Chopda and Dheeraj Dhoopar were making their reality TV debuts on this show. “Bigger the names, the more eyeballs you get. We also have Yogesh Rawat and Akanksha Choudhary on the show. They are clearly a viral couple,” she says.
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The choreographer-filmmaker also reveals that co-host Riteish Deshmukh gets trolled when they school Rawat and Choudhary. But she believes that the show is bigger than any contestant. “That is extremely important. I cannot say that he or she is my friend or has come on my YouTube show. The focus is on what has happened inside. We pull them up for what they have done on the show irrespective of who they are,” she states.
Khan shares a close bond with Riteish Deshmukh. “He was home this Sunday with Genelia. We had lunch, chatted, played games and had a gala time. He has been family for a very long time. There is a comfort factor between us. When he heard that the makers had two hosts in mind, he was not too keen to do the show. But when he heard it was me, he agreed immediately. When we meet on the sets, we eat together, discuss the show and crack jokes that cannot be aired,” she says.
Gaurav Khanna and Akanksha Chamola’s marital crisis is being discussed widely. Many believe that such revelations are gimmicks for TRPs. Reacting to this, Khan stresses that the format of “Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa” is the opposite of that of “Bigg Boss,” where contestants are not allowed to bring up outside topics on the show. “This series is more about what you have done outside. Whatever ilzaam (accusation), kaand (scandal/misconduct) and all outside stuff is on the show. It is because of that you are locked up where you have to talk and redeem yourself. A celebrity might have faced punishment outside, but this is a place to seek redemption. It takes guts to tell your secrets on camera,” Khan shares.
Khan candidly admits that she dismissed some of the contestants’ secrets as nonsensical. “I had to ask what the secret is,” she quips. She believes everyone has truths they are uncomfortable admitting. Khan elaborates, “On the show, they opened up so that they could feel absolutely free. When Akanksha Chamola’s secret was outed (she revealed she was bisexual before marriage), she was so gutsy to own up to it. My heart is full seeing the kind of feedback she is getting. I felt she would be crucified and terrible that she was outed in such a manner.”
Khan further says that Chamola’s secret was meant for her to reveal, not for anyone else. “I would say there is a little more gravitas and emotion on this show than others. In other shows, we see more of name-calling and family shaming than this kind of drama,” she reasserts.
While Khan has been in the news for the show and her YouTube channel, her husband Shirish Kunder’s pictures have also gone viral. People wondered if AI aided his appearance or whether he had undergone a transformation. “Shirish is ready to join college. He and my son, Czar, are both going to attend university together. That is the joke in my house,” she signs off.
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