Netflix’s captive reality series, hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Farah Khan, premieres June 27
Production designer and filmmaker Omung Kumar has described the set of Netflix’s upcoming reality show Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa as a modern-day jail, revealing the creative thinking behind the show’s distinctive environment ahead of its premiere later this month.
The Design Brief Behind the Set
According to official sources, Kumar said the brief called for a space that avoids resembling a conventional prison while still using grey stone textures, exposed steel, and a deliberately rough, unfinished look to set the tone. He said the cells were built small on purpose, tying the physical layout directly to the show’s theme of truth versus consequence rather than treating it as a backdrop.
Built for Round-the-Clock Filming
As per reports, Kumar noted that designing for a continuously running reality format presents different demands than designing for film, since the structure has to function every hour of the day while supporting multiple camera angles without interruption. The set was therefore engineered to let the production capture unscripted moments as they happen, balancing visual atmosphere against the practical needs of nonstop filming.
What the Format Involves
Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa places 14 celebrity contestants, referred to on the show as “inmates,” inside the set for a six-week run. According to the makers, participants will navigate daily tasks, status-based hierarchies, alliances, and eliminations, with Netflix framing the series around perception and personal revelation rather than physical survival.
Deshmukh and Khan as the “Jailers”
The series is hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Farah Khan, who take on the role of “Jailers” overseeing the contestants. Khan described the format as one offering no filters and no retakes, and said her hosting style contrasts sharply with Deshmukh’s, predicting that the difference between the two would add extra unpredictability. Deshmukh said in a statement that contestants would likely arrive with a strategy, though events inside the set could change the course of the game quickly. A recently released teaser showed both hosts in separate cells as numbered prisoners ahead of a face-to-face encounter, hinting at the format’s tone.
Netflix and Balaji’s Role in the Project
The series is produced in collaboration with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, with Kapoor saying the concept was built to spark conversation and audience engagement, and that the Netflix partnership would help take it to a global audience. Netflix India’s unscripted content head, Tanya Bami, said captive reality was a genre the platform had wanted to explore for some time, calling the show a step toward examining human behaviour under pressure.
The collaboration marks a new chapter for a show that previously ran as Lock Upp in 2022, a debut season that built a loyal following for its confrontational style before this revival was announced. The current season is now positioned within Netflix’s wider unscripted slate, moving the property from its original streaming home onto a global platform for the first time.
When the Series Officially Premieres
Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa is scheduled to begin streaming on Netflix from June 27, airing new episodes every Saturday through Wednesday at 8 PM for several weeks. The platform has been rolling out promotional material in stages ahead of the official launch, including the hosts’ teaser, as part of a broader push to fully build anticipation for the season before celebrity contestants are formally introduced yet.
Conclusion:
With the set now revealed, attention turns to how Kumar’s design choices will shape the contestants’ experience once filming begins, ahead of a season Netflix and Balaji are counting on to draw a wide audience to the platform’s unscripted lineup.
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