Anshula Kapoor on The Traitors: 'Was diagnosed with PTSD after the show'

Karan Johar's The Traitors, the Indian adaptation on Prime Video, has sparked discussion about the show's gameplay and the emotional toll it supposedly had on certain contestants.

Anshula Kapoor opens up about her struggles on the show

In an interview with The Quint, contestant Anshula Kapoor discussed her challenging time on the show. The show pits participants against one another in a secret location where betrayal, strategy, and trust clash, with an ensemble of contestants that includes the likes of Uorfi Javed, Maheep Kapoor, Apoorva Mukhija, Raj Kundra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Chhabra, and Raftaar. 

The promises made during pre-production meetings first drew Anshula to the show, she claimed. She explained, "The show would be akin to the original format, but that’s not what it ended up being."

ALSO READ: Raftaar: 'Sufi and the Circle of Shaq moment was never personal' in The Traitors | Exclusive 

Mental and emotional toll surpassed physical demands

The emotional and psychological strain of working on The Traitors was much more than the physical demands of the production, according to Anshula, who described her experience as "traumatising" and "stressful". She further said, "It was not about filming long hours but about the conversations and atmosphere of the house."

One of the most challenging parts of the filming, she recalled, was being cut off from the outside world. Anshula stated that it was incredibly difficult to live without communication with the outside world for the entire duration of the show. They couldn't communicate with any other competitors once they left the filming area.

Strict monitoring and lack of basic comforts

The limitations extended beyond merely filming times. According to Anshula, "There were no intercoms in our room. They had blacked out our room numbers, so we didn’t know our own or anyone else’s room number. They had placed wind chimes outside our room door, and if you opened the door when you weren’t supposed to, someone would come and tell you not to leave your room."

One incident in particular stuck with her; she said, "I recall a day when the contestants weren’t shooting and were confined to their respective rooms for 24 hours."

Post-show recovery

Serious emotional recuperation was necessary following the event. Anshula disclosed, "I had to go back into intensive therapy after the show and I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder."

While The Traitors is still making waves on Prime Video thanks to all the drama and betrayals it features, Anshula Kapoor's confessions have put the spotlight squarely on the mental toll that reality TV can take on its participants.