Babita Phogat calls Payal Rohatgi a weak leader, feels Saisha Shinde may win Lock Upp
On Sunday, ace wrestler Babita Phogat was evicted from Lock Upp. The Kangana Ranaut-hosted series sees celebrity contestants being locked in an ‘atayachari jail’. For Babita, the reality show turned out to be a ‘learning experience’. She called it one-of-a-kind experiment, with every day springing a new surprises. While the sports champion was lauded for being real, she mostly seemed lost in the jail. Disagreeing with this claim, Babita told indianexpress.com that while she did share a close bond with most, she failed to make meaningful connections.
“I had a very respectful bond with everyone, I don’t know why it seemed like I was lost. I put in a lot of effort to make sure I know about the others, their journey and culture. I really found a good connection with Nisha Rawal, Sara Khan, Saisha Shinde and even Anjali Arora. I may not have a close friend but I did have a good time with everyone,” she said.
Babita Phogat spent most of her time with Payal Rohatgi in the house. However, as Karan Kundrra pointed out on the show, the latter seemed to have overshadowed the wrestler. Babita also agreed to this while pointing out that she and Payal are very different people. “We were part of the same team and thus would be seen talking together. Otherwise, there was no similarity between us,” she said. Payal, who was the team captain, failed to live up to the responsibility, Babita felt. “Payal could not be a good leader and thus our team suffered a bit. Our confidence and coordination were also weak as compared to the other team,” she said.
When asked whether she has any regrets, Babita said that if she had she been in the jail longer, the audience would have seen her aggressive side. She also blamed being real as the reason for her early eviction. Babita said, “All of them were experienced when it comes to the camera. They knew what works and would even indulge in fake fights for the camera. Dealing with this fake attitude was tough for me as I could not keep up with them.”
Babita Phogat, however, has no complaints, “I come from a very different arena. If people didn’t vote me, they must have seen some shortcomings in my performance.” The wrestler added that her family is happy she got evicted at the ‘right time’. “They understand what a tough journey it was for me. They have watched the episodes and felt I did quite well.”
Babita believes there is a genuine affection between Saisha Shinde and Munawar Faruqui. “From what I have seen and felt, I do feel there is genuine affection between them.” She also believes Saisha Shinde and Kaaranvir Bohra are the strongest contestants on the show.
Hosted by Kangana Ranaut, Lock Upp streams on ALTBalaji and MX Player.
