Cyrus Says

One of the first professionally produced podcasts in India, ‘Cyrus Says’ continues to endure due to the infectious energy and inimitable charisma of host Cyrus Broacha. For the uninitiated, ‘Cyrus Says’ features a new guest every episode who is doing something interesting, unconventional or entrepreneurial – from performing artists, to restaurateurs to authors. None of the guests are household names (barring maybe a few of the comedians and musicians), and it is often refreshing to hear about different people’s journeys of how they got to where they are. That is, if they manage to get a word in between Cyrus’ inane, sometimes bizzare and always hysterical ramblings.

#NoFilter Neha

The first podcast to have some serious celebrities on board, #NoFilter Neha may be a tipping point in the continued growth and popularity of podcasts in India. Anchored by Neha Dhupia, this podcast is almost like the audio version of Koffee with Karan. With a guest line-up featuring the who’s who of contemporary Bollywood and beyond – including Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, Sonam Kapoor, Yuvraj Singh and Chetan Bhagat among others. #NoFilterNeha is a refreshing and engaging talk show that gives us a lot more insight into our favorite celebrities and how they think. 

Trial by Error, The Aarushi Files

Trial by Error is India’s answer to ‘Serial’, the podcast that swept the US (and the world) with its recounting of Pakistani-American Adnan Syed’s murder trial and conviction. Based on the infamous Aarushi Talwar case that dominated Indian news headlines in 2014, Trial By Error narrates the story of the case, the evidence and the controversial trial as told by investigative journalist Nishita Jha, as she seeks to uncover more clarity and insight into this most murky of cases. 

kaan masti

One of the earliest podcasts, Jose Covaco and Suresh Menon return for another season of Kaan Masti. Joined by long-time friend and collaborator Cyril D’Abs, Jose and Suresh continue to demonstrate their uncanny ability to extract humor from the most random and obscure topics under the sun, such as which countries have the most ‘well endowed’ men and what it would be like if Amitabh Bachchan had diarrhea in your house – and that was in the same episode! Words can’t adequately describe this madness, you have to go and listen for yourself!

film companion

Bollywood fans will be familiar with Film Companion, helmed by Anupama Chopra, which over the last year or two has regularly featured interviews, roundtables and in-depth interviews with the who’s who of the film industry. This year, Film Companion brought their content into the audio world through their collaboration with Saavn. While the content is largely the same as their videos – simply just the tracks of the interviews and discussions, they actually play just as well if not better as a podcast, particularly the longer discussions. Even allowing for the dearth of Bollywood-related “insider” podcasts, Film Companion provides compelling listening.

Newslaundry hafta

Another veteran podcast receiving some long overdue credit, Newslaundry is the definitive podcast of current affairs and news in India. Their mantra is simple - to provide unbiased, balanced news and to call out the mainstream media when they fail to report it credibly. In addition to Hafta, their weekly round-up on what's happening in the country (and the world) - the NL network also has a weekly Sports and Entertainment wrap that are worth a listen.