Mini Mathur: 'Hope You Don't Write Off People Because Of Their Age'

'All these Gen Zs and the millennials, who are suddenly finding so much interest in me and saying, 'Oh my God, she's amazing, where was she all this while?' I was like 'I was not under a rock, I was right here'.'

Mini Mathur was among MTV's most popular VJs in the 1990s. Now, in 2026, she has found a whole new audience among Gen Z again, after winning Prime Video's reality show, Alliance.

With her win, the 50 year old hopes to inspire people, especially women, to believe that they can do it all, regardless of their age and what others think about them.

"I have never experienced the kind of love I am getting with just winning a reality show despite having had a lot of validation in my career for so many years," Mini says. "I'm very grateful to the younger audiences who are finding me interesting and my strategy so appealing. I hope that you look at women in a different light because of this.

"I hope you don't write off people because of their age. I hope you don't write off women who you think would be unfit or weak because at any age you can bring your body, your health and your mind back to when you were 20. I hope I'm a little inspirational and a living proof of that fact," Mini added.

'I was at a point where I felt television was over for me'

For Mini, Alliance came as a breath of fresh air. At one point, she felt that "television was over for her" because she "did not want to keep doing the same things again and again."

"I've never had self-doubt," she says.

"Everybody suffers from some amount of imposter syndrome in everything they do, but I have actually changed directions in many ways. I've started my own women's health platform.

"Two years ago, I studied women's health for menopause, and then I started Pauseitive. But I was at a point where I felt television was over for me because I did not want to go on doing the same things again and again, reinventing the wheel. You know, I've done enough reality shows, enough game shows as a host that you know, something that has been there, done that, I didn't want to do again. So this show came as a breath of fresh air," she shared.

'I've said no to many reality shows because I felt I did not fit into that stereotype'

Mini admitted that she had said no to many reality shows in the past, but Alliance was an exception, as its concept really appealed to her.

"I've said no to many reality shows because I felt I did not fit into that stereotype. Alliance was different because when they explained that it was about the game and about the strategy around the games, it felt like something new. The way they spoke to me about it and the creative head of the show Priya Bhave, was somebody I've worked with on Indian Idol for many years. She said, 'No, Mini, I'm telling you this is for you and I am convinced that you will really enjoy it'," Mini said.

'You can't give me a side role or a side character in a show or give me like half-assed shows'

The former Indian Idol host feels her win has proved that there's space to write characters like her and create shows around people like her, who bring real value to the table, perhaps even more so now that she's reached a certain age.

"So I just went blind into it. And yes, I was ready for something new because I've done everything. I'm bored. And now, I have discovered a whole new audience who did not even know about my MTV days or what I've done in my past. So all these Gen Zs and the millennials, who are suddenly finding so much interest in me and saying, 'Oh my God, she's amazing, where was she all this while?' I was like 'I was not under a rock, I was right here'," she said.

"But people have to make shows where they showcase 50-year-old women in this light. You can't give me a side role or a side character in a show or give me like half-assed shows. I hope this has proved to all the makers that you can write in characters like me or make shows around people like me who will bring value to the table and even more value now that I'm a certain age."

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff