Kangana Ranaut to host ‘fearless’ reality show for ALTBalaji, MX Player

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Some imprisonments break you, while some make you tougher. One realizes the value of freedom only when one is locked up. Witness this for the first time in India, as ALTBalaji and MX Player announce the biggest and the most fearless reality show—Lock Upp: Badass Jail, Atyaachari Khel.

In a never-seen-before reality show, 16 controversial celebrities will be put together in a lock-up for months and will be stripped of their amenities. Adding to it, Kangana Ranaut will step in as a fiery host of the show.

Lock Upp… promises to be an engaging reality show with all the ingredients to keep you glued to your seat. A daring celebrity host, compelling tasks, dramatic fights and an interesting mix of contestants who will do anything and everything to survive in the jail combine to give a perfect amalgamation of entertainment.

At the press conference, Ekta R. Kapoor along with Karan Bedi, CEO, MX Media, announced the feisty Kangana Ranaut as the host for this first-of-its-kind format. Also gracing the event were ALTBalaji Group COO, Zulfiqar Khan, MX Media COO, Nikhil Gandhi and MX Player SVP and Head – Content Acquisitions, Mansi Shrivastav.

Zulfiqar Khan also announced that ALTBalaji will also introduce the world’s first fantasy ‘metaverse’ game based on a reality show. An innovation like this is one of a kind, and for the first time in India, this game will be introduced where the audiences can play real and win real.

Kangana said, “I am thrilled and excited for foraying into the OTT with such a unique and brilliant concept. The scale and reach of both ALTBalaji and MX Player are massive. I am sure this show will give me a great opportunity to get in touch with my fans and entertain them as the host. I want to thank Ekta for always being by my side, she has always been someone I admire and respect a lot. I am glad that she is there with me for my OTT debut as well. To all my fans out there, get ready for the most fearless show ever!”

Ekta adds, “I am glad to announce India’s biggest and most fearless reality show hosted by the powerhouse of talent, the dynamic Kangana Ranaut. Kangana has been a very dear friend, I am glad to support and congratulate her on her first digital debut. Lock Upp… is being launched on a massive scale and has all the elements that make for an entertaining reality show. The concept of the show is brilliant, and I am sure that it will captivate the viewers and set a new standard for reality shows. I am also glad that MX Player has partnered with ALTBalaji. I wish the team the very best and I am sure they will create history and that it will be a roaring success!”

Karan Bedi stated, “MX has always been a market disruptor—our user-first approach to create product and content experiences that appeal to our huge audiences has made us India’s largest entertainment platform today. Lock Upp… is yet another step in disrupting the Indian entertainment ecosystem as it is designed as a digital first non-fiction offering that will release on a scale that is unprecedented for India. We are excited to collaborate with ALTBalaji and with one of India’s finest actors, Kangana Ranaut.”

Speaking about the game, Zulfiqar said, “ALTBalaji is proud to be the first in the world to launch a metaverse game that is based on a reality show. Gaming enthusiasts around the world can explore this fantastic world that we are creating with elements of blockchain and NFTs. It is going to be a very exciting release and will introduce the viewers to the dynamic world of Lock Upp…”

Elaborating on how this format promises to be an audience favorite, Nikhil Gandhi mentions, “At the heart of MX Player’s success lies the ‘Global Indian’ consumer and we have constantly been working towards creating content as per consumer preferences, especially given the large user-base of over 300 million, globally spanning across the US, UK, Middle-East and South-East Asia and more that we cater to on our platform. There is a lot of potential for an edgy, larger-than-life, captive reality show.  And, with Kangana as the host and 16 incredibly popular contestants who will do anything and everything to survive in the jail, we believe this format will surely be an audience favorite.”

Speaking about this content partnership with ALTBalaji, Mansi Shrivastav states, “We are thrilled to partner with ALTBalaji, one of the leading content creators in our country. Together, we share a belief in consumer obsession and with this unconventional nonfiction offering, we are hoping to win millions of hearts.”

ALTBalaji and MX Player will livestream this show 24×7 on their respective platforms and will have the audiences interact directly with the contestants. The audiences will be empowered to punish or award their chosen contestants and even play ‘Khabri’ to some of them. Produced by Endemol Shine India, the show premieres on ALTBalaji and MX Player on February 27.

So those who are a little flummoxed by modern terms like ‘metaverse’, ‘blockchain’ or ‘NFT’ will get a better know-how by watching the thrilling series rather than reaching out to Google!