- Nikhil Chinapa and Mini Mathur share a 24-year friendship dating back to MTV days
- Nikhil once protected Mini by punching a man who tried to grab her after a show
- They entered Alliance with an unspoken promise to protect each other in the game
Nikhil Chinapa, the recently evicted contestant from Amazon Prime's reality show Alliance, opened up about his 24‑year bond with Mini Mathur and why he always feels protective of her. Their friendship dates back to their MTV days, although the two former VJs used to shoot separately.
Recalling one standout memory from those days, Nikhil told Mid-Day, “I can go back 24 years and feel what I felt when Mini told us she was going to be a mom. There was this outpouring of warmth and happiness.”
Nikhil then shared a shocking incident from that event. “As we were walking after the show, some guy from the audience tried to grab Mini. I saw it happen and in half a second I leapt over the barricade like Spider-Man and punched the guy in the face. That feeling of protectiveness has never gone away. We've lived different lives for 24 years, but after reconnecting on Alliance, I feel the exact same protective instinct towards her.”
Nikhil on protecting Mini Mathur on Alliance
Speaking about his friendship with Mini Mathur, Nikhil said the two entered the show with an unspoken promise to protect each other.
“We just knew that we had each other's back. Whatever that meant, because we didn't know in what situations we would need to have each other's back.”
He recalled protecting Mini during the game, saying, “I had Mini's back in the last week where I had to make sure that I got her off that list because I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. She got off the list. I couldn't. I got kicked out.”
Nikhil described Mini as his “guardian angel” inside the house. “People had doubts about me and Mini was always the calming force saying, ‘Nikhil is not like that.' She was like my guardian angel throughout the show,” Nikhil told the publication, stressing that their friendship was not a strategy.
With the finale around the corner, Nikhil admitted he is worried for Mini's journey. “I worry for Mini. If she makes it through this week, I think she's a strong contender to win, but I worry she's going to be the target because I'm not there to watch her back.”
Nikhil also said that after his eviction, Mini can fully concentrate on saving herself in the game instead of dividing her attention because of him.
