Kangana Ranaut’s new reality show Lock Upp has generated some buzz. But from the first look, it seems like a low-budget version of Bigg Boss with some cliche ‘lock up’ references. The show’s grand premiere aired on 27 February on Alt Balaji.
When producer Ekta Kapoor launched the show with Ranaut, they promised that it was different, that it will have the most ‘controversial celebrities’ onboard who will have to endure hardships through Ranaut’s lock-up and would have a chance to explain their side of the story to the audience.
Ranaut’s ‘unnecessary’ self-obsession
Generally, the grand premiere is the solid foundation that shapes up the rest of the show. But Lock Upp’s very first episode, which introduced the 13 prisoners of Ranaut’s “badass jail”, was even less exciting than the trailer. One expected a dose of her self-obsession, and she doesn’t disappoint (sadly). She opens with statements like “Sabke gale sookhe huey hain, haath pair kaanp rahe hain… ki Kangana kiski pol kholegi (Everyone is trembling, wondering whom Kangana will expose).”
“Paanch ungliyon wale toh hath jod rahe hain, chheh ungliyon wale bhi dare hue hain (Those with five fingers are folding their hands; even those with six fingers are scared),” she says, taking a subtle dig at Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan. Seems like everyone in this world has moved on, except Ranaut.
Her dig at people whom she seemingly doesn’t like (such as Munawar Faruqui) also indicates that the show might cater better to audiences who adore her. But if you are someone who used to cringe over her Twitter banters and unnecessary, over-the-top criticism (before she was banned by the platform), you might want to save yourself by not watching the show.
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An array of contestants — ‘chalta hai!’
Lock Upp has 13 contestants — besides comedian Faruqui, self-proclaimed godman Chakrapani Maharaj, trans fashion designer Saisha Shinde, wrestler Babita Phogat, social media celebrity Poonam Pandey, actor Sara Khan, Nisha Rawal, Karanvir Bohra, Payal Rohatgi; some young faces like Shivam Sharma, Siddharth Sharma, Anjali Arora and political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla. Actor Raveena Tandon also features in the show as a jailer for the first episode. Like Salman Khan in Bigg Boss, this show will also feature Kangana Ranaut on weekend episodes.
The most talked-about contestant before the launch episode was Munawar Faruqui. His presence on Lock Upp generated much-needed publicity in the liberal circles as well. The comedian, who had tweeted earlier to take a dig at Kangana Ranaut, was criticised for sharing screen space with her. But entertainment ke liye sab chalta hai! However, the exchange between Ranaut and Faruqui was probably the only entertaining part of the launch episode.
The show also features Chakrapani Maharaj, who claims that he did not get infected with Covid because he took ‘gaumutra shots’. Even though the controversial quotient looks high, giving space to someone who is homophobic and spreads misinformation regarding Covid-19 doesn’t look like a wise decision.
Other contestants, such as Payal Rohatgi, Poonam Pandey, and Sara Khan could bring in some ‘masala’, and Rohatgi tried to do that in the first episode by rebelling against the jail authorities over the lack of basic facilities. But much of it looks dramatised.
In the launch episode, there were some journalists present on the set, whom Kangana Ranaut asks to interrogate the celebrities as they enter. The celebrities also brought a suitcase with them, from which they could take only three things inside. The guards of Lock Upp remind of the guards from Netflix’s Squid Game, who do not speak at all, except they are in masked, black outfits. Orange is for the prisoners here.
Overall, the show doesn’t look exciting. Even the set of the grand episode did not look as grand. There is an element of Bigg Boss and Aap Ki Adalat in it, and we can only hope that it evolves in the upcoming episodes. Otherwise, even Kangana Ranaut would not be able to save the show.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)