'Never Got Apology, Was Made To Look Like Bad Guy': Sahil Salathia On Being Affected By Elnaaz Norouzi Eliminating Him On The Traitors (EXCLUSIVE)
Actor Sahil Salathia, who hails from Jammu, appeared on the reality show The Traitors but was the first to be eliminated after being 'murdered' by traitors—Elnaaz Norouzi, Raj Kundra, and Purav Jha. What made the elimination more painful for Sahil was that one of the traitors was Elnaaz, whom he described as his 'best friend' of eight years. Recently, Sahil took to Instagram to share his shock and disappointment, calling Elnaaz's actions a deeply personal betrayal. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, Sahil opened up about the emotional aftermath, why Elnaaz's betrayal hit him so hard, and how he even considered going to therapy to process it all.
You said that Elnaaz’s decision felt like a betrayal, but you were aware that’s what the show is all about—could you elaborate on that?
The idea of the show is betrayal, but your closest friend betraying you in episode one over 17 other contestants was too much for me; it would be too much for anyone. If I did this to Elnaaz, I am sure she would be equally hurt because I have known her for 8 years as a very close friend. Purav (Jha) and Raj (Kundra), I can't get upset over them, even though I was upset with them, but you can't be upset over them as they were not my best friends before. The betrayal was the lowest of the low, and it was not needed.
On the show, you said that the traitors chose your name for personal reasons. What did you mean by that?
I would say Raj did not have the reason to kill me. Though I was giving a good ear to all his problems, like him going to jail or being falsely framed for something, I was very empathetic. I don't know if he felt that I was the right guy to be killed over everybody else when I was only nice to him.
Raj took your name, but Elnaaz appeared to hold back from doing the same. Do you feel she was pressured into making that choice?
I wholeheartedly would like to believe that Elnaaz was very badly pressured, so badly that she could not stand up for me. A strong, independent girl like Elnaaz was thrown under pressure; she is not somebody who can just be pressured when she does not want to do something. She could have stood up for me. After Raj was killed in the Circle of Shaq, Elnaaz and Purav were given a choice to recruit an innocent, and that's when Elnaaz and my closeness of 8 years comes into play. That's how you manipulate the other traitor and bring your closest person into the tower. That is a strategy. We had discussed that agar humme se koi ek traitor hoga, hum ek dusre ko humare saat bannaneki khoshish karenge, because at the end of the show, it is the traitors vs. the innocents.
You called Elnaaz out very publicly—do you regret expressing yourself so openly on Instagram?
It is just to express the guilt and sadness around what was the reason behind it. I don't regret expressing it on social media. What Elnaaz would think or say is not what I am. It was a show I did to be seen by a larger audience. What I put on social media was very rare for me; it was very stylised. There is a lot of conversation about fashion or the work I do. It is never about being so personal; it was still done with a lot of grace.
You mentioned considering therapy after this experience—how has the incident affected your mental health overall?
We look at therapy in a negative light. It is not something bad, but when something like this happens in a game show, and you come out because of somebody who was closest to your heart, you start considering such things.
Do you regret being a part of The Traitors?
"Jab yeh shooting hui thi, 6 months pehele, aur jab mein ghar aaya tha. I was telling my mom, 'Why did I do Traitors? I was not meant for a reality show; I am an actor, and I play characters.' When I look at it now, I had such a great time; everybody else was so nice. I found friends in Anshula (Kapoor) and Lakshmi (Manchu). Even Purav (Jha) is a cool guy; Harsh (Gujral) is great. Uorfi (Javed) and Sufi (Motiwala)—I knew them before, but no, I don't regret doing it. Everything has a reason behind it; maybe more people were supposed to see me.
What is more hurtful is if Purav can come and say sorry to you, Raj can apologise too, but they were not my friends. But I never got a sorry from Elnaaz, no apology, no guilt. I was made to look like the bad guy.
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