Actor and entrepreneur Payal Rohatgi has never been one to hold back her opinions, whether inside a reality show or outside it. Having appeared in shows such as Bigg Boss, Nach Baliye and Lock Upp, where she finished as one of the finalists, the actor believes reality television has played a major role in shaping her personality. With the second season of Lock Upp now underway, Payal shared her thoughts on whether contestants become too conscious of their public image and why she believes reality shows should remain unscripted.
In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Payal reflected on how age has changed her approach to reality television and why she feels makers should resist turning unscripted shows into fiction. She also recalled working with Ektaa Kapoor on Nach Baliye, claiming that the show was made to resemble a daily soap, and expressed hope that Lock Upp season 2 does not follow a similar approach.
Payal Rohatgi talks about reality show experience
Payal revealed that she has not been able to catch up with Lock Upp season 2 because she has been busy honing her singing skills and has not had the time to watch the show. However, she wished all the contestants the very best.
She added that while she could not comment on whether the current contestants are image-conscious, she spoke about her own experiences and learnings from reality television. She said, “I've done Bigg Boss, Nach Baliye, and many other reality shows. I've always approached both reality shows and my films as something real. Reality shows have been a journey of growth for me, not just professionally but also as a human being.”
She continued, "The way I handled situations in Bigg Boss back then would be very different if I were put in the same situation today. It's like how, when you're 20, you react to anger by shouting, but when you're 40, you don't shout—you simply hang up the phone. As we grow from our 20s to our 40s, we learn so much in life, and that's exactly what we end up showing our fans through reality shows. So, in every reality show I did, I was true to myself at that point in my life. But I have grown as an individual through every one of those reality shows."
Payal Rohatgi on Ektaa Kapoor turning reality shows into serials
{{/usCountry}}She continued, "The way I handled situations in Bigg Boss back then would be very different if I were put in the same situation today. It's like how, when you're 20, you react to anger by shouting, but when you're 40, you don't shout—you simply hang up the phone. As we grow from our 20s to our 40s, we learn so much in life, and that's exactly what we end up showing our fans through reality shows. So, in every reality show I did, I was true to myself at that point in my life. But I have grown as an individual through every one of those reality shows."
Payal Rohatgi on Ektaa Kapoor turning reality shows into serials
{{/usCountry}}However, she criticised reality show makers for making such programmes feel fictional. She said, "Reality show ke makers chahe jo bhi ho, unko reality show serial ki tarah nahi banana chahiye kyunki bahut baar maine dekha hai. Maine jab kaam kiya tha Ektaa Kapoor ke saath Nach Baliye main tab unhone Nach Baliye ko serial ki tarah banane ki koshish Kari thi. Kyunki unhone bola tha Hume Aisa concept chahiye (Whoever the makers of a reality show are, they shouldn't turn it into a television serial. I've seen that happen many times. When I worked with Ektaa Kapoor on Nach Baliye, she tried to make the show feel like a daily soap because she said, 'We need this kind of concept')."
Payal further said, "Tabhi Mrunal thi humare saath aur Mrunal ka partner koi writer tha. Toh unhone pura love story stage kiya tha ki humko aisa dikhana hai kyunki TRP chahiye. Toh voh baat agar Ektaa ji naa karen aapne second season mein (Lock Upp) yaa koi bhi reality show mein toh unke liye accha hoga. Unki adat hai, voh reality shows ko bahut serial jaisa banati hai, toh voh fiction hojaata hai. Jab voh fiction hojaata hai toh voh reality waala compete nahi kar sakta naa Bigg Boss ke saath ya koi aur reality show jo itne saalon se chal raha hai (Mrunal was on the show with us at the time, and her partner was a writer. They staged an entire love story because they wanted to present it in a certain way to boost the TRPs. So, if Ektaa ji avoids doing that in the second season of Lock Upp, or in any reality show, it would be better for the show. She has a habit of making reality shows feel too much like television serials, and then they become fictional. Once a reality show starts feeling fictional, it can't really compete with Bigg Boss or any other reality show that has been running successfully for so many years)."
About Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa
Hosted by Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa features Ram Kapoor, Dheeraj Dhoopar, Shivangi Joshi, Shilpa Shinde and content creators and reality stars including Riyaz, Yogesh Rawat, Akanksha Choudhary and Shreya Kalra. The contestants are confined inside a jail and must redeem themselves each week to stay safe from elimination. The show streams on Netflix from Saturday to Thursday at 8 pm.
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