The Traitors 2 EXCLUSIVE: Dalip Tahil opens up on trusting contestants, says ‘Many people I thought were on my side, I was wrong’

The Traitors Season 2 has emerged as one of the most talked-about reality formats, bringing together celebrities from different walks of life for a high-stakes game of trust, deception and strategy. In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, veteran actor Dalip Tahil opens up about making his reality TV debut, the unpredictable nature of the game and what viewers can expect to discover about him.

Excerpts from the interview: 

Q. Why did you choose The Traitors 2 as your first-ever reality show? What about the format made you say yes?

Dalip: To actually be honest, The Traitors 2 chose me. I had seen the show and I really liked the format because it was exactly the kind of thing that excited me. Initially, I thought perhaps there could be some scripting involved, but I'm very happy to say to my audience and everyone else that it is completely unscripted.

Everything you see happening is live. They are people's real reactions, spontaneous emotions and spontaneous responses. That is what attracted me to the show.

The other thing that attracted me was that once you come out of the cameras and the microphones are taken away at night, you have your own space. You have privacy, a room to rest and recharge your batteries. The five-star hotel treatment and the basic logistics also made it possible for me to consider being part of the show.

But the main attraction was always the fact that it was unscripted and spontaneous. I’m an actor, so for me to come into a completely unscripted environment was a huge challenge. It was a wonderful playground.

Q. The show is all about trust, deception and strategy. What do you think will be your biggest strength in a game where you can’t completely trust anyone?

Dalip: I don’t think there is one particular thing or one factor. We were there for 12 days, and every day, if you survived and came back to play the next day, you were faced with a completely new set of emotions and circumstances.

Somebody has been m*rdered, somebody has been eliminated, and suddenly the entire dynamic changes. Every day there are new permutations and combinations. What I thought the night before could change completely the next morning when I came to breakfast and discovered that somebody had been eliminated.

So every day, you are asking yourself, “Who’s who?” Every day brings a new set of emotions and challenges. It is a day of survival.

And you really don’t know who is on your side and who isn’t. I can say this now that the game is over: there were many people I thought were on my side and I got it wrong at times, and at times I got it right. That’s the way it is. Once you get into the game, you realize that, frankly, you can’t trust anyone.

After decades of audiences knowing you through your iconic characters, what is the one side of Dalip Tahil you hope they discover through The Traitors 2?

Dalip: In The Traitors 2, I’m me. I’m not playing a role. So I hope people will see something in the show that gives them an idea of who I am as a person.

Having said that, I am still playing the game. I am holding back, thinking about what I should do and what I should say. So there is a bit of everything, but there is much more of me being exposed as who I am rather than playing a definite role.

I don’t know what people are going to discover, and I’m as keen as anybody else to see the show and discover that side of me because I haven’t seen any of it yet.

I want to see how I come across, what I have said and how I behaved. When you see yourself a month later, in the cold light of day, I’m sure I’m going to kick myself and think, “Why did I say that?” or “Why did I say this?”

So I’m as keen as the audience to see that side of me.

About The Traitors 2

Hosted by Karan Johar, the show features contestants including Mallika Sherawat, Munawar Faruqui, Shweta Tiwari, Rhea Chakraborty, Abhishek Malhan, Krystle D’Souza, Parul Gulati, Dalip Tahil, Shahneel Gill, Shalini Passi, Ranveer Brar, Aaditya Kulshreshth, Harman Baweja, Ikka and others. Viewers can be watch it on Prime Video and Colors.

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