Former political rivals Tej Pratap Yadav and Shehzad Poonawalla team up for reality show
Former politicians Tej Pratap Yadav and Shehzad Poonawalla have presented an unexpected partnership ahead of their appearances on Prime Video’s reality show Rise & Fall. Their promotional exchange draws on Bihar, Mumbai and religious imagery, but both say they will ultimately play their own games as contestants.
Former Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav and former BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla have formed an unexpected on-screen partnership as contestants on Prime Video’s reality show Rise & Fall. The pair promoted their collaboration in a 48-second Instagram Reel. Poonawalla called it “when Patna meets Pune”, while Tej Pratap recast the pairing as “when Mumbai meets Bihar”.
They promised what they described as entertainment, disruption and success. The collaboration is not presented as a political alliance. Both men are among 15 contestants taking part in the second season of the show, which began streaming on September 26.
Former cricketer Virender Sehwag is the host. The programme divides contestants into “Rulers” and “Workers”, with participants placed in a penthouse or basement as they compete for power and survival. The confirmed cast also includes actors, reality-TV personalities, content creators and a journalist.
The two contestants have each recently moved away from the political organisations with which they were most closely associated. Tej Pratap was expelled from the Rashtriya Janata Dal for six years by his father, Lalu Prasad Yadav, in May 2025. He later formed the Janshakti Janata Dal and finished third in the 2025 Bihar election from Mahua.
Poonawalla resigned from the BJP in August 2026, citing pressing financial and personal circumstances while saying he continued to support the party’s ideology and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. Their promotional exchange also invokes Hindu religious imagery. Tej Pratap describes himself as a devotee of Lord Shiva and suggests that Poonawalla play Hanuman while he plays Ram.
Poonawalla has said the two share a connection with Sanatan roots, while stressing that contestants must bring their own personalities and play independently. For Tej Pratap, the programme is a second reality-TV appearance after Bhojpuri Bawaal earlier in the year.
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