As Netflix’s Lock Upp gears up to welcome contestants into its high-pressure environment, designer and filmmaker Omung Kumar has opened up about the vision behind creating the show's unique prison-inspired set. In an exclusive conversation with mid-day, Kumar revealed how he balanced the harshness of a jail with the visual appeal expected from a modern reality show.

Omung Kumar talks about the color-scheme of Lock Upp's jail

Explaining his approach, Kumar said he wanted to retain the essence of a prison without making it look unpleasant for viewers. “Jail has a concept on its own that we know of. Grungy, dirty. I wanted to keep that flavour the greyness, the cement walls, the iron structures, the brick walls but give it today’s look and flavour so that people don’t shun it away and say, ‘No, no, I don’t want to see it.’ It’s still a swanky show.”