‘When I encounter a gender wall, I try to get through it’
Actress, anchor, activist, wanderer and now a trained pilot, Gul Panag speaks to Taru Bhatia about the various aspects of her life, and her new travel show focused on India’s Northeast.
me getting a license could impact other people’s perspective as well, and it was very overwhelming.
Q. Could you tell us about your production house, Brouhaha? A.
Brouhaha is one of the things my production company does. I set up my production company five years ago. It’s called TLP (Tittar Lodge Productions), and we make all kinds of interesting content, from digital content to television programming to brand content. Brouhaha is our independent and original content vertical which we launched two months ago. Essentially, Brouhaha is for lifestyle content—it is for people on the go. The content is about films, fashion, fitness, food, sports, music, but for people on the go who do not have more than three or four minutes to watch it.
Q. Tell us about Off the Road: Season 2. How is this season different from the first? A.
The difference is that we are going to India’s Northeast, because I feel that that is a beautiful part of the country which is somehow not being explored so much. I want more people to know about its beauty. My first season was also about the hills, and you can watch the seven minute clip if you don’t have to watch 30 minutes of the whole show. I want to make something that someone can watch anytime and anywhere.
Q. With this show, is it your intention to showcase the culture, traditions, food and beauty of the Northeast? A.
The theme of the show is travel. It’s essentially a road trip and the focus is the journey. But on the way there will be local food, culture, music, traditions and we will interact with the locals.
Q. Your show will only be available on a digital platform. Why did you choose YouTube as the only distribution channel for it? A.
I believe that the Internet is the future. People now don’t like the concept of watching something in a particular time zone. They want to watch something whenever they want. Today, the future of content is video on demand. You will watch the content whenever you want, and you’ll watch whatever you want to watch.
Q. Any other personal reasons for choosing the Northeast? A.
If you ask the average traveller where they want to go, the answer will be Goa or Manali. Why does nobody say Shillong? People have travelled so much to these popular destinations that everybody knows about them. But there so very little information available about the Northeast, and that’s why people do not want to travel there.
Q. Did you face any hurdles or challenges during your travels? A.
Yes. Twice we were stuck due to landslide and we lost a lot of time. But by and large we had a wonderful experience.
Q. There is a difference between a man going on a trip alone and a girl doing the same. Your views on girls travelling solo around India? A.
Solo girl trips should be undertaken after a lot of research. It is important that you are briefly aware of the place when you are undertaking a solo trip, otherwise one might get into a difficult situation which will make things uncomfortable. Groups of girls can definitely travel together. However, I would urge caution. Choose your places wisely with the utmost care. It is also very important to understand and appreciate the fact that there are certain safety measures to be taken when there are women on the road, and one must take all precautions. Also avoid travelling after dark— and that’s not only for women travellers but for all. I think planning and researching play a very important role when it comes to travelling.