Host Pravesh Rana (below); Vidya Balan with participants in one of the episodes of Love Lock Up

Since January 10, UTV Bindass, the youth channel that rocked the nation by sleuthing on partners suspected of cheating, is playing shrink. Couples — married, live-in or seriously committed — with relationship problems are being given one last chance to patch up on the show. The 52 episodes of Love Lock Up — airs Monday to Thursday at 7pm — are focusing on 13 couples and will be hosted by the suave Pravesh Rana. A t2 chat.

You have become a household name by hosting Emotional Atyachaar. How different would your avatar be in Love Lock Up?

The genre of hosting would be different. In Emotional Atyachaar, I was interacting with one partner in isolation while he or she confronted the evidence of the loyalty test. Here I have to make them speak of hidden grudges and feelings. The couples are such that boyfriend and girlfriend don’t discuss problems and have drifted apart. Here I make them talk before they are sent into the lock-up.

What is it like in the lock-up?

It’s very uncomfortable in there. The partners have to help each other out in order to cope with the situations they face. They do not see sunlight for six days, there is no phone, no TV, no Internet, and they have no option but to confront the problems. That is why once the six days of isolation end, they come out to realise that the world outside is much easier.

What kind of couples do you choose for the show?

The two couples we started with, one was married and the other was engaged. The only criterion is it should be an intense relationship. We have already had couples fighting and saying sorry to each other.

Do you intervene if things get out of hand between the two?

We have therapists on the show. They give the couple tasks. They can call for the therapist if they want but we do not enter the house ourselves. I meet them only before and after their stay in the house. But if the wife accuses the husband of being biased towards a certain family member we send in the family member for some time to sort out the issue.

You are having celebrity guests too on the show. What is their role?

We have Vidya Balan in one episode and Madhur Bhandarkar with Ajay Devgn in another. They may hear about the problems and comment or they may want to meet the couple in the house. That is completely up to them.

Finally, have you become an expert on relationships after these stints at handling people?

(Laughs) I must say I understand human emotions more.