Mini Mathur wins 'Alliance': 'Hated the male dominance on show'
What's the story
TV host, VJ, and actor Mini Mathur became the winner of Amazon Prime Video's reality show Alliance. She recently spoke to SCREEN about her victory and the challenges she faced on the show. Mathur expressed hope that her win will inspire makers to break stereotypes about who can thrive in reality shows. The show was hosted by actor Kunal Kemmu.
Victory journey
It was just a question of survival at first
Mathur, who took home a trophy and ₹50L prize money, said she didn't think she would win when she entered the show.
"Day one, I didn't feel this would even be a possibility, because I was just struggling with the idea of whether I would be able to stay in captivity for that long. I am not the reality show type; for me it was just a question of survival in the first week."
Gameplay defense
On relying on friend Nikhil Chinappa
Mathur also addressed the criticism that her gameplay was influenced by her friend Nikhil Chinappa.
She said, "I am glad that I have proved them wrong by walking out with the trophy after six weeks."
"If they think Nikhil was the only thing that was driving me, I don't know how I survived the final weeks without him."
Social issues
The ageism and sexism she faced on the show
Mathur, 53, spoke about the ageism and sexism she faced on the show. She said there was a big disparity between her and other contestants.
"I am the mother of a Gen-Z. One of the things that was bothering me was...there are 23-year-olds who are gamers, live streamers who entirely exist on social media."
"Social media is a small extension of the real work on the ground that I have done all my life, so there was a big disparity."
Future collaboration
She plans to live stream with her younger co-contestants
Despite the initial ageism, Mathur learned a lot from her younger co-contestants.
She said, "I have learned so much from people like Vanshaj and Payal. I spent my time understanding what they do. Now I plan to do live streaming with them."
"In the beginning...they thought...a stereotypical 50-plus person, or the one who will get into fights, will only last for a week. The real conversation is in the arena where I defeat you, and all that chatter stopped then."
Gender dynamics
On male dominance on the show
Mathur also spoke about the male dominance on the show, saying she hated it.
"We underestimate people who are beyond a certain age and gender. I hated the male dominance on the show."
"The worst part of a week for me was where we had to make new alliances, and I would see all the boys would go into little holes and decide to play with each other and choose one of us."
Show dynamics
On Sohail Khan's presence in the show
Mathur also shared her thoughts on Sohail Khan's participation.
She said, "The show was about two things - the challenges and games, and the alliance or politics that happened in the headquarters."
"He was just a good energy around the house, and Salman bhai coming was amazing for him. He felt reinforced to last till the finale; otherwise, he wanted to get out."
Mathur became one of the top three finalists along with Aly Goni and Ruhee Dosani.