Dheeraj Dhoopar Breaks Silence On Yogesh Rawat's Return To 'Lock Upp': "I Had My Reasons To Evict Him"

Dheeraj Dhoopar, who was evicted from 'Lock Upp Sach ya Sazaa' just a week before the finale, has opened up about his journey on the reality show and the criticism surrounding his gameplay. Dhoopar, who was often told he wasn't visible enough on the show, said he consciously chose not to engage in unnecessary fights and instead stayed true to his personality.

In an exclusive conversation with HT, Dheeraj also addressed his decision to evict Yogesh Rawat and Harshad Chopda from the competition, insisting that every move was part of his strategy.

Dheeraj On His Journey:

Reflecting on his stint in the reality show, Dheeraj said he never intended to follow the conventional reality TV template of creating drama and picking fights for attention.

“When I entered the show, I said to everyone that I am not here to play the game but to change the game. Nowadays in reality shows, the whole perception is to fight with each other using abusive words. But I was there to own my truth and this is the person I am, even in my real life. I am not going to pick fights. I saw a few episodes after returning and was shocked to see how some of them are fighting, like Shilpa Shinde, Shreya Kalra and Akanksha Choudhary… unko humesha chilla ke baat karna hain (always shouting at others), using abusive words. I am not that.”

He maintained that he preferred staying authentic rather than creating conflicts for the sake of screen time.

On Evicting Yogesh:

Dheeraj revealed that he stands by his decision to terminate Yogesh Rawat from the game and questioned why some contestants never directly confronted him over his choices.

Photo Credit: Instagram

“I terminated Yogesh. Then why didn't Akanksha Choudhary come to me and fight with me? Why? Aap aakey ladte and main uss cheez ka jawab deta! She moved on and never spoke a word about it. She understood my point of view, and she said okay when I gave her my point of view. I said I had my reasons to evict Yogesh and she was okay with it. When I evicted Harshad [Chopda] also, she did not come and fight with me. She was also okay with the fact too. So when I am talking, first of all, pick a fight to be visible on screen. Koi mujhse fight nahi karega toh (if no one fights with me) I will not deliberately go and fight with them. This was my game and I own it.”

‘Why Is Harshad Chopda So Obsessed With Me?':

Speaking about Yogesh's return to the show, Dheeraj said he understands why Yogesh may hold a grudge against him, but questioned Harshad Chopda's repeated focus on him.

“Yogesh wasn't playing his game when Akanksha went out to the secret room. After that when he is coming back, he is showing this anger towards me. His anger I understand that he wants to challenge me but why is Harshad so obsessed with me? Jab ki Harshad aur Shivangi ko maine baar baar bola hain ki main kaha stand hota hoon tum dono ke beech mein. I cannot be their second priority, so I have all the reasons to vote him out when he is not even playing his game and playing for Shivangi!”

Hosted by Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, 'Lock Upp Sach ya Sazaa' streams on Netflix from Saturday to Thursday at 8 pm, with the winner taking home a cash prize of ₹1 crore.