Anshula Kapoor opens up about PTSD after ‘The Traitors’ experience

Karan Johar’s The Traitors, the Indian adaptation of the popular reality series now streaming on Prime Video, has not only generated buzz for its high-stakes gameplay but also sparked concern over its psychological impact on contestants. Among the participants, Anshula Kapoor recently opened up about her intense experience on the show in a recent interview.

Anshula Kapoor on facing PTSD after The Traitors

Set in a secluded location, The Traitors thrives on secrecy, strategy, and deception, bringing together a diverse cast that includes Uorfi Javed, Maheep Kapoor, Raj Kundra, Mukesh Chhabra, Ashish Vidyarthi, Raftaar, Apoorva Mukhija, and Anshula herself. While the format promised to mirror the original international version, Anshula claims the reality turned out to be quite different.

Drawn in by pre-production assurances, Anshula said she didn’t expect the extreme mental and emotional pressure that came with the experience. “It wasn’t the long shoot hours that affected me,” she shared. “It was the mental atmosphere, the mind games, the isolation.” According to Anshula, contestants were kept completely disconnected from the outside world, not just during shooting but even between scenes.

“There were no phones, no intercoms. We didn’t even know our own room numbers because they were blacked out,” she said. "They had wind chimes outside our doors so they could hear if we stepped out when we weren’t supposed to. If we did, someone would immediately intervene."

One particular memory remains vivid for her: being confined to her room for an entire day without filming or any human interaction. That level of seclusion, she says, had lasting consequences. “I had to return to therapy after the show. I was officially diagnosed with PTSD.” While The Traitors continues to attract audiences with its suspense and dramatic twists, Anshula Kapoor’s revelations have sparked a broader conversation about the unseen psychological burden reality TV can place on its participants raising important questions about contestant well-being in high-pressure formats.