"I would be as ‘dhakad’ here as I am on wrestling field": Babita Phogat on her Lock Upp journey

After her sister Geeta Phogat participated in Khatron Ke Khiladi, wrestler Babita Phogat followed in her footsteps and came on board for a reality show, Lock Upp. Backed by Ekta Kapoor, the reality show premiered yesterday, February 27, on ALTBalaji and MX Player. A total of 16 celebrities are participating in the reality show, including Babita Phogat. In an exclusive interview with  indianexpress.com, Babita shared that she is excited about being in Lock Upp. “It’s the first time people will get to see me 24×7. They will know who I am in real life, how I handle pressure and my emotional side. I think every public figure wants their fans to know who they really are. And this is why I said yes to the show,” she shared.

Babita Phogat had participated in Nach Baliye with husband Vivek Suhag a few years back. Accepting it would be difficult for her to face the challenge alone this time, the wrestler said, “My life partner was with me back then and we managed to swim through easily. I was so carefree then as he handled everything. That was one of the best experiences of our lives. I will have to face everything alone here and also worry about my family back home facing another big challenge. However, I have learnt from my past experience and I am sure I will do well, along with entertaining my fans.”She said leaving her one-year-old at home was the toughest for her. She added, “He is too young to even understand what’s happening. Buddhu bana ke rakha hai (I lied to him). I won’t be able to hear or talk to him or even see him, and I think that would be my biggest struggle on the show.”The contestants on the captive reality show include Munawar Faruqui, Poonam Pandey, Nisha Rawal, Sara Khan, Kaaranvir Bohra, Tehseen Poonawala, Payal Rohatgi, Saisha Shinde, Swami Chakrapani, among others.