As Lock Upp heads into its finale week, one of its most emotional moments unfolded just before another contestant’s journey came to an end. Reality TV personality and model Akanksha Choudhary, who was eliminated during a double eviction, left the house and viewers stunned after revealing an alleged casting couch experience from the early days of her career. Her emotional confession not only moved the contestants but also prompted hosts Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh to applaud her courage.
The revelation came during the show’s secret-sharing segment, where contestants open up about deeply personal experiences. Akanksha chose to speak about an incident she claimed took place while she was trying to pursue a career in the beauty pageant industry, describing how an offer of financial help allegedly turned into an inappropriate proposition.
Akanksha Choudhary Recalls Alleged Casting Couch Experience
While opening up about the incident, Akanksha explained that she needed financial assistance to participate in a beauty pageant. She said she required around ₹1–2 lakh for costumes, training and other expenses, but her family could not afford the amount. Hoping for support, she approached a well-known figure from the pageant industry who had previously helped contestants financially.
Sharing her experience, Akanksha said, “I was going to participate in a pageant and needed around ₹1-2 lakhs to buy garments, pay for training fees, etc. We didn’t have that kind of money; my parents couldn’t afford it. There is one very influential person. I don’t want to give full details because he is a huge name. I knew him for many years because he had come as a judge in our pageants before. I reached out to him because he had financially helped a lot of people in pageants, so I asked him if he could do so for me for two months.”
She said that because she had an engineering degree and good communication skills, she had even offered to work and repay the money. According to Akanksha, the man initially agreed, but when she visited his house, the situation allegedly changed dramatically.
She Says She Refused the Offer
Describing the alleged encounter, Akanksha claimed the man hugged her inappropriately before making an explicit proposal. She said, “But he didn’t just hug me. He grabbed me. After that, he wouldn’t take his hands off me. He was quite old, so I just pushed him away. Then he sat down and told me, ‘It’s been a year; good to see you have finally grown up. A year ago, when you had come, I had seen how your thinking was so backward. If you had agreed to be with me back then, you would be acting in projects now. Right now, no one is giving you work, so now that you have come, I am offering you this much money. But in return, you will have to have sex with me.’ He had the whole timeline planned out. In a month, I was expected to have sex with him 5-6 times.”
Akanksha said she immediately rejected the proposal, telling him she would never have approached him if she had known his intentions. She further claimed that the man questioned her decision and attempted to convince her that such compromises were necessary to succeed in the entertainment industry.
Recalling his alleged response, she said, “He said, ‘I thought after a year, you would change the way you think. But you are still stuck up in the old mindset. Two years from now, you will regret this. Is industry mein bina uske kuch kaam nahi hota hai (In this industry, nothing works without that) because you are a nobody.’ Then six months later, I was on a very big show. One year later, I am standing on one of the biggest stages.”
Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh Praise Her Courage
After hearing her story, hosts Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh commended Akanksha for refusing to compromise despite the pressure she allegedly faced. They expressed hope that her decision to speak publicly could inspire other women dealing with similar experiences to come forward without fear.
They told her, “Whoever that person is, I hope he is watching this show, and he should know that even after rejecting all this, a person can reach a platform this big through hard work. You are not old-fashioned. We are proud of you.” Their comments were met with applause from the contestants, turning the emotional moment into one of the most talked-about segments of the season.
With Akanksha’s elimination, Lock Upp has officially entered its finale week. The remaining finalists—Shreya Kalra, Yogesh Rawat, Ram Kapoor, Shilpa Shinde, Harshad Chopda, Shivangi Joshi and Varun Yadav—will now compete for the winner’s trophy and the ₹1 crore cash prize as the reality show’s latest season heads toward its grand finale.
