“I Thoroughly Enjoyed Hosting The Traitors”: Teja Sajja
Prime Video, India’s leading streaming platform known for its distinctive original content, is all set to entertain Telugu audiences with The Traitors Telugu. Bringing the globally acclaimed reality format to Telugu viewers with a unique local flavour, the show is hosted by superhero Teja Sajja.
Featuring 20 celebrities from diverse fields, the 10-episode series takes contestants into a world where trust can become their biggest weakness. Who should they trust? Whom should they suspect? And who are the Traitors? These questions form the crux of this intriguing game.
Produced by SOL Production, The Traitors Telugu will stream exclusively on Prime Video in Telugu with English subtitles. New episodes will be released every Thursday at 12 noon, starting October 15.
On this occasion, Teja Sajja interacted with the media and shared his experiences of hosting the show.
You have been delivering consecutive hits. How does it feel to turn host for The Traitors?
The Traitors is a hugely successful global franchise. The format has been adapted in more than 20 countries and over 25 languages. When Karan Johar hosted the Hindi version, I initially did not think much about it. However, once I started watching an episode, I got so hooked that I completed the entire season in just two days. That was when I really connected with the concept and the format.
After completing Mirai, Amazon Prime Video approached me with the offer. This is probably one of the quickest projects I have agreed to in my career. The format is so strong that it has succeeded across multiple languages. I had immense faith in the concept, so I immediately said yes.
It was a great pleasure to collaborate with an international platform like Prime Video. We have never seen a reality show of this scale in Telugu before.
What makes the show special is its completely different format. It feels like watching a murder mystery or a thrilling suspense film. I thoroughly enjoyed hosting it.
How many days did you shoot for the show? What was your experience as a host?
We shot for 11 days, and the show has 10 episodes. When I watched the Hindi version, I did not have any emotional connection with the participants because I did not personally know them. However, in the Telugu version, we have familiar faces such as Pragathi, Harshavardhan and Chinmayi. It is very interesting to see how these people behave and strategise while playing the game.
The host’s role is also very important in this show. It is almost like playing a character in a film. I had to stay within that particular persona throughout the show. That was a very interesting experience for me. In a way, you could call it a class leader kind of character! (Laughs)
What can audiences expect from The Traitors Telugu?
The first three episodes will give audiences a clear understanding of how the game works. The entire show unfolds like a murder mystery. It is completely different from any reality show Telugu audiences have seen so far.
The format is very fresh. Rather than feeling like a conventional reality show, it gives you the experience of watching a real game unfold. Games like football and chess have specific rules, and everything progresses according to those rules. The Traitors is also a complete game in that sense.
Since this is a new format for Telugu audiences, will it be easy for them to understand?
Absolutely. The first three episodes will be released together, and watching them will give audiences a clear idea of the concept and how the game progresses.
The entire game revolves around questions such as whom to trust, whom to suspect, who the Traitors are, and who the innocent players are. This makes every episode feel like a thriller. Audiences will find themselves getting involved in the game along with the contestants.
How were the contestants selected for the show?
The contestants are extremely important to this format. They need to be capable of manipulating situations, convincing others, and winning people’s trust. At the same time, they must understand the rules and use their intelligence to move forward in the game.
Participants were selected from almost every field. Being a celebrity was not the primary criterion. The most important factor was their ability to play the game.
The show offers prize money of â‚ą1 crore. How will the prize money be distributed?
You will have to watch the show to find that out! (Laughs) If I reveal it now, the excitement and suspense will be lost.
How was the overall experience of hosting the show?
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience because I really like this format. I generally speak without much hesitation, so initially, I thought hosting would be quite easy.
However, on the very first day, I was given four to five pages of content explaining the rules of the game to the participants. I had to deliver the entire content in a single take without making any mistakes.
In a studio-based reality show, you can usually stop and retake a scene if necessary. But here, the contestants are sitting right in front of me. Everything has to be delivered perfectly in a single take. That was a new challenge for me.
Despite that, I had a wonderful time hosting the show.
Children are also among your biggest fans. Will they enjoy this show too?
Definitely! The show is designed to appeal to audiences across age groups, from children aged seven or eight to adults. The format has gained considerable popularity worldwide, and it enjoys a strong following among children as well.
What can you tell us about Zombie Reddy 2?
We recently began shooting for the film. We are trying to make it a really crazy entertainer. Since it is the sequel to Zombie Reddy, there are expectations from the audience, and we are working towards delivering a film that lives up to them.
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