Filmmaker and choreographer Farah Khan recently turned host for Lock Upp season 2 alongside actor Riteish Deshmukh. In a recent conversation at FICCI Frames, Farah spoke about how hosting the reality show was a dream job for her and revealed how the experience also had an impact on her personal life.
Farah Khan says Lock Upp was her dream job
While talking about hosting Lock Upp season 2, Farah admitted that she had not watched the first season as it streamed on Alt Balaji, and she did not have the app at the time. She said, “I have made movies and done YouTube and a lot of TV, but Lock Upp was our (her and Riteish Deshmukh) dream job. Because we are reality show junkies. I watch every reality show. I think storytelling, giving content, and the need to entertain is a part of my blood. I can’t let anyone get bored even for a second.”
She added that even while making films, she warned actors against taking long pauses and said she would cut their lines if they did. Farah added, “Which is why YouTube came very easily to me. We have no script, we just go and it’s all one take. But in Lock Upp, there were a lot of suggestions and too many inputs about how one should be. But I think what happened finally was Riteish found how he was going to be and I found what I wanted to be.”
Farah added that she wanted to be the voice of the audience, even if it made her appear biased. She also praised Riteish as a host and revealed that he often stopped her when she was lashing out at contestants. She said, “We had a blast and for me Lock Upp was the best reality show that not only I had done but I had seen. It spoke a lot of human nature, secrets and culture. Every boy in that show was molested and to bring that out in such an entertaining manner.”
She concluded, “What I got out of it was that it made me cool with my kids and their friends. Because wherever I went, all the teenage girls would come and say we are Lock Upp pagloos.”
About Lock Upp season 2
After a four-year gap following the first season, Lock Upp returned in a revamped format on Netflix, with Riteish Deshmukh and Farah Khan as the jailers, replacing Kangana Ranaut. The reality show brought celebrities and public figures into a prison-themed setup, where they competed in tasks, formed alliances and faced eliminations, while their personal lives and secrets became part of the game.
The season concluded with Shreya Kalra emerging as the winner, taking home the trophy and ₹1 crore, while Shivangi Joshi finished as the runner-up.