27 July,2026 06:22 PM IST | Mumbai | Aakruti Bagla
Sufi Motiwala (Pic/Special Arrangements)
Sufi Motiwala was evicted from Lock Upp: Sach Ya Sazaa after losing a high-stakes physical face-off task against returning contestant Yogesh Rawat. During his stint on the show, he got emotional several times and opened up about being bullied. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Sufi spoke about being tagged as a weak contestant, Harshad and Shivangi's bond, and reconciling with Apoorva Mukhija.
Sufi Motiwala made headlines before his exit from the show after opening up about deeply personal experiences, including alleging that he was molested by his college roommate. Asked if it took immense courage to share such painful memories on national television, Sufi said, "I knew someday my secrets would come out. And I even told inmates that I will reveal my secrets. Honestly, in the heat of the moment, it didn't feel like it took a lot of courage; it just felt like the right thing to do."
Sufi was often labelled as one of the weaker contestants on the show, despite expectations being high after his impressive performance in The Traitors. Addressing the contrast between the two reality shows, he explained, "Traitors was about playing an identity. Additionally, even though we used to play each other for 16 hours, we still used to get to go back to our rooms and be isolated for 7-8 hours. So we used to get that time to regulate ourselves and then come back the next day. Here you didn't get that chance. So after one point, my mind was so overwhelmed that I couldn't get out of it."
Reflecting on his frequent clashes with Shreya Kalra, Sufi said he is proud that he stood up for himself during the show instead of expecting others to do so. He admitted that he used abusive language towards Shreya during an argument but revealed that he had apologised to her inside the house. He added, "In the heat of the moment and the way she was behaving, that 'Speak in Hindi or else my content will be cut' comment just felt very deliberate. It felt like she was deliberately poking and triggering me. So now, if someone deliberately troubles you in the outside world, then see, they get abused."
Reflecting on mending his relationship with Apoorva after their fallout on The Traitors, Sufi said, "It was really heartwarming. I mean, if you ask me, it was one of my peaks of the show. She came, and we didn't even fight, and everything was sorted so well. It was the cherry on top."
Sufi also reacted to the controversy surrounding Akanksha Chamola's bisexuality being revealed on the show. He said, "I felt very, very bad that she was outed by Shreya like that. I remember telling her, 'Do not repeat this to anyone else.' It's something that should not be happening. So I feel like it was very wrong what happened to Chamola, but I feel like Shreya also was just trying to get a little vindicated because she was feeling angry towards her friend at that point in time."
Talking about Harshad-Shivangi's bond, he stated, "I feel like both of them are friends. I don't know why the media is so worried that they are running a love angle. They haven't done anything yet. I think the background music has become too loud."
