Latest news with #SufiMotiwala
News18
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Sufi Motiwala Says Urfi Javed Used 'Homophobia To Create Controversy': 'It's Pathetic'
Last Updated: Sufi Motiwala accused Urfi Javed of using homophobia for attention after their clash on The Traitors. Scroll down to read the interview. The war of words between Sufi Motiwala and Uorfi Javed took a serious turn recently. After their clash on the reality show, The Traitors, things have spilled over to social media. Now, Sufi has accused Urfi of using homophobia to stir controversy and gain attention online. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Sufi opened up about the backlash he's been facing. He said that after a YouTuber's video went viral, several of the YouTuber's followers began targeting him with homophobic slurs. According to Sufi, Urfi and her sister Dolly Javed shared the video on their Instagram stories and 'used homophobia to create controversy for attention.' Sufi Motiwala told us, 'There was a whole issue with a YouTuber and his straight audiences were abusing me online with homophobic slurs. It is unacceptable. Urfi and Dolly Javed also posted it on their stories and deleted it later. They were excusing homophobia to create a point for her. Their point was that it's okay for others to abuse me since I also abused Urfi on the show. But they are not the same thing. Allowing homophobia to create controversy for attention is very pathetic. That's why I took a stand against her." The 21-year-old social media influencer added, 'Urfi needs to calm down and do a reality check and then talk. I had apologised to her on the show even. I am not going to be bullied by her." Urfi Javed and Sufi Motiwala were caught in a heated back-and-forth on social media, accusing each other of playing the victim. Urfi called out Sufi for being hypocritical and for unnecessarily involving her sister Dolly in their feud. In response, Sufi claimed it was Urfi who targeted the youngest contestant on their Prime Video reality show. Urfi Javed was announced the winner of The Traitors along with Nikita Luther in the July 3 finale episode. The top six finalists were Harsh Gujral, Jasmin Bhasin, Nikita, Purav Jha, Sudhanshu Pandey and Urfi. While Harsh and Purav were traitors, the rest four were innocents. The Traitors premiered on Prime Video on June 12. it started with 20 contestants, including Karan Kundrra, Jasmin Bhasin, Raftaar, Raj Kundra, Urfi, Jannat Zubair, Purav Jha, Harsh Gujral, Elvish Yadav, Mukesh Chhabra, Maheep Kapoor, Rebel Kid (Apoorva Mukhija), Sudhanshu Pandey, Sufi Motiwala, Sahil Salathia, Ashish Vidyarthi, Anshula Kapoor, and Elnaaz Norouzi. The show was hosted by Karan Johar. First Published:
India Today
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Sufi Motiwala on struggles of being queer Muslim: Asked ChatGPT if I am haram
While being queer remains a challenge in Indian society, it becomes a bigger conflict if your religion is against your sexuality. Content creator Sufi Motiwala spoke exclusively to India Today about walking the tightrope between wanting to stay true to his identity and his personal faith, which questions the very basis of the same identity. Known for his unapologetic presence on screen and off, Motiwala confessed that there are times when he questions himself, but has found peace through his personal connection with emotional talking about coming out as a practising Muslim and the struggles that followed, Sufi Motiwala said, "You won't believe, last night I was asking ChatGPT, 'Am I haram? Will Allah ever accept me into Jannah?' The way it spoke about Allah's mercy. I have spoken to maulanas and ustaads. I have memorised the Quran cover to cover, but no one has ever explained Allah's compassion and largeness like that. It made me realise how small we make Allah out to be.'Speaking with deep, tender love for God, Sufi mentioned how his religious beliefs make him focus on love rather than fear and guilt. 'Allah is not some troll on the internet or an angry old man, sitting there waiting to punish homosexuals. He's light, Gafoor-ur-Raheem, mercy in its purest form. It's said he loves us seventy times more than our own mothers, then he will judge me with the goodness in my heart and soul, my actions, and my intentions," he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by prime video IN (@primevideoin)advertisementDespite being raised in a deeply religious environment, 'The Traitors' contestant shared that he found his own version of his faith over the years, which has also, in turn, brought him closer to Islam than he's ever been: "I don't believe it's all black and white or that simple; we all cherry-pick from scripture in convenience. And not just Islam, every religion has done that; the world is structured to assert dominance and control over whoever is the minority. It's never really about God but power. And I am done with that.'Refusing to follow any checklist and finding his own path, Sufi Motiwala added, "I reject that pressure that I have to be a certain kind of Muslim to feel in touch with my faith. These pathetic people will not define my faith, spirituality, love or my connection with Allah to me. Just like you know yours, I know what my connection is with him."He also touched upon the struggle of finding acceptance from his family. He shared that it wasn't easy, but since it took him years to understand himself, he strongly believes that they, too, should be given the time to process it."People take decades to come to terms with who they really are. So, I strongly believe our families also deserve time. Be it five years or ten, or however long it takes them to unlearn what society has taught them. My family initially was very rough, but I have to give it to them. They were never abusive towards me. Never said, 'We will not give you food' or 'we will not treat you like a normal human being.'"He added, "People forget that someone who doesn't look like you, lives like you or loves like youis still made of the same atoms, the same breath. My parents treated me like a human, and no less than their son. I think that's something many need to learn. You may not be able to relate to your gay children, but you can still love them as your own, and yet take your own time to come to terms with their sexuality.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by prime video IN (@primevideoin) On a final note, he acknowledged that it's not just society or family that needs reflection, but also the LGBTQ+ community explained, "I also berate the people from the community who make their sexuality their whole existence. Like, if you're gay, that doesn't mean you have to walk around half-naked, fighting everyone, or making out on the streets. That's not activism, that's you bringing the community down, and making our struggles seem stupid. Like we are not fighting for making out in front of Jantar Mantar, we are fighting for marriage. We are fighting for blood donation, child adoption, and medical insurance in the companies that we work for. We are fighting for fair pay and basic rights: that's what we are fighting for. We are not fighting for all these stupid things. To the community also, I would also say, stand for bigger things. Do better things in life.'Sufi Motiwala rose to fame by critiquing the fashion looks of celebrities on social media. He was last seen on the Karan Johar-hosted 'The Traitors'. The show was won by Uorfi Javed and Nikita Luther.- Ends
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Traitors' Sufi Motiwala on Jasmine Bhasin calling him selfish for choosing money in a task: She's not going to pay my bills
Sufi Motiwala and Jasmine Bhasin Sufi Motiwala , who was recently eliminated from The Traitors (India), made waves during his final episodes — not just for his sharp tongue but also for a bold decision that sparked friction among contestants. In a high-stakes challenge , he was paired with Jasmine Bhasin and faced a choice: take home ₹10 lakh for himself, claim a shield to ensure immunity from being murdered that night, or contribute ₹5 lakh to the collective team kitty. Sufi chose the money — a decision Jasmine and some others saw as selfish. But he sees it differently. He says, 'I don't think it's selfish. I don't think it's shallow. I just think it's thinking about self. At the end of the day, I don't know Jasmine Bhasin. Jasmine Bhasin is not going to pay my bills. Jasmine Bhasin wants to play with the team, so that's her decision, not mine. I wanted to play for myself.' He stands by what he said on the show. ' Mujhe bas ek sexy phone, a beautiful vacation, some really lovely clothes, and a designer bag — that's all I could visualise in that ₹10,00,000. If I started caring about what people said about me, I wouldn't be here.' While his solo gameplay raised eyebrows, Sufi was no slouch when it came to identifying potential Traitors. He was quick to call out Raj Kundra and also had his suspicions about Purav Jha — the very contestant who ended up 'murdering' him in the game. He says, 'I had my eyes on Raj Kundra. Similarly, I had my eyes on Purav Jha as well, the Traitor who ended up murdering me. At the end of the day, it's a game, and the butterfly effect in the house was so magical that even the smallest thing could have altered the entire result. So, I have no regrets. I'm very, very happy that it started the way it did and ended the way it did.'
India.com
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
The Traitors: Jannat Zubair, Elnaaz Norouzi, And Anshula Kapoor Exit Game, Pressure Peaks
New Delhi: The 3rd Week Of The Traitors had high-pressure missions and mounting self-doubt to unfiltered reflections on gameplay, this week saw it all. Eliminated players Jannat Zubair, Elnaaz Norouzi, Sufi Motiwala, Anshula Kapoor, and Janvi Gaur opened up about their journey, their decisions, and what it took to survive in this thrilling game—until they couldn't. Traitor, Elnaaz Nourouzi shared, 'I did enjoy being a Traitor, but I was also under a lot of pressure. Episode 7 was the height of it for me, and till yesterday, I was second-guessing myself every day, wondering if I took the right steps in every episode. For me, the show was constantly about giving the viewers something to see. It was never about myself. Obviously, I tried to do my best, but I knew that even if I'm not the winner, I wanted to make sure the mission money was earned. You know, because that's the whole point of the game.' Anshula Kapoor shared, 'Just remember, what you (audience) all are watching was supposed to be a game of strategy. It still is a game. Even though there could have been emotionally volatile moments, it was never meant to be any sort of character assassination, in a personal sense of the word, because it was a very high-pressure situation, and only the 20 of us who were in it actually can understand and tell you what that high-pressure means and why we were behaving so volatile. No need to get personal with that.' Sufi Motiwala reacted 'I knew that I was going to die, I was prepared, and I was the one who cried the most. I was actually not even bothered about the announcement, I was worried about ki girne ke baad kya honewala hai. I was inside that thing (drop shaft) for like 20 minutes while they were all doing their shots, 100-degree temperature, and I am being cooked inside. It was epic.' Jannat said, 'Circle of Shaq mein ek baar bhi mera naam slate par nai likha gaya. It's not an easy job. Sabko itna convince karna ki aap sach mein innocent ho, yeh bhi ek job thi. Voh koi realise hi nai kar raha ki kisiko itna convince karna bohot bada task tha joh maine throughout kiya.' Further, she added, 'I am very happy in sab ke saath bond bana ke, meri har kisike saath dosti hai, aur main bohot khush hoon ke tumlogo (audience) ne mujhe itna pyaar diya aur aap log hum sab ko after the show bhi itna pyaar de rahe ho.' Janvi Gaur shared, 'Fabulous. At the age of 50, when something like this comes to you, it brings back childhood memories. We played games, ladai, jhagda, and bohot maza aaya. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Every day, getting ready felt very glamorous and very fun. It was a mix bag of everything, but I enjoyed every second of it. There is nothing I would like to take back. It is a fantastic show, one of the best in a very long time. Itna amazing cocktail hai, I think the cast, all 20 of us. Kisi ki bhi non-required nai thi. We were a beautiful mixed bag.' Episodes 1 to 9 of The Traitors are now streaming on Prime Video, with the grand finale dropping on Thursday at 8 PM.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sufi Motiwala: There's more to a person than their social media persona
Sufi Motiwala Arguably one of the most entertaining contestants on The Traitors (India), online fashion critic and content creator Sufi Motiwala brought with him to the show a heady mix of sass, energy, and a bold personality — the kind of combo that reality TV thrives on. But just as viewers were beginning to root for his fierce one-liners and unapologetic self-expression, his journey came to an abrupt end when he was 'murdered' by traitor Purav Jha. So, what made him sign up for a show that thrives on paranoia and betrayal? For Sufi, it was about breaking the perception around his image. He says, 'I think with the concept of the show being betrayal and dhoka, I really wanted to show people how much of a human being I am — soft and sensitive in real life — because that's a big contradiction to my social media personality, and that's very important to me. Secondly, I love money, so the winning amount. Thirdly, I love cameras, and I love screens, and I love seeing myself on the screen, and I think this is the best way to achieve that in a way where I don't have to compromise my ethics. It's still a game, but people still get to see my personality. I have no regrets from the game. I am very, very happy that it started the way it did, and ended the way it did.' Given his famously unfiltered fashion commentary, was he ever worried that this no-holds-barred persona might make him appear less trustworthy in a game where suspicion can cost you dearly? Sufi admits, 'Of course it can make you seem highly untrustworthy. If you see the interviews with Karan Johar , Apoorva Mukhija, Uorfi Javed, Mukesh Chhabra — everybody said that they would find me to be the most untrustworthy, and that is exactly what I wanted to break on the show. Your Instagram and your sass are not your whole definition or your existence. There is much more to a human being than just what they show on social media.' And when it comes to fashion — Sufi's self-confessed playground — he doesn't shy away from dishing out his verdict. On who nailed the style game on The Traitors, he says, 'I think Janvi Gaur was the best dressed, Sahil Salathia in men, and me and Apoorva in the Gen Z girlie pop category.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo He adds, 'I wouldn't say worst dressed, but just based on my preference, Nikita Luther, Ashish Vidyarthi sir, and Sudhanshu Pandey sir could have brought more energy with the looks.' Extending his style radar to Bollywood, Sufi keeps it real. 'I'm forever biased to Janhvi Kapoor and Rekha ji. The celebs who need a style intervention are the Khans — Aamir, Shah Rukh, and Salman. I love them, adore them, and respect them. I also can't help but notice that they wear the same things they have since their movies from the 2000s. While it works, their style seems to not have evolved at all, and I would honestly just love to see them in a different, more edgy element.'
