Sonali Bendre Behl on hosting Pati Patni Aur Panga: Munawar and I come from very different worlds, and that's what makes our combination interesting
' Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga – Jodiyon Ka Reality Check' is winning hearts in its second season by putting celebrity marriages to the ultimate test, one ‘panga’ at a time. Bringing together seven celebrity couples, the show turns everyday relationship dynamics into entertaining reality checks, as partners navigate unexpected challenges, test how well they know each other and discover what happens when their differences take centre stage. In a candid conversation, one of the show's hosts, Sonali Bendre Behl , opens up about the surprises of Season 2 and what it has in store for the audiences.
Tell us about the show.
Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga is back with Season 2, and I think what makes the show exciting is that it brings celebrity marriages into a space that feels both entertaining and completely fresh. The show is about couples competing against each other, while every challenge becomes a reality check for their own relationship, chemistry and compatibility. There is always a curiosity around the shaadi ka laddoo - what really happens once two people are married, how well they know each other, what makes them click and, of course, what gets on each other’s nerves! With celebrity couples, that curiosity is even greater because audiences usually know them through their public personas. Here, they get to see the real dynamics behind those personalities. Every jodi has their own equation, their own quirks and their own way of handling a panga. Through the reality checks, you see those differences come alive in the most entertaining way. There are moments that make you laugh, moments that surprise you and sometimes moments that tell you something about a relationship without the couple even having to say it.
The first season of Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga was a massive success, but the next seasons always carry the weight of heightened expectations. Now that the show is back for Season 2, what is fundamentally different about the format?
I think the biggest difference this season is that the couples have come in with a much clearer understanding of what they are signing up for, thanks to the massive success of Season 1! The biggest attraction of this format is that it doesn't just showcase how well a couple knows each other; it's about how they react to each other when things don't go according to plan. You may know your partner's favourite food, their habits and even their deepest fears, but do you know how they will react when you're put in an unusual situation together? Will you support each other, disagree, blame each other or find a way to laugh about it? That's where the real dynamics emerge. With Season 2, we're exploring those pangas that exist in every relationship, but we're doing it through humour, reality checks and challenges that bring out different sides of the couples. The pangas aren't necessarily about big fights; sometimes, it could also be a tiny disagreement that reveals a whole history between two people! No two marriages are the same, and so every panga is different. For me, the beauty of the season is that you can laugh at a couple one moment and find yourself relating to them the next. The personalities may be larger than life, but the emotions are wonderfully familiar. That's what makes the second season exciting: there are new equations to discover, new sides to these couples and plenty of relatable moments.
You have a legendary career spanning films, books, and judging talent on television. However, hosting a reality show is an entirely different beast. What is it about stepping into the shoes of a host that genuinely excites you at this stage of your career?
Every phase of my career has taught me something different, and I think what excites me today is the opportunity to keep discovering new facets of myself. I've always believed that there is something to be gained from putting yourself in a position where you're learning again. Hosting is very different from acting or judging. As an actor, you have a character and a story to inhabit. As a judge, you're evaluating a skill. As a host, you're responsible for creating an atmosphere in which other people can open up. You have to listen, respond in the moment, read the room and know when to step in and when to let a moment breathe. You cannot walk in with every reaction rehearsed because the most interesting things often happen when nobody is expecting them. That's particularly true of a show like Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga, where you're dealing with relationships. You cannot approach every couple with the same lens. Sometimes, you want to tease them a little; sometimes, you want to ask a question that gets them thinking; and sometimes, you simply have to let them be themselves. I enjoy that balance between being playful and being perceptive. I'm not coming into hosting with the idea that I have relationships figured out. I'm coming in curious, willing to engage and ready to be surprised. And that, to me, is a lovely place to be creatively.
Munawar and you come from completely different entertainment backgrounds. How do you both complement each other as hosts?
Munawar and I come from very different worlds, and I think that's precisely what makes our combination interesting. He has a very instinctive, spontaneous sense of humour, and he's quick on his feet. He can take an ordinary moment and find something funny in it almost immediately. I come at things from a slightly different place. I enjoy observing people, understanding what makes them tick and probing into what lies beneath a particular reaction. So, we bring different energies to the same situation. He might spot the joke in a couple's argument, while I might be curious about why that particular disagreement has unfolded the way it has. And often, the fun is in moving between those two perspectives. You can laugh at a situation without losing sight of what makes it meaningful. And, of course, the fact that we come from different generations and have had different experiences means we won't always look at things in exactly the same way. That keeps the conversation lively. What we have in common is that we try our best to make the couples comfortable enough to be themselves while ensuring that the audience has a good time watching us all.
Tell us about the show.
Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga is back with Season 2, and I think what makes the show exciting is that it brings celebrity marriages into a space that feels both entertaining and completely fresh. The show is about couples competing against each other, while every challenge becomes a reality check for their own relationship, chemistry and compatibility. There is always a curiosity around the shaadi ka laddoo - what really happens once two people are married, how well they know each other, what makes them click and, of course, what gets on each other’s nerves! With celebrity couples, that curiosity is even greater because audiences usually know them through their public personas. Here, they get to see the real dynamics behind those personalities. Every jodi has their own equation, their own quirks and their own way of handling a panga. Through the reality checks, you see those differences come alive in the most entertaining way. There are moments that make you laugh, moments that surprise you and sometimes moments that tell you something about a relationship without the couple even having to say it.
The first season of Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga was a massive success, but the next seasons always carry the weight of heightened expectations. Now that the show is back for Season 2, what is fundamentally different about the format?
I think the biggest difference this season is that the couples have come in with a much clearer understanding of what they are signing up for, thanks to the massive success of Season 1! The biggest attraction of this format is that it doesn't just showcase how well a couple knows each other; it's about how they react to each other when things don't go according to plan. You may know your partner's favourite food, their habits and even their deepest fears, but do you know how they will react when you're put in an unusual situation together? Will you support each other, disagree, blame each other or find a way to laugh about it? That's where the real dynamics emerge. With Season 2, we're exploring those pangas that exist in every relationship, but we're doing it through humour, reality checks and challenges that bring out different sides of the couples. The pangas aren't necessarily about big fights; sometimes, it could also be a tiny disagreement that reveals a whole history between two people! No two marriages are the same, and so every panga is different. For me, the beauty of the season is that you can laugh at a couple one moment and find yourself relating to them the next. The personalities may be larger than life, but the emotions are wonderfully familiar. That's what makes the second season exciting: there are new equations to discover, new sides to these couples and plenty of relatable moments.
You have a legendary career spanning films, books, and judging talent on television. However, hosting a reality show is an entirely different beast. What is it about stepping into the shoes of a host that genuinely excites you at this stage of your career?
Every phase of my career has taught me something different, and I think what excites me today is the opportunity to keep discovering new facets of myself. I've always believed that there is something to be gained from putting yourself in a position where you're learning again. Hosting is very different from acting or judging. As an actor, you have a character and a story to inhabit. As a judge, you're evaluating a skill. As a host, you're responsible for creating an atmosphere in which other people can open up. You have to listen, respond in the moment, read the room and know when to step in and when to let a moment breathe. You cannot walk in with every reaction rehearsed because the most interesting things often happen when nobody is expecting them. That's particularly true of a show like Dhamaal With Pati Patni Aur Panga, where you're dealing with relationships. You cannot approach every couple with the same lens. Sometimes, you want to tease them a little; sometimes, you want to ask a question that gets them thinking; and sometimes, you simply have to let them be themselves. I enjoy that balance between being playful and being perceptive. I'm not coming into hosting with the idea that I have relationships figured out. I'm coming in curious, willing to engage and ready to be surprised. And that, to me, is a lovely place to be creatively.
Munawar and you come from completely different entertainment backgrounds. How do you both complement each other as hosts?
Munawar and I come from very different worlds, and I think that's precisely what makes our combination interesting. He has a very instinctive, spontaneous sense of humour, and he's quick on his feet. He can take an ordinary moment and find something funny in it almost immediately. I come at things from a slightly different place. I enjoy observing people, understanding what makes them tick and probing into what lies beneath a particular reaction. So, we bring different energies to the same situation. He might spot the joke in a couple's argument, while I might be curious about why that particular disagreement has unfolded the way it has. And often, the fun is in moving between those two perspectives. You can laugh at a situation without losing sight of what makes it meaningful. And, of course, the fact that we come from different generations and have had different experiences means we won't always look at things in exactly the same way. That keeps the conversation lively. What we have in common is that we try our best to make the couples comfortable enough to be themselves while ensuring that the audience has a good time watching us all.
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