07 August,2026 02:39 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shivangi Joshi, Kushal Tandon, Ektaa Kapoor (Pictures via Instagram)
Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh's Lock Upp on Netflix and Kunal Kemmu's Alliance on Prime Video kept reality television audiences entertained as the two shows ran simultaneously and concluded with back-to-back grand finales this week. While Shreya Kalra emerged as the winner of Lock Upp, Mini Mathur lifted the trophy on Alliance. Interestingly, the two shows found an unexpected connection through television actor Kushal Tandon, who jokingly claimed that Ektaa Kapoor owed him 1 million USD for indirectly adding to the buzz around her reality show.
Kushal recently reshared a clip from Lock Upp on his Instagram Stories. The video featured Shreya Kalra and Kushal's former girlfriend, actor Shivangi Joshi, discussing him during a conversation inside the reality show. Reacting to the unexpected crossover, Kushal tagged Ektaa Kapoor and humorously wrote, "ektarkapoor ma'am sending you crossover billing amount with GST."
Ektaa appeared to play along with the joke and replied to Kushal's Instagram Story, writing, "Ok âdm' me d amt." Kushal then raised the stakes, jokingly asking for a hefty payment for his indirect contribution to the show's entertainment value. He responded, "One million dollars easy."
The clip shared by Kushal featured a conversation between Shreya and Shivangi, who were the top two contestants of Lock Upp. The two were discussing comments made by Shilpa Shinde about Shivangi's past relationships. Shreya recalled that she had immediately interrupted Shilpa when the conversation appeared to be heading towards Shivangi's personal life.
Shivangi seemingly understood what Shreya was referring to and covered her mouth before asking whether the conversation was about Kushal. Shreya quickly reminded her that they were being filmed and signalled her to be careful. The conversation then shifted to another topic.
The moment also brought back an earlier discussion surrounding Shivangi and Kushal's past relationship. During an episode of Lock Upp, Shreya had revealed that Kushal had sent her a direct message after they had worked together. At the time, Shreya said she was in a relationship and was aware that there was something between Kushal and Shivangi, although she did not initially know the details.
Shreya explained that she developed a suspicion about Kushal's intentions and decided to stop communicating with him. She also revealed that Shivangi later brought up the incident during the shoot. To clear any misunderstanding, Shreya showed Shivangi their chat history, assuring her that she had never flirted with Kushal.
Kushal's latest Instagram exchange with Ektaa has now added a light-hearted twist to the old connection.
