Nikita Luther Reveals Heavily Edited Narratives on ‘The Traitors India’ Despite Unscripted Format

Professional poker player Nikita Luther, who emerged as one of the winners of The Traitors India alongside reality TV star Uorfi Javed, has opened up about the behind-the-scenes reality of the popular show. In a candid interview with Just Too Filmy, Luther shed light on how the series, while not scripted, was significantly manipulated through its editing process to craft certain storylines and character arcs.

Luther expressed disappointment over how key moments of her strategic gameplay were excluded from the final cut. According to her, one of the most significant omissions was her accurate suspicion of fellow contestant Purav Jha, who she had identified as a traitor early in the competition. “The main thing that is not communicated is that I knew Purav is a traitor since day 6. And it’s nowhere. They have not put it in episode 6, 7, 8, or 9,” she revealed.

The poker champion also noted that a crucial confrontation between her and Purav in the final episode’s “Circle of Shaq” was edited out entirely. She emphasized that this moment could have altered the audience’s perception of her gameplay and decisions.

Further elaborating on the production’s approach, Luther claimed the show’s editing deliberately shaped contestants into certain roles, often distorting how their actions were portrayed. “The editing is entirely scripted. It is edited to favour certain narratives... personalities were assigned to people, and for me, that didn’t come through. Fair enough, whatever the call was, but the editing was entirely scripted to make people heroes, and throw people off the game,” she said.

She also shared that her rejection of an invitation to join the traitors—extended by Purav and Elnaaz Norouzi—was left out of the aired episodes, despite being a pivotal moment in the storyline.

The Traitors India, hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar, featured an ensemble cast including names like Karan Kundrra, Raj Kundra, Raftaar, Jasmin Bhasin, Anshula Kapoor, Maheep Kapoor, Jannat Zubair, Sudhanshu Pandey, and Ashish Vidyarthi. The show concluded with Nikita Luther and Uorfi Javed taking home the prize money of ₹70.05 lakh.

Streaming on Prime Video, The Traitors India has already been renewed for a second season, promising more high-stakes drama and intrigue in the episodes to come.