Shreya Kalra lifts Lock Upp 2 trophy, takes home ₹1 crore; defeats Shivangi Joshi after Harshad Chopda sacrifices finalist spot for her

Drama reached its peak in the days leading up to the Lock Upp 2 grand finale. Even those who didn't follow the reality show closely would have come across the emotional buzz on social media surrounding Harshad Chopda and Shivangi Joshi, especially after Harshad sacrificed his place in the finale to save Shivangi from elimination.

After weeks of intense tasks, controversies and emotional moments, Lock Upp 2 finally crowned its winner, with Shreya Kalra lifting the trophy in the grand finale hosted by Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh. Along with the title, Shreya took home a cash prize of Rs 1 crore. Calling her victory "unreal," she accepted the trophy from the hosts before sharing an emotional hug with fellow inmate Shilpa.

Soon after the announcement, fans flooded social media with congratulatory messages. "Shreya truly deserved to win this show after carrying the whole show on her back," one user wrote, while another called it "a well-deserved win."

The winner was decided by a 25-member jury comprising media personalities, former contestants and eliminated inmates. According to a Film Window report, Shreya received 23 votes, including support from 18 jury members and five ex-inmates. Shivangi Joshi reportedly secured around 14-15 votes, while Yogesh managed only two votes from the media jury.

One of the biggest talking points of the season came when Harshad Chopda, the show's first finalist, stunned everyone by voluntarily giving up his place in the finale to save Shivangi Joshi. Despite fellow contestants urging him to reconsider, Harshad chose eviction, leading to one of the most emotional moments of the season as Shivangi broke down in tears.

Meanwhile, in Monday's episode, host Riteish Deshmukh asked Shreya if she wanted to reconsider her nomination decision. However, she stood by her choice, saying she had several reasons for nominating Shivangi, adding another layer of drama before the season concluded with her eventual victory.

Harshad cried and pleaded with Shreya not to evict Shivangi. Seeing his emotional state, Riteish offered him a choice: either to give up his finalist position and leave the show in exchange for Shivangi's safety. Without hesitation, Harshad agreed.

The actor chose to walk away from the competition so Shivangi could continue her journey. Before exiting the house, he asked her to go on and win the show. The emotional farewell left both Harshad and Shivangi in tears.

The unexpected exit left the contestants stunned. Several housemates felt Harshad had been emotionally burdened after the previous task and believed he was guilt-tripped into making the sacrifice. They also expressed sympathy for him, pointing out that despite becoming the season's first finalist, he spent most of the episode crying before making the difficult decision.

Before getting evicted, Harshad Chopda said, "Sir, all this time I've been hearing that I am not playing for myself, and I am faking it, I am acting. But I was playing for myself and seriously didn't know this would happen. I am not feeling good. If she leaves today, I will regret it for my lifetime."

After Harshad made Shivangi the first finalist and got evicted from the show, the Bade Achhe Lagte Hain actress broke down.

After Shreya Kalra called out Shivangi for manipulating Harshad and making him feel guilty over standing up for himself, Shivangi lost her cool. She walked towards Shreya and said, "Your gameplay is so dirty. If you think you can win this show by doing this, change my name if you win. A person like you can never win this game. You think by badmouthing people, degrading them, you will win?"

Shreya replied, "If you feel so bad, you should have given up. You didn't do anything in the game."

Shivangi snapped back and said, "What have you done on the show? You said you wanted to evict Shilpa Shinde. I won't degrade myself fighting with you, but bickering doesn't mean you deserve to win."

While many viewers praised Harshad for putting Shivangi ahead of himself, others questioned his decision, calling him a "manchild" for sacrificing his own game. At the same time, Shivangi also faced criticism from a section of social media users, who labelled her "selfish" for accepting the opportunity without insisting Harshad continue in the competition.

Supporters of Harshad described his move as selfless and emotional, arguing that he made the choice willingly. Meanwhile, Shivangi's fans defended her, saying she simply respected Harshad's decision and shouldn't be blamed for the outcome. The emotional moment has since generated thousands of reactions across social media, with viewers divided over whether the gesture reflected genuine friendship or poor gameplay.

During the premiere of Lock Upp 2, hosts Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh asked Harshad Chopda why he has always kept his personal life away from the public eye. Riteish noted that despite being in the television industry for more than two decades, fans still know very little about him outside of his work.

Responding to the question, Harshad spoke about a painful chapter of his life that he had never shared publicly before.

"My fans complained that no one knows anything about me, but I was not always like this. When I came into the industry, I was socially active. I lost my friend and my girlfriend at the same time in 2010. My girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend, and from then on, I have grown a little wary," he said.

On the show, Harshad also opened up about his childhood and revealed that he was sexually harassed by someone close.