They should have brought Kiran Bedi: Farah Khan on being called 'soft jailer' on Lock Upp
Farah Khan said she is bound to get emotionally involved as Lock Upp's jailer. Her remarks came as she addressed bias allegations, praised contestants' honesty and underlined the show's emotional pull.
While Farah Khan has hosted multiple reality shows, she says she is a fan of the genre first. However, she admitted that when the makers of Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa called her, she initially decided to say no. The filmmaker, in an exclusive chat with India Today, further opened up about the reaction she has been receiving, her favourite contestants, and why it's difficult to separate her job from her emotions.
"When the team reached out, I thought it would be a cooking show or something similar to what I am doing on my YouTube channel. In my head, I was like, 'Cooking? Nahi karna (I don't want to cook).' Thank God, they didn't ask me to be a contestant (laughs). But when they told me about this show and my role, I loved it. I don't call this a hosting stint because I am a jailer," she said.
Farah added that she finds Lock Upp very intriguing. Even though it's a captive reality show, it's unlike anything else, especially Bigg Boss, which is considered the pioneer of the genre. "It's about redemption, secrets and human emotions. The contestants have been incredibly brave. I really admire how gutsy they are. If I had a secret, I don't think I would have managed to come out and say it. That makes them very likeable and very human. When I heard Sufi's story, I had tears in my eyes. Coming from that background, not being accepted by your own family... hats off. The courage it takes to be yourself is admirable," said the 61-year-old.
When asked if she has any favourites in the jail, the Main Hoon Na director laughed and said, "I have been warned not to say I have favourites. The best part is that every week someone surprises me, and my opinion keeps changing. That's what this journey is about." She added that, at one point, everyone was criticising Shreya Kalra, but she changed people's opinions through the way she performed. For Farah, that's the journey every contestant will undergo over the six weeks.
On social media, Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh have received immense love, but a section of the audience feels they have been biased towards their friends, especially Ram Kapoor and Ssunita Ahuja. Defending herself, Farah said they were the first ones to call their friends out, even though it was difficult to do so on a personal level. She also reasoned that most of them are not used to being called out or criticised. Farah revealed that Ram later apologised to her, which probably did not make it to the final cut. For her, these celebrities accepting their mistakes and apologising should be looked at in a humane way.
The jailer added that everyone has their own story, and everyone comes with their share of baggage and secrets. Once people see them relive those moments on stage, it helps them understand them better. However, given the demands of their job, we asked whether it was difficult not to get emotionally involved in their stories.
"I have told the makers that I will get emotionally involved. I am an emotional person. Even as an audience member, this is my favourite genre. We all discuss these shows in our friend chat groups, and I do have opinions. If a story touches me, it affects me. If they wanted a strict jailer, they should have brought Kiran Bedi," she answered, in her own inimitable style.
We also asked Farah about the competition between Lock Upp and Alliance. Both belong to a similar genre, launched a day apart and are streaming on two of the biggest global platforms. "Competition is always good. It makes everyone bring their A-game and raises the bar. If there's no competition, people become laid-back. Now everyone is on their toes. It's like any sport; you have to have two teams. Otherwise, where's the fun," she said.
On a final note, the filmmaker shared that she sensed the show's popularity every time she travelled around the city. People across age groups came up to her and told her they were absolutely hooked. She also said that social media is abuzz with opinions and reactions, something the team enjoys witnessing. Before signing off, Farah promised that she hopes to return to filmmaking soon as well.
Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa streams on Netflix and also has celebs like Shivangi Joshi, Harshad Chopda, Dheeraj Dhooper, Yogesh Rawat, Akanksha Chamola, Shilpa Shinde, Pamala Serena and Varun Yadav as jail mates.
While Farah Khan has hosted multiple reality shows, she says she is a fan of the genre first. However, she admitted that when the makers of Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa called her, she initially decided to say no. The filmmaker, in an exclusive chat with India Today, further opened up about the reaction she has been receiving, her favourite contestants, and why it's difficult to separate her job from her emotions.
"When the team reached out, I thought it would be a cooking show or something similar to what I am doing on my YouTube channel. In my head, I was like, 'Cooking? Nahi karna (I don't want to cook).' Thank God, they didn't ask me to be a contestant (laughs). But when they told me about this show and my role, I loved it. I don't call this a hosting stint because I am a jailer," she said.
Farah added that she finds Lock Upp very intriguing. Even though it's a captive reality show, it's unlike anything else, especially Bigg Boss, which is considered the pioneer of the genre. "It's about redemption, secrets and human emotions. The contestants have been incredibly brave. I really admire how gutsy they are. If I had a secret, I don't think I would have managed to come out and say it. That makes them very likeable and very human. When I heard Sufi's story, I had tears in my eyes. Coming from that background, not being accepted by your own family... hats off. The courage it takes to be yourself is admirable," said the 61-year-old.
When asked if she has any favourites in the jail, the Main Hoon Na director laughed and said, "I have been warned not to say I have favourites. The best part is that every week someone surprises me, and my opinion keeps changing. That's what this journey is about." She added that, at one point, everyone was criticising Shreya Kalra, but she changed people's opinions through the way she performed. For Farah, that's the journey every contestant will undergo over the six weeks.
On social media, Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh have received immense love, but a section of the audience feels they have been biased towards their friends, especially Ram Kapoor and Ssunita Ahuja. Defending herself, Farah said they were the first ones to call their friends out, even though it was difficult to do so on a personal level. She also reasoned that most of them are not used to being called out or criticised. Farah revealed that Ram later apologised to her, which probably did not make it to the final cut. For her, these celebrities accepting their mistakes and apologising should be looked at in a humane way.
The jailer added that everyone has their own story, and everyone comes with their share of baggage and secrets. Once people see them relive those moments on stage, it helps them understand them better. However, given the demands of their job, we asked whether it was difficult not to get emotionally involved in their stories.
"I have told the makers that I will get emotionally involved. I am an emotional person. Even as an audience member, this is my favourite genre. We all discuss these shows in our friend chat groups, and I do have opinions. If a story touches me, it affects me. If they wanted a strict jailer, they should have brought Kiran Bedi," she answered, in her own inimitable style.
We also asked Farah about the competition between Lock Upp and Alliance. Both belong to a similar genre, launched a day apart and are streaming on two of the biggest global platforms. "Competition is always good. It makes everyone bring their A-game and raises the bar. If there's no competition, people become laid-back. Now everyone is on their toes. It's like any sport; you have to have two teams. Otherwise, where's the fun," she said.
On a final note, the filmmaker shared that she sensed the show's popularity every time she travelled around the city. People across age groups came up to her and told her they were absolutely hooked. She also said that social media is abuzz with opinions and reactions, something the team enjoys witnessing. Before signing off, Farah promised that she hopes to return to filmmaking soon as well.
Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa streams on Netflix and also has celebs like Shivangi Joshi, Harshad Chopda, Dheeraj Dhooper, Yogesh Rawat, Akanksha Chamola, Shilpa Shinde, Pamala Serena and Varun Yadav as jail mates.
While Farah Khan has hosted multiple reality shows, she says she is a fan of the genre first. However, she admitted that when the makers of Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa called her, she initially decided to say no. The filmmaker, in an exclusive chat with India Today, further opened up about the reaction she has been receiving, her favourite contestants, and why it's difficult to separate her job from her emotions.
"When the team reached out, I thought it would be a cooking show or something similar to what I am doing on my YouTube channel. In my head, I was like, 'Cooking? Nahi karna (I don't want to cook).' Thank God, they didn't ask me to be a contestant (laughs). But when they told me about this show and my role, I loved it. I don't call this a hosting stint because I am a jailer," she said.
Farah added that she finds Lock Upp very intriguing. Even though it's a captive reality show, it's unlike anything else, especially Bigg Boss, which is considered the pioneer of the genre. "It's about redemption, secrets and human emotions. The contestants have been incredibly brave. I really admire how gutsy they are. If I had a secret, I don't think I would have managed to come out and say it. That makes them very likeable and very human. When I heard Sufi's story, I had tears in my eyes. Coming from that background, not being accepted by your own family... hats off. The courage it takes to be yourself is admirable," said the 61-year-old.
When asked if she has any favourites in the jail, the Main Hoon Na director laughed and said, "I have been warned not to say I have favourites. The best part is that every week someone surprises me, and my opinion keeps changing. That's what this journey is about." She added that, at one point, everyone was criticising Shreya Kalra, but she changed people's opinions through the way she performed. For Farah, that's the journey every contestant will undergo over the six weeks.
On social media, Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh have received immense love, but a section of the audience feels they have been biased towards their friends, especially Ram Kapoor and Ssunita Ahuja. Defending herself, Farah said they were the first ones to call their friends out, even though it was difficult to do so on a personal level. She also reasoned that most of them are not used to being called out or criticised. Farah revealed that Ram later apologised to her, which probably did not make it to the final cut. For her, these celebrities accepting their mistakes and apologising should be looked at in a humane way.
The jailer added that everyone has their own story, and everyone comes with their share of baggage and secrets. Once people see them relive those moments on stage, it helps them understand them better. However, given the demands of their job, we asked whether it was difficult not to get emotionally involved in their stories.
"I have told the makers that I will get emotionally involved. I am an emotional person. Even as an audience member, this is my favourite genre. We all discuss these shows in our friend chat groups, and I do have opinions. If a story touches me, it affects me. If they wanted a strict jailer, they should have brought Kiran Bedi," she answered, in her own inimitable style.
We also asked Farah about the competition between Lock Upp and Alliance. Both belong to a similar genre, launched a day apart and are streaming on two of the biggest global platforms. "Competition is always good. It makes everyone bring their A-game and raises the bar. If there's no competition, people become laid-back. Now everyone is on their toes. It's like any sport; you have to have two teams. Otherwise, where's the fun," she said.
On a final note, the filmmaker shared that she sensed the show's popularity every time she travelled around the city. People across age groups came up to her and told her they were absolutely hooked. She also said that social media is abuzz with opinions and reactions, something the team enjoys witnessing. Before signing off, Farah promised that she hopes to return to filmmaking soon as well.
Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa streams on Netflix and also has celebs like Shivangi Joshi, Harshad Chopda, Dheeraj Dhooper, Yogesh Rawat, Akanksha Chamola, Shilpa Shinde, Pamala Serena and Varun Yadav as jail mates.
