The Traitors Telugu review: Plenty of drama, little strategy, and too many tears

Teja Sajja hosts 20 contestants in the Telugu edition of The Traitors. The opening episodes favour drama over deception-driven strategy.

In Short

• Chinmayi Sripada and Nikhil are murdered within the opening three episodes
• Gaurav Sunil refuses to defend himself and faces the first banishment
• Vidyullekha Raman exposes her game after turning against fellow traitor Ashika

After two successful seasons in Hindi, The Traitors arrives in Telugu, with young actor Teja Sajja taking on the mantle of anchor. Twenty contestants, some familiar and some not, enter a magnificent palace where lies, betrayal, deception and mind games take precedence. What they bring to it, though, is far more drama than strategy.

Emotions have no place in this game of deception. Though 20 contestants are locked in together, this is no Bigg Boss.

For those unfamiliar with the format, here is how it works. Teja Sajja picks three contestants as traitors at a table where everyone is blindfolded. The chosen ones must then pick a fellow contestant to murder without blowing their cover.

At the Ring of Doubt, the Innocents must prove their innocence while trying to find and vote out the traitors among them.

Teja Sajja, a child artiste who grew up in front of the camera and now headlines some incredible pan-India films, looks at ease in his debut as an anchor. He is strict and straight-faced, yet never misses a chance to throw in a fun line during physical tasks.

The Traitors Telugu has an eclectic mix of contestants from varied walks of life. The familiar names include Chinmayi Sripada, Vidyullekha Raman, Shravya Varma, Harsha Vardhan, Prasath, Vishnu, Nikhil, Vardhan and Sweekar.

Chinmayi is put on the spot in the first episode, when fellow participants declare her the most trustworthy contestant. She is then asked to choose three among them, and gamer Dhanunjay is shown the door minutes before entering the palace.

This exercise sets the stage for the show: the smartest player is the one who can conceal their identity. While the contestants show off their fitness in the first physical task, some fail miserably when it comes to using their brains. In a game where strategy and deception are prerequisites, seeing some of them utterly defenceless is a turn-off.

Take content creator Gaurav Sunil. Despite an interesting personality and the quality to stand out from the crowd, he goes silent when everyone points fingers at him at the Ring of Doubt. He calls everyone and their reasons stupid, refuses to defend himself, and is banished in the first-ever Ring of Doubt.

Vidyullekha Raman, similarly, overshares and overacts, blowing her own cover. Despite urging her fellow traitors to stay united, she is the first to betray her own gang by naming Ashika. It backfires, and she is banished in the second Ring of Doubt.

In three episodes, four contestants have been shown the door. Chinmayi Sripada and Nikhil are murdered by the traitors, while Gaurav and Vidyullekha are banished.

Entrepreneur Rahat Achanta, one of the traitors, along with doctor Meghanath Reddy, Sweekar, writer Vardhan and Vishnu Oi, show promise and intelligence in the tasks and the larger game. Entrepreneur Shreedevi, actor Vidyullekha and Gaurav need a better grasp of the game to make it more interesting.

For a show built on mind games, The Traitors Telugu has a lot of drama, reminiscent of Bigg Boss. The emotions the game says have no place flow freely, with contestants bawling their eyes out over eliminations and others mouthing punchlines. This group puts drama ahead of strategy.

With three episodes out on Prime Video, one must wait and see whether the contestants can grasp the intensity of the game, dry their tears and keep up with its pace.

New episodes will be out every Thursday on Prime Video.

- Ends