Actors Katrina Kaif, Malaika Arora, Sharvari and several others congratulated Mini Mathur after she emerged as the winner of Alliance. Wishes poured in from film and television personalities, as well as fellow contestants from the reality show. Mini's daughter Sairah also celebrated the victory on Instagram, while her son Vivaan shared a video from the family's celebrations.
The congratulatory messages came soon after Mini defeated Aly Goni and Ruhee Dosani in the finale to lift the trophy and take home the Rs 50 lakh cash prize. Her gameplay throughout the season, which she later spoke about after her victory, also became a major talking point.
Katrina Kaif commented, "Congratssssssss."
Malaika Arora wrote, "Awesome Mini."
Sharvari posted, "Congratulations Minzi."
Actor Ridhi Dogra also penned a heartfelt note, writing, "Miniiiiiiii you were so good. You made me feel so good about being a woman. May I grow into a version of you in time to come. So much to learn. So level headed and present and dignified. But also your energy is so light and fun. Well deserved. Congratulations. Much love. @minimathur."
Anshula Kapoor also congratulated Mini, while several Alliance contestants, including Niti Taylor, Kashish Kapoor, Nikhil Chinapa, Payal Gaming, Vanshraj Singh, Ruhee Dosani and Delbar Arya, extended their wishes.
Family celebrates the win
Mini's family also joined in celebrating the victory. Her daughter Sairah congratulated her on Instagram, while her son Vivaan posted a video capturing the celebrations at home.
The family had earlier been part of one of Mini's most emotional moments during the show.
Speaking to India Today after her win, Mini said a surprise visit from her husband Kabir Khan and their children gave her renewed motivation, although it briefly affected her focus.
"I remember my son saying, 'You are like a Megalodon at home, so you have to show your true colours.' And my daughter told me, 'You have to win for me.' Seeing them there, it left me emotional for a day because you kind of lose your strength. All those manipulative strategies that you are building in your head, and you see your family, and everything becomes mush. So for 24 hours I was useless, but I picked up soon after," she said.
Mini on the strategy behind her victory
Mini admitted she never expected to make it all the way to the finale because she did not see herself fitting the mould of a typical reality show contestant.
"I'm feeling absolutely on top of the game right now. I did not expect to get here, but I had been working on it. I am so glad it happened," she said.
She added, "Once I was in, I am a very competitive person and my family and my friends who play game nights with me will be testimony to that fact. But I felt I was not the reality-show stereotype. So for me to imagine that I would get all the way till the end was a bit tough. I thought I would survive probably a week, but here I am."
One of the defining aspects of her game was her refusal to align with any particular group in the house. While some contestants labelled the strategy as manipulative, Mini defended it as a deliberate approach.
"When you don't take sides and become part of a camp, it's very natural that people will think that you are being wishy-washy and not taking sides. But I don't think it's necessary to take sides. I think it's important to identify what the argument is about. And there are always two sides to an argument. There is no one right and one wrong. While some people are playing in black and white, I like to play in the grey because I don't believe there is one right or wrong," she explained.
"You can call me manipulative, or you can call that not taking sides, but it was working for me. Because I would sit with both sides and show them the real side, which really helped. Maybe not for the kalesh in the house, but it did help. People trusted me and asked for my opinion. You may not have seen that on the episode, but they did rely on me," she added.
Winning the physical challenges
Mini said one of her proudest achievements on the show was proving herself in physically demanding tasks.
"Because I am somebody who pays a premium on fitness, I wanted to defeat them even in physical challenges, which I did. For me, the high point was winning the finale in a physical task because many would not have expected me to," she said.
Reflecting on her journey, Mini said she hoped her victory would challenge stereotypes about women over 45.
"I want my journey on Alliance to stand for something more. The stereotype that women over 45 have already seen the best years of their lives is over. I think it's the era of women power," she said.
As congratulatory messages continued to pour in from Katrina Kaif, Malaika Arora, Sharvari and several others, Mini Mathur's victory remained one of the biggest highlights of the show's inaugural season.
