EXCLUSIVE: Rida Tharana Reflects On The Emotional Toll Of Becoming A Traitor; Admits, “I Didn’t Think I Would Survive”

Rida Tharana opened up about the immense pressure she faced while playing the traitor in Season 2. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, she revealed how the emotional toll of the game pushed her to seek support from the show’s therapist. Rida admitted she was eager to experience the game from the traitor’s perspective. Her growing guilt over targeting people close to her made her question her decision. Rida also recalled losing her spark while navigating the intense game. Scroll down to read the full article and watch the interview.

Rida Tharana Reveals How The Show Helped Her Handle Traitor Pressure

When asked how nervous or anxious she was as a traitor in the second season, Rida Tharana replied, “Oh my God. Toh show mein they take care of you in every possible way, and there was a therapist as well. She was in my room every single day, since I caught Kullu and after I became a traitor as well, because mujhse pressure handle nahi ho raha tha. And as I said, I’m not an actor by profession. I do not know. So, all the emotions you have seen, ab jo confidence tha jab main Kullu ko pakad rahi thi or when I was asking Shahneel some questions and all, woh is conviction se aaraha tha because I’m innocent.”

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Rida Says She Observed Every Move Before Making Her Own

She continued, “Toh meri journey rahi hai innocent ki. The first three days I had my mouth shut because I’m not a funny person. Mujhe Hindi nahi aati hai, toh I can’t even give you one-liners or something. Toh main sirf baith ke observe kar rahi thi. I was not just listening to people’s conversations. When they said, ‘I’m innocent and I’m not a traitor,’ I wouldn’t just believe in it. Main unke actions dekh rahi thi, ki aapne Circle of Shaq mein first day kisko vote out kiya? How did you act? How were you in the task? Aapko kitni sheets mili hain, kya nahi hai? And all of that stuff. Like, I use my full brain to analysing ki kaise traitors ho sakte hain, kaise game khel rahe hain, kya ho raha hai. Anybody who is powerful is gone out the next day. Toh kaise mereko khelna padega? If I go on to it and all of that stuff, right?”

Rida Tharana Wanted To Experience The Game As A Traitor

The social media personality added, “But the issue… I really wanted to play as a traitor as well. Not because I thought I was an exceptional traitor. Mujhe pata tha, because jab Karan sir ne poocha, something that is not in the show, he asked me, ‘Do you want to be an innocent or a traitor?’ I said, ‘I want to be an innocent,’ because main jhooth nahi bol paungi. I can’t. But agar mujhe chance mile, which in my head was like the last two days… Toh mujhe nahi pata tha ki itna lamba aayega safar.”

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Rida On Becoming A Traitor

She continued, “And I didn’t even think I’d survive. Toh maine socha ki paanch din mein toh main nikal hi jaungi. Koi kyun hi rakhega? Because not everybody knew me. I was like, agar aap mereko nikaal bhi doge toh shak kisi pe nahi jaayega. Not everybody, you know, people were like… we’re far acquaintances and you just see them online. Toh jab main switch… when I got the letter also, I was like, ‘I really want to know what it is to play this game as a traitor.’ Toh mujhe experience ke liye karna tha. But after every day, mera experience ho gaya. Mujhe sirf woh, you know, woh cloth pehenna tha, lantern pakad ke jaana tha. Mera ho gaya hai. ‘Nikaal do, nikaal do mujhe. Nikaal do. Make me innocent again.’”

Rida Had A Roadmap To Reach The Finale But Guilt Took Over

Tharana added, “Toh issue is, I’m a self-aware one, but I’m also an emotional person. Toh mujhe bahut bura lagta hai ki I know I’m playing a game. Toh mera roadmap tha. The reason I also said yes to becoming a traitor is because I knew exactly kisko nikaalna hai, kaise nikaalna hai. Agar maine inko nikala toh phir kiska yeh hoga, kaise hoga? Circle of Shaq mein kisko nikaalungi, kaise jaungi? So, I had the roadmap to reach the finale. The only issue is I’m also a very guilty person. Toh mujhe bahut guilt tha ki these were all people close to me. Mujhe bahut guilt tha ki, ‘What am I even doing?’ Mera chehra ek jagah baith nahi raha tha.”

‘I Lost My Spark’: Rida Tharana On Forgetting Her Innocent Persona

The influencer shared, “Here was this one scene where Mallika ji is like, ‘It’s so humiliating if you become a traitor.’ Abhi and I’m like, ‘Oh shit, is this humiliating? Why did I say yes?’ Toh the issue is ki main bhool gayi how I was as an innocent. I forgot ki main hasti thi ya khelti thi. What was I as a person? I forgot. Mere ye expressions chale gaye hain. Mere ye chale gaye. Everything I had, I had lost my spark, basically. But it’s also because, you know, jab aap innocent ki tarah khel rahe ho us palace mein, you really do not know who the innocents are and you don’t know who the traitors are. But when you play the game as a traitor, you know exactly who the innocents are. You know exactly who the traitors are. The palace ki energy alag ho jaati hai. Circle of Shak alag ho jaata hai.”

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Rida Recalls Her Secret Task And Breaking The Horn

She added, “I don’t even know how I did the secret task. They did not show it. Theek hai, jo main woh hila-hila rahi thi, it’s sorry, inappropriate, when I was moving that thing. Okay, that is also wrong. Jo horns the, let’s just not go there. Maine tod diya tha usko. Maine woh horn ko tod diya. I broke the horn because woh frame upar hi nahi ja raha tha. I was like, ‘Guys, tum logon ne bola tha ki horn ko aise hilao.’ Shit, bro! You do that and then it was so… Yeah.”

Rida On Taking A Break From The Pressure

She concluded, “And I was like, ‘Bhai sahab, yeh kya tha?’ So tabhi meri ho gayi thi… Pair ke pair upar baithi hoon ki, ‘Yeh aaj meri jo maid hai, jisko maine hire kiya hai, yeh kaam karegi.’ Still, feminism has got so many things. We have bank accounts now, we have freedom of speech. Hum log abhi reality TV show kar sakte hain. Tu ek blazer nahi pehen sakti thi jisme pockets ho? Maine jaan ke pockets nahi pehne us din, because I was like, ‘Maine kyun? Maine kyun blackmail kiya hai? Kis reason ke liye blackmail kiya hai?’ Roz toh main shak mein aa rahi hoon. Main kyun apni jaan ke liye roz ladun? Koi aur lade. Today, I chilled. I sat like I’m on vacation. Woh kar rahi hai. I look at you. ‘Yaar, paani ka bottle leke aana.'”

Krystle D’Souza and content creator Rida Tharana emerged as winners of Season 2 of The Traitors India. The finale took place at the historic Suryagarh Palace in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, with host Karan Johar. The duo split the total prize money of Rs 66 lakh after outsmarting their fellow contestants

Watch The Full Interview

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Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Krystle D’Souza Breaks Silence On Being The OG Traitor In Season 2, Outsmarting Innocents; Says, “I Vouched For My Innocence”

Akankshya Mukherjee

Akankshya Mukherjee is a dynamic and ambitious individual poised to make waves in the realm of Media and Communication. With a passion for creativity and a drive to contribute to forward-thinking organizations, Akankshya embodies adaptability and a hunger for learning. Having already garnered experience through involvement in various organizations, she has honed the skill of quickly adapting to new environments and challenges. She sees each opportunity as a chance for personal and professional growth, eagerly embracing roles in communications and content writing.