Despite the stereotypes (some partly true) that portray Bollywood as a flamboyant song-dance carnival, true fans of film in India are a highly intellectual group. We come from the land of legendary auteurs like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Our rich history fused with the horrific ills of our society is enough to awaken us to a deeper understanding of storytelling that students of film strive for.
Film reviewing is an art that isn’t limited to analyzing the plot and character development. Its scope ranges from decoding the message of the film to interpreting the layers of narrative stitched to the central storyline. It’s also a tendency of cinephiles to over-contextualize a film and possibly ruin it for others by disrespecting its tendency to be perceived differently by different viewers. I came across an Instagram bio that read, “I love cinema and hate cinephiles” which sums up how delicate an art form film is and how easy it is to rumple its intention.
Keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of Homegrown Podcasts that go beyond reviews and have electric discourses on the essence of film and the art of filmmaking.
I. The Humans of Cinema Podcast
This podcast is an extension of the Popular film account on Instagram of the same name. Founded by Harshit Bansal, Humans of Cinema is not a review platform. They do film analysis and believe in change, positivity, and mental health awareness achieved through cinema. Their podcast is a show where they engage in meaningful conversations about films and the impact of cinema with individuals from across the industry.
You can listen to them here.
II. Parde Ke Peeche
Started by two film nerds, Parde Ke Peeche (Behind the Curtains) is a monthly podcast that explores Indian cinema through a critical lens. It’s hosted by Raeesa Farooqi and Ankur Desai. Their episodes discuss Bollywood’s depiction of travel, nationalism, alcoholism, etc. and talk about the influences of Shakespeare and Film Noir on Indian cinema.
You can listen to them here.
III. The Bollywood Project
The Bollywood Project is the creation of two brown girls living in the US, Hani and Uzma, who love anything to do with Hindi films. This podcast includes reviews of films, discussion of current issues in the industry or affecting the industry, as well as some gossip. Their episodes also include conversations about new faces in Bollywood and news surrounding Indian film stars.
You can listen to them here.
IV. Filmy Manager
This podcast is created by Srinivas Vijayaraghavan, the author of the book ‘Filmy Manager’ which presents essential business principles like leadership, strategy, organizational behaviour and entrepreneurship through a colourful cinematic lens. Srinivas believes that movies are more than entertainment and in his podcast, he walks you through all that you can learn from them, one movie at a time.
You can listen to it here.
V. India Independent Films Podcast
This podcast is a part of the India Independent Films’ blog, devoted to promoting the independent film and television work of South Asians across the world. It’s hosted by film critic Rahul Desai in conversation with other critics, filmmakers, and technicians. They talk about cinema that is crowd-financed, self-financed, and studio-free while also shedding light on the current landscape of freelance film journalism.
Listen to them here.
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