CELEBRITY POD-CASTS THEIR SPELL
Peckish fans are ditching TV shows to relish salacious gossip, nasty catfights, and candid feeds rustled up by popular celebrity podcasts
PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE LIVES OF THOSE IN THE SPOTLIGHT.”
— SHRUTI KRISHNAN,
Just when people thought the popularity of podcasts was waning, gossip-hungry fans proved them wrong. More and more people are tuning into the ‘ear candy’ feeds to Play, Pause, and Ponder over the latest celeb gossip, tinsel-town catfights, and party dissing and air kissing. From celebrity podcasts like What The Hell Navya, and What Women Want to social influencer Ranveer Allahbadia’s (aka Beer Biceps) The Ranveer Show, these hosts have the gift of gab.
The podcast topics range from politics, culture, fashion, and scandals to modern dating and hating. For the uninitiated, nosy, and nasty podcast feeds rake in big moolah.
CONTROVERSY SELLS
While celebrity podcasts have evolved into a gossip dumping ground, fans meticulously dissect and savour every ‘byte’. Sensational spicy feeds are instantly shared on Twitter (now X) brigade becomes judge, jury, and executioner — ready to either condemn or applaud a celebrity. A prime example is the recent statement by actor Jaya Bachchan on her granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda's podcast, What The Hell Navya. Navya asked her grandmother's views on women offering to pay on a first date. Known for her outspokenness, Mrs Bachchan remarked: “How foolish of those women. They should let the men pay.” Barely had Mrs Bachchan uttered these words and social media went berserk. Feminists slammed the veteran actor for her regressive thinking. But Bachchan couldn't care less about the memes. She called them, “bitter people.” The motherdaughter banter on Navya’s podcasts had millions of followers. Industry sources say that Navya’s podcast success and entrepreneurial ventures have put her in the Rs 15 crore net worth bracket.
Shruti Krishnan, a film critic and entertainment buff says, “People are curious to know more about the lives of those in the spotlight. It’s all about real human experiences. For these artists and celebrities to stay relevant they have to share the human side of themselves.”
KOFFEE WITH KARAN
FEUD FOR THOUGHT
a film critic
Kareena Kapoor Khan’s candid chat on her podcast What Women Want with social media influencer-speaker Ranveer Allahbadia had a fan following in epic proportions. Talking about the uncharitable statements she made about Priyanka Chopra’s accent, Kareena said she would never go back to her old version. Allahbadia himself has courted controversies on his podcast, The Ranveer Show. He has faced backlash for inviting sex symbol Urfi Javed and claiming that Hitler “was not the worst person alive.” He was lambasted for giving Neena Gupta the platform to clarify her alleged anti-feminist statements.
Allahbadia has been slammed for inviting several politicians on his show. Many people claimed that he is promoting political propaganda. Despite critics labelling him as a ‘liar’, ‘cringy,’ ‘creepy’ and ‘unfunny’, Allahbadia seems to be doing well for himself. His net worth is to the tune of Rs 58 crore. Some claim that he earns Rs 35 lakh monthly from his
podcasts. Actor Neha Dhupia is cashing big bucks through her highly successful podcast. She has invited Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, and Ranveer Singh for some tell-all tales, perfect fodder for city tabloids.
TALK SHOW FATIGUE
Talk show hosts which once dominated TV screens have now been pushed to the sidelines. The once
irreplaceable The Kapil Sharma Show is struggling to grab eyeballs. In showbiz, dwindling viewership is a matter of concern. The most popular talk show, Koffee With Karan (KWK) famous for its celebrity line-ups, double entrée, candid confessions, and cat-fights too has seen its share of viewership dips.
However, two episodes of the latest season generated a viewership of 5.9 million. Johar’s Koffee with Karan became a talking point
when cricketer Hardik Pandya spilled the beans about his virginity and made some misogynist remarks; Deepika-ranveer talked about dating others before getting engaged; Kareena mocked Priyanka Chopra’s English accent, Ranveer objectified Anushka Sharma’s body and flexibility to name a few.
Takshi Mehta, a film critic cum journalist feels that chat shows like Koffee With Karan have a dedicated
CHAT SHOWS LIKE
HAVE A DEDICATED VIEWERSHIP. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE PODCASTS BECAUSE KWK IS NOSTALGIA COUPLED WITH GOSSIP.”
viewership. “It is different from that of the podcasts because KWK is nostalgia coupled with gossip. It’s facing flak for being boring, because the new line of celebs coupled with the constant online trolling and boycotting, has forced them to be very careful.” As long as celebrities spill the beans about their personal lives, be it on podcasts or TV shows, fans will continue to lap up all the juicy gossip.