The Traitors India Review: Lots Of Suspense And Thoda Drama Done Right

I don’t usually share my thoughts on reality shows, but I enjoyed The Traitors India on Amazon Prime so much that I just have to talk about it. The Traitors brings together 20 contestants (celebrities in this case) from different walks of life to compete in a game of deception. The show is filmed at the stunning Suryagarh Palace in Jaisalmer, where the contestants take on various challenges to build a prize fund, all while trying to figure out who among them is the secret traitor chosen by the host. This is the Indian version of the Dutch show De Verraders, which has already been adapted successfully in over 30 countries.

I decided to give it a shot because the concept sounded refreshingly different from what we usually see on TV. It felt like a mix of Bigg Boss and Roadies, but without all the unnecessary shouting, drama, and frequent emotional breakdowns. Whatever suspense and drama there is, it stays within limits, which actually makes it more enjoyable to watch. I had a great time watching this one. So, here’s what I liked and what didn’t quite work for me.

The Traitors (2025) (10 Episodes)

Hosted by Karan Johar, the show features actors, influencers, and other celebrities playing the game to win a prize of approx. ₹1 crore. At the start of the game, a few contestants are secretly chosen as ‘traitors,’ while the rest remain ‘faithfuls’ or ‘innocents.’ Each night, the traitors meet in secret to eliminate one innocent, while each day, all participants work together in challenges to build a collective prize fund. Anxiety and panic hit the contestants during the nightly ‘Circle of Shaq’ discussions, where they collectively vote out who they think is a Traitor. If the inocents manage to eliminate all the Traitors by the end, they share the prize. But if even one Traitor remains undetected, they walk away with the entire prize money.

I enjoyed watching “The Traitors” because…

…of its star-studded cast and suspenseful format. I noticed the show because of all the celebrities on its poster. Had the show cast regular contestants, I probably would not have watched it. Choosing known faces for the show was a good idea.

The suspenseful format kept me on the edge of my seat. At the start of the show, three contestants are chosen as the traitors who possess the power to secretly vote out any one contestant every night, while the rest have to identify these traitors and eliminate them before they eliminate all the innocent players. In the first few episodes itself you can see how most of the contestants are fully involved in the gameplay. Contestants like Apoorva Mukhija, Elnaaz Norouzi, Sufi Motiwala, Harsh Gujral, Uorfi Javed, Purav Jha, and Jasmin Bhasin made their presence felt while the others could do better. It was these few contestants who stood out and gave enough content to make the show worth watching.  

I did NOT Like “The Traitors” because…

…runtime for each episode felt a little too much sometimes. See, I enjoyed every bit of the show but some episodes were just too long with lots of drama. Don’t get me wrong. I like drama, that’s why I enjoyed the show, but some excessive gaali-galoch (abusive) situations could have been avoided. Also, I wish the abuses could be beeped. I know this is OTT and yaha sab chalta hain (where anything goes). But still, do I really need to expand my dictionary of cuss words? I think I know enough already. It wouldn’t have hurt to beep some of those out.  

Also, I felt the editing could’ve been a little sharper. For example, in one of the episodes, two unlikely contestants decide to form an alliance and vote out the remaining contestants. Now, this could have been a jaw-dropping twist. But the problem is, they showed why they decided to form this alliance way before they actually revealed the alliance itself. Imagine if they had kept the reason under wraps until the end, the whole thing would’ve felt way more dramatic and shocking. But since most contestants tend to follow the herd anyway, the so-called twist didn’t really hit as hard as it could have. If I hadn’t known the backstory behind this unexpected team-up, I probably would’ve been mind-blown when it happened. But because the editing gave it away too soon, the moment kind of lost its punch.

 

All in all, I really enjoyed the unpredictable format, the interesting bunch of contestants, and the unexpected twists and turns that The Traitors served up. If you are someone who enjoys reality TV, this show is definitely worth checking out. It brings a fresh vibe to the genre.

I give The Traitors India 4 out of 5. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but despite its flaws, I found myself excitedly waiting for the next episode every week. Honestly, it’s been a while since a show got me this hooked, and that says a lot. So yes, I’d happily recommend giving this one a watch!

Image Credit: Prime Video

 

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