Akanksha Choudhary is a model and reality TV personality who rose to attention on the dating show Splitsvilla X6 in 2026, then joined Lock Upp 2. In October 2026 she accused the organisers of a Pune Navratri event of mismanagement and non-payment, and the organisers said they had paid most of her fee.
She was a Miss Universe India 2025 finalist before the dating show, Pinkvilla reported. She has also appeared as one of the artists in a music video led by Isha Malviya.
- Known for: Splitsvilla X6 (2026), Lock Upp 2 (2026)
- Age: 24, by her own account in August 2026
- Before reality TV: Miss Universe India 2025 finalist; music video Paon Ki Jutti (2024)
- Latest news: a payment and safety dispute with organisers of a Pune Navratri event, October 2026
Splitsvilla X6 and Yogesh Rawat
Akanksha entered Splitsvilla X6 in the Pyaar Villa, alongside contestants such as Diksha Pawar and Roadies alumnus Yogesh Rawat. She and Yogesh formed a connection early in the season. That changed when his former girlfriend Ruru Thakur entered the villa and he chose to pair with her instead, the Times of India reported.
Akanksha was evicted in May 2026 along with Asmita Adhikari and Mohit Magotra, shortly before the finale. Kushal Tanwar, known as Gullu, and Kaira Anu went on to win the season.
The finale brought a fresh accusation. Fellow contestant Suzanne alleged that Akanksha and Yogesh had been romantically involved while he was with Ruru, and Ruru shared a picture she said showed a secret meeting. Akanksha called the claims false. Yogesh asked fans to stop trolling her, saying she “actually showed some humanity to me”.
Lock Upp 2 and “Akanksha 3.0”
Lock Upp 2, hosted by Farah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, began on 27 June 2026, and both Akanksha and Yogesh were in the line-up. She said the allegations from Splitsvilla had affected her mental health. “I will show Akanksha 3.0 in this show,” she told the Times of India before entering.
A few days in, Sunita Ahuja revealed one of Akanksha’s secrets in exchange for immunity: Yogesh had confessed his feelings during the Splitsvilla finale, and Akanksha had liked him too but never told him. Akanksha confirmed it was true on the show.
She was out of Lock Upp 2 by early August.
On a podcast with Tejasswi Prakash afterwards, she said she had been asked to leave home at 19 after taking a stand for her mother, and returned when her mother called her back. “Mummy papa ke beech mein hi soti hoon, 24 saal ki ho gayi,” she said, describing how she still sleeps between her parents on visits, the Times of India reported.
The Pune Navratri event allegations
In mid-October Akanksha posted a series of Instagram stories about a Navratri event at Pedkar Grounds in Pune. She accused the organisers of mismanagement, harassment, non-payment and using her photographs for promotion, and said the experience felt like being kidnapped, Indulge Express reported on 18 October.
By her account, her slot was from 9 pm to 10 pm, but nobody came to collect her until the event was almost over. “My entire audience was waiting for me, but nobody had come to pick me up,” she said. She also said that people in the car tried to make her step out in front of the crowd against her wishes, and that she locked the car to stop them, Siasat reported.
She said she went anyway because people had come to see her. “I told them that even if I had to go there for free, it was fine,” she said, adding that she would take action against the organisers later. Indulge Express noted at the time that the claims were hers alone.
What the organisers say
The organisers, Floraa Events, answered with a statement on Instagram. “We are not scammers,” it began. According to the statement, Akanksha had been booked for Rs 7 lakh and Rs 6 lakh had already been paid, leaving Rs 1 lakh in dispute, the Times of India reported.
The organisers also alleged that she had threatened a police complaint and public defamation over the remaining amount. They said they had payment records and messages to back their account and reserved the right to take legal action. IndiaForums, reporting both statements, noted that neither side’s claims had been independently established.
Online, the numbers became part of the argument. Indiatimes reported that Reddit users pointed to figures from the event side that kept changing, while others blamed the artist. None of the reports cited here confirm that a police complaint was filed.
The fee itself drew more attention than the dispute in some corners of Reddit. Under a 1,329-upvote r/InstaCelebsGossip thread mocking her event appearances, the top reply, with 715 upvotes, offered a broader reading:
“Whether the attention comes from admiration, criticism, or sheer curiosity, it all translates into engagement. And in the attention economy, the more people talk about you, follow you, and obsess over your life, the more relevant you remain, and the more money you make.”
– r/InstaCelebsGossip, October 2026 (715 upvotes)
Her supporters pushed back in r/splitsvillaMTV, where a 106-upvote post argued that she is “more loved than it shows”. The top reply there drew 27 upvotes:
“Most of my friends and I. Who I consider to be doing really well in our lives, both professionally and personally seem to love her. I honestly feel the hate is coming from people who are projecting their own disappointment or frustrations in life.”
– r/splitsvillaMTV, October 2026 (27 upvotes)
Speaking out on catcalling
Earlier in October she used her Instagram stories to describe being catcalled outside her own building on her way to a shoot, while people nearby said nothing. “How has this become so normal?” she wrote. She also recalled being trolled for wearing shorts at home on Rakhi after a late shoot.
With Durga Puja days away, she asked how the country could worship a woman as shakti while women “are scared to step outside their homes to celebrate, to work, to study, to travel, or simply to live their lives,” the Times of India reported.
Akanksha Choudhary: quick answers
Who is Akanksha Choudhary?
Akanksha Choudhary is a model and reality TV contestant known for Splitsvilla X6 and Lock Upp 2 in 2026. Pinkvilla reported that she was a Miss Universe India 2025 finalist before the dating show.
How old is Akanksha Choudhary?
Akanksha Choudhary said she was 24 in an August 2026 podcast with Tejasswi Prakash, the Times of India reported. Her exact birth date has not appeared in the reports cited here.
Are Yogesh and Akanksha still together?
No report cited here says Akanksha Choudhary and Yogesh Rawat are a couple. He chose Ruru Thakur on Splitsvilla X6, and Akanksha admitted on Lock Upp 2 in June 2026 that she had liked him but never told him.
What happened at Akanksha Choudhary’s Pune event?
Akanksha Choudhary said the organisers of a Pune Navratri event failed to pick her up, tried to force her out of a car and did not pay her in full. Floraa Events said Rs 6 lakh of a Rs 7 lakh fee was paid and denied scamming her.
