Farah Khan has addressed allegations that she was biased toward Shreya Kalra during Lock Upp 2, days after the reality show’s finale sparked debate over the contestant’s victory.
Shreya emerged as the winner of Lock Upp 2, taking home the trophy along with a reported ₹1 crore cash prize. Following the finale, some viewers questioned whether Farah, who co-hosted the show with Riteish Deshmukh, had shown favoritism toward the eventual winner.
Farah has now spoken about the controversy in a conversation with Shreya, revealing that she did not know about a professional connection between them when the season began.
Farah Khan says she did not know Shreya before the show
Farah addressed the issue in a recent YouTube vlog filmed during a visit to Shreya’s Mumbai home.
During the conversation, she asked Shreya whether they had ever met before Lock Upp 2.
“I want to ask on record, Shreya, have we ever met before? Before I saw you on stage?” Farah asked.
Shreya replied that they had not.
Farah then explained that she only learned about a connection between them after viewers began questioning her conduct as host.
“After two weeks I got to know because people started commenting that I was a biased host,” Farah said.
According to Farah, both women were associated with the same management company, Qyuki. She said she was unaware that Shreya was represented by the company until the online discussion began.
Farah explains the Qyuki connection
Farah said she contacted the management company after seeing comments suggesting that her relationship with Shreya could have influenced her treatment of the contestant.
“They have 70 content creators!” Farah said, explaining why she had not immediately known that Shreya was among the creators represented by the company.
She said she asked whether Shreya was associated with Qyuki and was told that she was.
Farah’s argument was that the professional connection could not have influenced her behavior if she did not know about it when the show started.
“But I didn’t know, so how was I biased?” she asked.
Her comments were intended to address the speculation that she had prior familiarity with Shreya or had deliberately favored her during the competition.
Shreya Kalra recalls Farah being tough on her
Shreya, however, offered a different perspective during the conversation.
Rather than agreeing that Farah had treated her favorably, the Roadies alum jokingly reminded the filmmaker that she had often been particularly critical of her during the show.
“But the fact is that you were the one who picked on me from the beginning!” Shreya said.
She recalled being reprimanded by Farah during the first week and claimed that the criticism continued even during periods when she believed she was performing well.
“In the first week you shouted on me, and even when I was doing good, you were only shouting at me!” Shreya said.
The exchange gave the discussion a lighter tone, with Farah responding to Shreya’s recollection while maintaining that she had never suggested the contestant was incapable of doing well.
Shreya brings up the Akanksha Choudhary dispute
Shreya also referred to a confrontation involving fellow contestant Akanksha Choudhary.
According to Shreya, Farah had previously told her not to become overly pleased about appearing better than another contestant during the dispute.
Shreya recalled Farah telling her that she should not be satisfied simply because she appeared better in comparison with someone else, arguing that she should focus on her own performance instead.
Farah reacted playfully to the recollection, and the conversation eventually moved away from the disagreement as the two laughed together.
The exchange offered a more nuanced picture than the online debate over whether Farah had been biased: Shreya’s own recollection was that the host could be particularly demanding toward her.
Shreya Kalra wins Lock Upp 2
The discussion comes shortly after the conclusion of Lock Upp 2.
Shreya was ultimately crowned the season’s winner after the finale voting process involving former inmates and the show’s jailers.
She defeated Shivangi in the final stage of the competition and walked away with the trophy and ₹1 crore prize money.
Her victory generated significant discussion among viewers, including questions about the result and the conduct of the show’s hosts.
Farah’s latest comments provide her explanation for one part of that debate, while Shreya’s own recollection of their interactions suggests that the relationship between host and contestant was not as straightforward as the accusations of favoritism suggested.
For now, the two appear to have put the controversy into perspective with a candid and occasionally humorous conversation after the competition ended.
