Every so often, a cultural craze emerges out of nowhere, sweeps through the ranks of celebrities, and at present, podcasts appear to be enjoying that distinction. From pop stars to billionaires, actors to entrepreneurs and grifters, everyone is today jumping on the podcast bandwagon. They all believe they have profound insights to share, or some just feel that their daily gossip is so interesting that not disseminating it for public consumption would be a great disservice. On your daily dosage of aimless doom-scrolling, you’ll certainly find a clip or two of some celebs speaking in front of a microphone. What do they talk about? They chat about anything, from the mundaneness of their daily lives to their favourite recipes, and of course, the wisdom, or rather half-baked opinions packed as some greater truths of life everyone should abide by to reach the top of the ladder. Ashish Sawhny, the host of The Queer Podcast, tells that celebs are driving towards this medium because “it's a new way of expression for people”.
Stumbling upon the contents of Dumb biryani, a recently launched podcast by Arhaan Khan, son of Arbaaz Khan, I can’t help but wonder what's the point behind it. Arhaan and his friends seem to be having fun with this project, bringing guests from the showbiz business and asking them light-hearted questions. What could have easily been a dining room conversation is being sold out to the public, and their follower count of over 52k tells there’s no dearth of takers. Arhaan’s family background makes it easier to lure the guests to his show, and his content does have virality, but for whom are these conversations? Are they really adding some value to listeners? Or it’s simply another vanity project contributing to the cacophony of noise on the internet? Dumb biryani, however, is not the most popular podcast run by star kids; that honour belongs to What The Hell Navya by Navya Naveli, the granddaughter of the Bachchan family, in which she shares the microphone with her mother Shweta Nanda, and grandmother Jaya Bachchan. The trio, in each episode, put forth their views on topics as diverse as the shifting nature of friendships to the importance of arts in our lives. Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira has a podcast called Call Me Hopeful. With guests like Imran Khan, Vir Das, Mallika Dua, and Kenny Sebastian, it attempts to create impactful conversations around contemporary mental health concerns. Another star kid with an interesting podcast is Anurag Kashyap’s daughter Aaliyah. Her podcast, Young, Dumb & Anxious, like Ira’s takes up mental health issues but also focuses on relationships, modern family dynamics, sex, travel, and other, serious or trivial, issues plaguing the GenZ.
Neha Dhupia’s #NoFilterNeha, already in its sixth season featured A-listers like Kartik Aryan, Rashmika Mandhana, Ananya Pandey, Vicky Kaushal, Tiger Shroff, and Kareena Kapoor. The list is covetous, undoubtedly. But these are the same set of stars you'd see if someone else from the entertainment background comes up with a new show, and the same beans will be spilt every time, and unless you harbour blind devotion to these names, the conversation seems to be a drag. Kareena Kapoor hosted What Women Want, the subject of the podcast evident from the name. Ahana Kumra has her own thriller show I Hear You. Their content does have virality, but for whom are these conversations? Are they adding some value to listeners? Or is it simply another vanity project contributing to the cacophony of noise on the internet?
The Guardian critic Sam Wolfson's assessment that the “foundational belief underpinning the format is that conversation conquers all” is nowhere as evident as in this podcast by Navya. They all have a freewheeling conversation that most of us have at home, but they've got an audience and the star power to sell the mundanity to something profound. What remains an undeniable fact is that these podcasts exist solely to serve celebrities and give them a sense of importance and relevance. “It's a direct consequence of celebrity-driven culture. People with a huge swathe of followers think of this as an extension of their brand,” adds Sawhny. Aishwarya Singh, the co-host of The Desi Crime Podcast, the most popular true-crime podcast in India, also echoes Sawhny's views. “Podcasters can leverage this audience for other ventures, such as launching a makeup brand,” says Singh, adding that “a podcast is a cost-effective and accessible way to cultivate an audience”.
It's not just these celebs and influencers, but startup founders have also caught up on this format. Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal Nikhil Kamath, the founder of Zero, runs a very popular show WTF is, where he hosts industry leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, and experts from different sectors for “casual yet intellectually stimulating conversations”. Most of these podcasts describe themselves as casual, and rightly so. They don't have a rigid structure as interviews, and the conversation just flows naturally, or as it appears so in the final product. “In India, podcasting is currently dominated by conversational interview formats, providing a natural and unfiltered alternative to highly produced media interviews or edited YouTube videos,” says Singh. “The appeal of this medium lies in its homely atmosphere and ease of accessibility, with minimal equipment required for recording. The low barrier to entry for podcasting, compared to the high production quality expected on YouTube, has made it a popular choice for content creators looking to build an audience quickly and in a cost-effective manner,” she adds.
Not only these celebs or the giants of the tech industry with an active interest in being the frontrunner in podcast as a medium, but also the brands aiming to shoot up their social media presence, and forge a connection with the netizens, are dishing out shelves of podcast featuring A-listers from different field. Puma, the sports apparel company, came out with the Let There Be Sport campaign, featuring stalwarts of the Indian sporting scene like Mohammed Shami, Virat Kohli, Sunil Chhetri, and Mary Kom. Admittedly, any conversation featuring such names, who have left an indelible mark in their profession, would have takers. But it's hard to follow an episode for the entire duration, for the stories and anecdotes they discuss are already revealed elsewhere.
There's clearly an oversaturation of celebrities in the podcasting landscape, and there's not much in terms of originality. Sawhny opines that they don't really have much to say. “These podcasts are the reflection of the culture we live in, where you need to put yourself out as a brand,” he adds. Singh, however, feels that there's a greater oversaturation in terms of interview-style podcasts. “There are numerous opportunities to create captivating content, with a significant presence of narrative podcasts in the Western market that remains untapped in India. While casual conversational podcasts hold a certain charm and authenticity, the oversaturation of such content diminishes the impact of standout podcasters in the industry,” she concludes.
