Sufi Motiwala reflects on The Traitors, his growth as an influencer, and going viral

Ria Sharma 

Content creator and fashion critic Sufi Motiwala, brought unapologetic flair and viral energy to The Traitors. As the youngest contestant on the show, Sufi didn't just hold his ground, he made sure his voice was heard, presence felt, and personality fully seen. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, Sufi, who recently got evicted, opened up about his experience on the show. Excerpts: 

How was your experience being a part of The Traitors?

A 10/10. I think Traitors Palace was the first place where my brain woke up, activated and started making real-time decisions. No matter how excruciating the filming process was, what I took away from the show will stay with me for life.

Did you go in hoping to be a traitor or an innocent? Were you happy with the role you eventually got?

I said I wanted to be a traitor, but when we were on the circle, I was losing my whole mind. I mean, I was like - if I am a traitor right now, I will literally have a crush-out panic attack, breakdown, start crying. I don’t know. I was just not ready to be a traitor when Karan Johar (host) was picking and I think God listened to me and made me innocent.

You were the youngest contestant on the show. Did you ever think your co-contestants would not take you seriously?

Yes, of course, I did. Because at the age of 21, every new week there’s another person claiming that I am bullying them, terrorising them, intimidating them. So I knew that my voice would not be lost and that people would hear me out. And everybody was actually really respectful and supportive. As you can see on the show, they all made me sound like the smartest person there.

Did you ever find it difficult to separate game strategy from real emotions?

For me, the show was never about strategy or reality. I wanted to show the world my personality, that I am more than my Instagram. I stand for bigger things, I know more things and I am just iconic. That’s what I wanted to give, and I gave that. You were with so many actors during the show. Have you ever thought of becoming an actor?

Actually, I have an acting show coming out later this year in September and I actually shot that before this show. So I’m excited to see how people will react to that. The experience I had was truly surreal and magnificent. So I would love to pursue acting ahead but only if I find roles that make sense to me. Your ‘spiralling’ video has gone viral on social media. What would you like to say about that? I think people are going to spiral into spiralling for the rest of their lives.  To read the full interview log onto the FPJ website