All for the cameras: Influencer Sufi Motiwala dismisses Shivangi-Harshad romance

Fashion commentator and influencer Sufi Motiwala, who was recently evicted from Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, has dismissed speculation surrounding Shivangi Joshi and Harshad Chopda's growing bond inside the house. In an exclusive chat with India Today, he said the two are "not in love" and claimed their interactions are largely for the cameras.

While talking about the same, he said, “I don't think they are in love, guys. The kids have gone crazy. There is no love. They haven't even flirted or hugged each other once. It's all for the cameras, those clips and handkerchiefs and all that. They know what's going to go out. It's a bit wild." When told that many viewers found the pairing cringe, he quipped, "It's cringe, but I think cringe and cute are on the borderline."

He didn't think twice before naming his favourites to win the show. When asked who he believes has the best chance of winning Lock Upp, Sufi picked Shivangi without hesitation, adding that Shreya Kalra also has a strong chance of making it to the top two.

One of the most talked-about moments on the show remained Sufi’s verbal spat with Shreya. He laughed at his viral clips from the incident and said, "When that person doesn't want to understand English, what I wanted to say in a decent language, then I had to make her understand in another language. At least after that, she was quiet. So my mission was successful."

The other important twist in the game involved Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, who entered as a wild card but was instead playing the role of an informer. Sufi admitted that she managed to fool everyone, including him. Speaking about rebuilding their friendship, he said, "She played the role of an informer very well because even I didn't realise till the time she was in Lock Upp that she was not a contestant. Because she spoke about keeping her secrets and wanting to play the game differently. I am super impressed by her. Even for me, it was a big gag that we sorted everything inside. It was the most wholesome thing.”

Looking back at his own journey, he recalled that his happiest moment came during the first Judgement Day, when host-actor Kangana Ranaut praised his work as a fashion commentator.

"They didn't telecast it, but she gave a big speech where she was justifying why my job as a fashion commentator is so important. I really liked that. Then obviously the jailors, Farah ma'am and Riteish sir, saved me also, secured me. So my first Judgement Day was my peak. The lowest moment I felt was when I fell ill in the third week. At that time, I was very worried," Sufi said.

Despite an emotional and often turbulent journey on Lock Upp, Sufi says he has no regrets. He reflected on his time in the house and said his biggest achievement was staying true to himself throughout the show.

"When I see how my journey has gone, I feel like the one thing that I am proudest about is that I didn't compromise my authenticity anywhere. No matter how it was, I cried, sang, fought, got beaten up, whatever. It was all what came naturally from me. I didn't see a single episode or footage where I felt like, 'Oh, I did too much here' or 'Why did I do this?' I feel all my actions are justified. So I am most happy about that... that for once in my life, I am not criticising myself," he said.

And now, having done two reality shows, including The Traitors, the influencer has made it clear that he isn't looking to sign up for another one anytime soon. "You saw my face, right? Do you think I have another reality show inside me? I have had enough. By the grace of God, I had a lot of fun," he added.

Sufi concluded the chat with a joke about the infamous food inside the house, saying that he has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and now everything will be handled in court. “They had told us that they would give us food and this was like a basic situation. If anything, we all got detoxed. We all lost four to five kilos,” he concluded.

Along with Sufi Motiwala, TV actor Dheeraj Dhoopar was also eliminated from the show.

Fashion commentator and influencer Sufi Motiwala, who was recently evicted from Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa, has dismissed speculation surrounding Shivangi Joshi and Harshad Chopda's growing bond inside the house. In an exclusive chat with India Today, he said the two are "not in love" and claimed their interactions are largely for the cameras.

While talking about the same, he said, “I don't think they are in love, guys. The kids have gone crazy. There is no love. They haven't even flirted or hugged each other once. It's all for the cameras, those clips and handkerchiefs and all that. They know what's going to go out. It's a bit wild." When told that many viewers found the pairing cringe, he quipped, "It's cringe, but I think cringe and cute are on the borderline."

He didn't think twice before naming his favourites to win the show. When asked who he believes has the best chance of winning Lock Upp, Sufi picked Shivangi without hesitation, adding that Shreya Kalra also has a strong chance of making it to the top two.

One of the most talked-about moments on the show remained Sufi’s verbal spat with Shreya. He laughed at his viral clips from the incident and said, "When that person doesn't want to understand English, what I wanted to say in a decent language, then I had to make her understand in another language. At least after that, she was quiet. So my mission was successful."

The other important twist in the game involved Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, who entered as a wild card but was instead playing the role of an informer. Sufi admitted that she managed to fool everyone, including him. Speaking about rebuilding their friendship, he said, "She played the role of an informer very well because even I didn't realise till the time she was in Lock Upp that she was not a contestant. Because she spoke about keeping her secrets and wanting to play the game differently. I am super impressed by her. Even for me, it was a big gag that we sorted everything inside. It was the most wholesome thing.”

Looking back at his own journey, he recalled that his happiest moment came during the first Judgement Day, when host-actor Kangana Ranaut praised his work as a fashion commentator.

"They didn't telecast it, but she gave a big speech where she was justifying why my job as a fashion commentator is so important. I really liked that. Then obviously the jailors, Farah ma'am and Riteish sir, saved me also, secured me. So my first Judgement Day was my peak. The lowest moment I felt was when I fell ill in the third week. At that time, I was very worried," Sufi said.

Despite an emotional and often turbulent journey on Lock Upp, Sufi says he has no regrets. He reflected on his time in the house and said his biggest achievement was staying true to himself throughout the show.

"When I see how my journey has gone, I feel like the one thing that I am proudest about is that I didn't compromise my authenticity anywhere. No matter how it was, I cried, sang, fought, got beaten up, whatever. It was all what came naturally from me. I didn't see a single episode or footage where I felt like, 'Oh, I did too much here' or 'Why did I do this?' I feel all my actions are justified. So I am most happy about that... that for once in my life, I am not criticising myself," he said.

And now, having done two reality shows, including The Traitors, the influencer has made it clear that he isn't looking to sign up for another one anytime soon. "You saw my face, right? Do you think I have another reality show inside me? I have had enough. By the grace of God, I had a lot of fun," he added.

Sufi concluded the chat with a joke about the infamous food inside the house, saying that he has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and now everything will be handled in court. “They had told us that they would give us food and this was like a basic situation. If anything, we all got detoxed. We all lost four to five kilos,” he concluded.

Along with Sufi Motiwala, TV actor Dheeraj Dhoopar was also eliminated from the show.