Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar-hosted reality show The Traitors might have come to an end with Uorfi Javed and Nikita Luther, as Team Innocents, winning the coveted trophy, however content creators Purav Jha and Apoorva Mukhija were certainly the ones that took the internet by storm with their smart gameplay. They even became social media’s favourite. They recently sat down with Mashable India for an exclusive chat on their experience of being a part of the show.
Take a look at the excerpts from the interview:
How did it feel watching the show song with your fans, reading their reactions and theories?
Purav Jha: Simply lovely! Maza aa raha hai. Enjoy kar rahe hai. Aur hume lag raha hai ki hum kuch kar ke aayein hai. Hume bahot proud feel ho raha hai.
Apoorva Mukhija: I think humare liye winner Purav hai. Edits are my favourite. I’m living for those edits. Mujhe bahot mann tha ki Purav jeet jaaye, toh mujhe bahut accha lag raha hai that the audience agrees, that the audience is seeing how much hard work he has put in. It’s just brilliant.
Did you prepare for the game? Like referring to the UK, US, or Australian version of The Traitors?
Apoorva Mukhija: I saw 2-3 seasons of the UK & the US show. I also played a lot of Mafia with my friends. I have a friend, Aayush, he is the master of bluffing. None of us has ever been able to catch him. We have been playing Mafia with him for 9 months now, jabse show hua tha, tabse lekar aaj tak, har Sunday baithke mafia khelte hai 20 log. And he always has the most random bluffs that I don’t know how he thinks of. So, I think my preparation was playing with Aayush.
Purav Jha: Main sahi bataun toh, jab BBC se mereko yeh offer aaya tha, toh unhone joh mereko do episodes bheje the, I think UK ka show tha woh, maine bas woh do episodes dekhe the. Mereko itne mein hi laga ki yaar agar traitor ban gaya na toh maza aa jaayega, tab toh phir jo acting karne ka mauka milega. Main agar innocent hota na Apoorva, toh main sirf pagalpan kar raha hota. Ucchalkud, bakwaas karna, yeh, woh, but as a traitor ek job hai, ki aapko perform karna hai, tikna hai. Toh maine yeh socha tha, ki agar main innocent hoon toh yeh personality hogi aur traitor hoon toh kuch aur personality hogi. Main as a traitor choose hua, maine zyaada kuch nahi dekha tha, I was like, “Ab yahan se acting chalu. I’m the best innocent here.”
Apoorva Mukhija: But I truly think that Purav would have made a great innocent. Main throughout the show bhi kehe rahi thi ki Purav logo ki acting karta hai. Nobody is more observational than him, had Purav been an innocent it would have been very easy game for the innocents.
SEE ALSO: The Traitors: Innocents Uorfi Javed, Nikita Luther Win Karan Johar’s Reality Show After Defeating Purav & Harsh
People are quite upset that Uorfi and Nikita won the show, and not you, Apoorva and Purav, who, according to them, actually played the game
Apoorva Mukhija: Everything in life boils down to just luck. Joh insaan jeeta hai woh bahot mehnat kar raha hai, of course. Par uske paas woh nahi hai, joha humaare paas hai. Humne bhi mehnat ki, humare paas title nahi hai but we are just so grateful that at least the audience loved us. That’s what matter’s right? Aap kisi bhi show mein jaate ho, aap kabhi yeh nahi soch ke jaate ho ki jeetna hai. Aap yeh soch ke jaate ho ki kuch accha karke aaogey show mein kyunki jeet toh ek insaan sakta hai. Agar meri kismat ka track record dekhogey toh mujhe toh pata hi ki main kuch nahi jeet rahi life mein. Toh, I’m very happy. I never thought that I’ll win, never once even said it on the show that I think I’ll win. I said, “I can’t win this show.” I really wanted Purav to win the show. That really upset me
Purav Jha: Ab kya kar sakte hai? Kismat, kismat ki baat hai. Apoorva ne jaisa kaha, humein audience ne itna pyaar dediya ki I think winners ke itne charche nahi hai, jitne joh haar gaye unke charche hai. I’m so happy, so satisfied with my work. Aisa nahi hai ki humko yeh DVD bana rahe hai, shaadi yaa mundan ki. Yeh show on-air hoga, public pe jaayegi, unko pata hai tune kya kiya hai. Hume utna pyaar mil gaya toh hume kuch aur nahi chahiye. Bilkul mujhe winner ka koi tag hi nahi chahiye. Itne DMs rotey huye aayein hain, khaas kar ladkiyon ke, ki, “Aap winner huye kyun nahi.”
Main flight mein that jab maine show dekha. Maine phir saare DMs ke screenshots liye the ki unhe aaram se padhunga. Woh sab padhne ka baad, mein ro gaya. Aise emotional DMs kabhi nahi aaye yaar, itna emotional kabhi nahi. Maine abhi tak joh content banaya hai, jaisa portray kiya hai apne aap ko, humesha DMs aise aate hai ki, “Purav bhai toh aise hai, roast karte hai, Purav bhai ki acting, yeh, woh.” Aur abhi, “Purav hum chahte the ki tum jeeto,” toh main emotional ho gaya. Kabhi hua nahi mere saath toh. Log kitne hi pyaare hai bhai, kitne hi paayre.
If you had concrete proof that Purav was a Traitor, would you’ve confronted him privately or called him out in front of the whole group?
Apoorva Mukhija: Honestly, bolun toh mein pehele jaake Purav ko bol deti ki “mujhe pata hai ki tu traitor hai, par game khelne aaye hai, toh nikalna toh padega, yaar. Love you. Tu mera prize pot rakh liyo. That’s all I can offer, there is nothing else I can offer.” But I think kisiko bhi paise toh chahiye hi nahi the wahan pe. Aap agar game khelne aaye ho toh aapko nikalna toh padega chahe aapka kitna bhi, koi bhi saga dost kyun na ho. We all saw our friends die, in the show, that’s just the format of the show. But, mujhe maza bilkul na aata Purav ke bina khelne mein, because aap duniya ki sabse achhi cheez bhi rahi ho aur aapke dost nahi hai woh witness karne ke liye, woh celebrate karne ke liye, toh kis kaam ka woh cheez karna.
SEE ALSO: ‘Please Find A Therapist’: Anshula Kapoor Shares A Hilarious Message For The Traitors 2 Contentants (Exclusive)
In our interview with Elnaaz, she said that you weren’t ready to accept her strategies, gameplays. What was going through your head at the time?
Purav Jha: Usko, aap yeh kehna ki main finale mein tha! (chuckles) Humne starting ke 2-3 din bahut achha khela, aur main bahut confident that ki Elnaaz best traitor hai. Apan dono milke phod dengey. Lekin 4th/5th day main chaha raha hoon ki tu meri bhi sun. Starting mein jab, as a traitor, ek naya naya opportunity milta hai tab bahut maza aata hai. Hum kisi nayi job ko bhi bahut enjoy karte hai. Lekin, at the end, it is a responsibility. 10 din ka show hai, 3 din tumne maze kar liye, isko maara, usko maara, brutal khel liya. Main bhi enjoy kar raha tha. But uske baad sirf maarna, bali chadhaana, woh nahi hai. Apni gameplay pe dhyaan do ki tum as an innocent kitna accha play kar rahe ho. Yeh traitor ka ek main job hai, ki how innocent you are.
Ek hi darr hai humein Circle of Shaq ka, agar tum innocent ho, toh tumhe koi nikaal hi sakta. Tumhare haath mein hai game aur meri ek hi strategy thi ki main innocent hoon. Main emotionally waise connected hoon sabke saath, but she was like bahut jyaada hi kar dena. Kyun uss pe shaq gaya? Sabne kyun kaha ki aap actor ho, bahot jyaada kar rahe ho? Aap pakadegaye. Woh gameplay agar aap rakhte toh kuch nahi ho pata, koi dikat hi nahi thi.
Main usko wahi kehna chahunga ki, “Behen, raat gayi baat gayi, itna upset nahi hote.” Woh har baar yahi kehe rahi hai ki “under the bus, under the bus.” Pehli baat, usne bhi mera naam bahut jyaada uddaya tha har jagah. Maine ab jab show dekha tab mujhe pata chala ki yeh toh paanch-paanch jagah mera naam le rahi hai, yeh toh chahti thi ki aaj main udd jaaun. Aur maine uska ek jagah hi naam liya tha. Usne point bahot achha liya tha ki as a traitor tumhe saamne waale ka bhi naam lena chahiye, ki logon ko aisa lage ki uska naam toh bolta hi nahi. Toh maine uska ek-do jagah naam liya. After watching the episodes, I was shocked ki woh toh puri iss planning mein thi ki yeh toh nikle.
How has the show affected you mentally? How did you deal with it?
Purav Jha: Main toh abhi trip maarke aaya hoon Europe ki. Roz party kari hai, mazedaar. Sab jab idhar VDs aur interviews kar rahe the, lad rahe the, main naach raha tha, Bhangra kar raha tha. Spain, Barcelona mein F1 dekh raha tha. Main enjoy kar raha tha, kyunki mere liye its a one-time moment. Life is very uncertain, kuch bhi ho sakta hai kahin bhi kabhi bhi, kisiko. Aur yeh mere liye itni badi opportunity thi, bahot bada paltform. Ki Prime jaise bade platform pe, jahan log paise de kar, subscribe karte hai, aapko dekh rahe hai, toh it is a very big thing. Mujhe sirf enjoy karna hai, main abhi VDs aur interviews bhi nahi dunga. Issliye main chala gaya tha. Maine ek interview nahi diya. Maine kaha ki ab jab main waapis aaunga India, tabhi kaha ab baat karte hai, kya hai, kya nahi hai. Main uss time uss moment ko bas enjoy kar raha tha.
Apoorva Mukhija: I honestly think I had a lot of fun. Purav was out of the country, but I was in the country because I wanted to enjoy the show here. I wanted to see the content around the show and make storytimes, wanted to take the audience through my experience. Mere paas sirf ek hi cheez baaki sab se alag thi was that I could make a story time and tell what actually happened. I really wanted to do that. I did that with all the people from the show that I loved. Maine unse baith kar show ke baare mein itni saari baatien kari. Mujhe bahut jyaada maza aaya. Mujhe toh beechmein bahut hate bhi mila tha. Pehle mujhe pyaar mila, phir hate mila, phir bahot pyaar mila, so it was a full roller coaster.
It just made me realise that The Traitors is what truly life is. You never know, kabhi bhi kuch bhi ho jata hai, ekdum se pyaar dete hai, phir gaali bhi dete hai. So, don’t enjoy till you know what the actual outcome is, is what I realised. Don’t really let it get to your head. Let things play out. I just had a lot of fun. Mera bachpan se sapna tha ki main kuch aisa karun ki log clips nikaal ke, Taylor Swift ke gaano pe edits banaye aur meri woh clips chalein, 2-3 million log usse dekh rahe hai.
Prime ne mera ek edit dala tha, aur usmein saare comments mein yahi likha tha ki imagine winners ki jagah Apoorva ka edit dal raha hai, and I was like, “Wow! (dramatically flips her hair) Fantasy has been fulfilled.” It’s been amazing.
Purav Jha: I think, abhi Prime waale The Traitors ke cover pe bhi hum hi hai. Pata hai, maine paanch baar screenshot liya hai uska. Main jabhi dekh raha hoon, isse pehele ki kuch change ho, iska screenshot le leta hoon ki itne time tak tha. It is a very big think for us, ki jiss platform pe itne bade bade actors perform kar rahe hai, wahan pe hum dikh rahe hai, cover pe. Aur kya chahiye? Hum khush hai.
Outside of the house, now that the show is over… who would you like to get to know better on a personal level?
Apoorva Mukhija: Agar show ke 10 din mein nahi ho paya show ke, toh nahi ho payega woh bond. Whoever we wanted to bond with, we did on the show.
Purav Jha: (laughs) Haan, but humari dosti itna achhi hai. Meri Apoorva se, Sufi (Motiwala) se, Raftaar bhai se, in fact, Uorfi (Javed) se. Sabse. Meri toh sabse achhi baat cheet hai.
What’s one unseen moment from your shoot days you wish had made it to the final cut of the show?
Apoorva Mukhija: I think humare tasks aadhe kaat diye hai. Remember Purav, woh knife waala task jaha photos mein humein knife daalna hai at the party. Everybody though ki, the murder is people actually putting the knives. Since Sufi had the most knives, he was murdered. So bahot saare tasks kaat diye hai. Even woh joh gol chakar waala task tha, woh 2-3 round mein hua tha, but unhone ek hi dikhaya.
Purav Jha: Party nights mein toh humne bahut fun kiye the…
Apoorva Mukhija: I love Amazon Prime Video, I owe them life. Maine itni bakwaas kari hai, apni puri life ki kahaani sunayi hai. Thank god ussmein se kuch bhi nahi hai.
Purav Jha: Best night!
Apoorva Mukhija: I literally told Purav everything there is to know about me.
Purav Jha: Party night ke baad agle din, isko game se farak nahi hai, isko traitors nahi nikalne, isko innocents waala matlab nahi hai. Isko bas, “Bhai, maine kya kya bakwaas kari hai, please naa aa jaaye. Please naa aa jaye, bhai.” Maine kaha, “Nahi, nahi, nahi aayega. Itne bewakoof nahi hai Prime waale. Teri personal cheez nahi daalengey.” She was like, “Nahi bhai, kuch masala hua toh daalna de kahin.”
Apoorva Mukhija: Thank god!
How was your experience with Karan Johar as the host of the show?
Apoorva Mukhija: Since all of us have been very fascinated by Bollywood, sabka sapna toh ek baar Koffee With Karan mein jaane ka hai. We have grown up watching the show, so even if it wasn’t that show, it was everything we had ever dreamed of. So, I couldn’t have asked for a better host. The outfits were amazing. He is amazing. What better first reality show than to have it with Karan.
Purav Jha: Karan sir acted so well. So well! Kyunki jab bahar aise ek baar mile Maheep (Kapoor) ma’am ke ghar dinner par, toh he was such a chill aadmi. Mast! Maine toh kaha yeh toh kuch alag hi personality hai, so different. Toh unhone best acting kari hai, show mein. Kyunki agar unse logon ki fat rahi hai, woh aura unhone maintain kar rakha ha, toh haa unhone kiya hai. He acted so well.
Season 2 was just announced so do you have any tips for the upcoming contestants?
Purav Jha: Show enjoy karna. Zyaada chikhumchilli mat karna. Game jisko sachmein khelni hai to observe karna, sab par nazar rakhna. Agar koi traitor hai, toh unko yeh kahunga ki trust banaye rakhna sabse. Aur innocent hai, toh Karan sir ne bola tha, “Trust is rare, but dhoka is everywhere.” Woh cheez samjoh. Insaan pagal nahi hai joh subh subh aake, innocents ko yeh sab bol raha hai, kyun Apoorva?
Apoorva Mukhija: Yaar, Purav maaf karde bhai, galti ho gayi! Trust kiya tere upar. Maaf kar.
Purav Jha: Sorry!
Apoorva Mukhija: It’s a very all-consuming, anxiety-inducing game, so its very easy to just feel horrible about yourself, about the situation. Bahoy jyaada dimaag kharab hota hai. I would just say that sabse dosti karo yaa naa karo, at least ek yaa do aise dost banao ki tum kone mein jaake unse baat kar sako. Yaa tum game ke alawa kisi aur cheez pe baat kar rahe ho, because tumhara dimaag kharab ho jata hai.
Purav Jha: It is a horrible show.
Apoorva Mukhija: And nothing you do in life is worth it if your friends are not there. So, just make friends!