Apoorva Mukhija says she was shocked to know Purav Jha was one of the traitors: ‘I really wanted him to win the show’

In this exclusive interaction with HT, Apoorva Mukhija and Purav Jha talk about their journey on The Traitors and react to the finale of The Traitors.

The Traitors on Prime Video came to an end last week, with Uorfi Javed and Nikita Luther emerging as the co-winners. Yet, there were two names which ruled the entire season, Apoorva Mukhija aka The Rebel Kid and Purav Jha. Even though one of the them was a traitor, the two of them became close friends and often fought for each other and made strategies together. Both Apoorva and Purav were eliminated during the circle of shaq in the show. (Excerpts) (Also read: The Traitors: ‘Innocents’ Uorfi Javed and Nikita Luther emerge as winners in grand finale, claim ₹70 lakhs prize money)

Apoorva Mukhija was an innocent while Purav Jha was one of the traitors in the show.

Apoorva on finding out Purav was a traitor

In an exclusive interview with HT after the finale, Apoorva and Purav sat down to revisit their journey on the show and react to the finale together. Apoorva began by admitting, “I was very heartbroken when Purav got out. I truly, in my heart, believed that he was going to win this game. Even when I came out and got to know that Purav was the traitor, I was in shock for 20 minutes. Like this cannot happen! I must have told Jannat [Zubair Rahmani] around 50 times that she must have gotten the wrong information and that her sources were not correct. Then for the next 10 minutes, I cursed myself. He used to look into my eyes and say that he is not the traitor! Then I realized that if he had to lie so much, then he must have really wanted it also, and he really deserved it.”

She went on to add, “I think Jasmin [Bhasin]'s exit VD is my favourite where she says Uorfi murdered her. I had told so many times that people will remember me, Jannat and Sufi [Motiwala] and everyone else just forgot all of it the next morning! I was laughing throughout the finale; I really wanted Purav to win.”

Purav shares how he processed the finale differently. “All my reactions were over the moment Apoorva was eliminated! I was like, oh god, what just happened! Apoorva and I talked so much that night, but at the end I was playing fair and pure. We both cried a lot that night. I was left feeling that what was I even doing to my friends…” he says.

Purav reacts to Uorfi's way of finding out that he was the traitor

Purav adds, “But I have to tell you that the day I was eliminated I was really in shock! That Uorfi [Javed] has calculated so much and planned it all from before? In the circle of shaq, Uorfi made a few points that on that evening, only I could have poisoned Sufi [Motiwala], and some other points too and I was like how did she change the game so fast? She said that she had been observing me from day one and that I was doing the acting of being drunk on the night of the party.”

He then went on to add, “I was shocked, and was like, ‘Uorfi toh bhai sherni hai bhai, Apoorva toh bewakoof hai usko kuch nahi pata tha!’ I thought Uorfi was the smart one, the one who knew how to reach the finale. But then, when I watched the episode, I went, ‘Chi! Genuine chi! Ye kya potty kari hai? Puri chugli sun liya? Kya strategy hai bhai! (claps) Kya dimaag lagaya hai! Yaha pe log calculation laga rahe hain and Uorfi… (imitates listening attentively with his ears) What the f***? (I thought Uorfi was the one playing the game and Apoorva was just a fool. Then I watched the episode, and I was genuinely embarrassed at what Uorfi’s strategy was- just to eavesdrop. People here were calculating and making all these links, and all she did was eavesdrop).”

Purav also admitted that he made the mistake of talking about his strategies with fellow traitor Harsh Gujral in the billiards room in the open. “Of course, I also made the grave mistake of talking to Harsh out there, but I was genuinely speaking very slowly, so I don't know what happened or how it happened. I should not have done that in excitement,” he says.

On the show, Apoorva had joked that if Purav is revealed to be a traitor, then she will lose all faith in mankind. Now that he is shown to be one, Apoorva replies upon being reminded of the statement: “Mera insaniyat pe bharosa hain hi nahi! Mera insaniyat pe bharosa tha hi nahi! Agar mere aas paas ke ladko ko dekhoge, toh kisi ka bhi insaaniyat pe se bharosa uth jayega (I did not have any faith in mankind to begin with. If you take a look at the kind os people around me, that is enough to say why)!”

She adds, “I was just very proud that my friends in the game were smart people. I was not surrounded with by the dumb ones. So Purav played the game well. I know that I if I was asked to be a traitor and play the game I would not have done it so well like Purav. In a game where everybody is doubting you, to be that person where everybody asks these questions and then leaves… he was doing something right. He was doing everything right. And, one cannot take a game so personally, so ofcourse it was all completely valid.”

The Traitors is available to watch on Prime Video. A second season of the show was announced by the makers a few days ago.