Actress and television host Mini Mathur, who emerged victorious in the reality show Alliance, says the experience pushed her beyond her comfort zone and helped her discover strengths she was previously unaware of.
Reflecting on her journey, Mini said her role as a host had traditionally involved telling other people’s stories and connecting audiences with them. Alliance, however, placed her at the centre of the narrative.
“Absolutely. As a host or presenter, your job is to tell someone else’s story and connect the audience with it. Here, I was content. I became the subject of entertainment,” she said.
Mini admitted that she had never imagined being able to live with a group of people under constant camera surveillance while continuing to engage and inspire viewers.
“This became a competition with myself. I discovered strengths and potential within me that I never knew existed,” she added.
The actress-host also spoke about the fine line between strategic gameplay and what she described as “dirty gameplay” in reality television.
According to Mini, some degree of manipulation is an accepted part of strategy, particularly when contestants try to influence another player’s approach to improve their own position in the game.
“A certain amount of manipulation is part of strategy. If you want someone to underplay their game because it benefits your own strategy or improves your position on the tracker board, that is perfectly acceptable. It is part of the game,” she said.
However, she drew a distinction between strategic moves and personal attacks, saying she does not support insulting someone based on their gender or creating unnecessary toxicity.
“There is a very fine line between playing strategically to survive and trying to pull someone down just to move ahead yourself,” Mini said.
She hopes her victory demonstrates that contestants do not need to resort to aggressive or toxic behaviour to succeed on reality shows.
“Hopefully, my victory sends a message to other reality shows that you do not have to be down and dirty to win. You can be straightforward, sharp, strategic, and even manipulative within the rules of the game,” she said.
Hosted by Kunal Kemmu, Alliance brought together 16 contestants who entered the competition as allies, but shifting loyalties, deception and strategic manoeuvring continually tested their relationships.
The show began streaming on Prime Video on June 26. It is the first international adaptation of Talpa Studios’ Dutch format created by John de Mol, with Banijay Asia producing the Hindi-language version.