Long long time readers know that years ago Dina and I tried doing a podcast, that was just recording on my phone as we drove home from movies. We had fun, but it didn’t really go anywhere, so eventually we stopped. We still talked as we drove home, just didn’t bother recording. A few months ago a new reader on the blog reached out to me and volunteered his professional expertise as a sound engineer to give podcasting another try! So here we are with a real actual professional sounding episode!
First, I offer a bribe. It is Christmas Giveaway season. So if you make a lot of comments on this post with a lot of good feedback, you COULD qualify for a personalized Christmas Card as the most-commenting person of the week. Just saying.
Okay, here is the audio file (hopefully, let me know if it doesn’t work for you):
I know y’all and I know your first instinct will be “Perfect! No notes!”, but that’s not super helpful for us, trying to make a good podcast. So I’m gonna give some sort of jumping off points for feedback:
Do you think we should lean more into “accessible to new viewers and giving background” or more into “discussing things that would be interesting to existing viewers”?
Would you like the bit at the beginning where I talk and give background to be longer and more in depth, or shorter, or cut entirely?
What was your MOST favorite part, the part where you turned up the volume to make sure you caught all of it?
Any technical things? Bits where the editing felt weird, or hard to understand or something else you didn’t like/hit strange for you?
TOPIC IDEAS! What would you like to hear me and Dina talk about next?
Oh, and the “listener” bit is done by AI (that’s so weird, right?). If you are willing/interested in sending in an audio clip, you can just record it on your phone or where ever and email it to me as an attachment file. For this episode, it would be something about movie theaters and your experience I guess?
dontcallitbollywood 
Whaaaaaaaaattt so exciting!
I haven’t listened to it yet but I will! Yay!
LikeLike
WOW, excitement! I can’t wait to listen. 🙂
LikeLike
Well, I’m really not a podcast person. I prefer to be able to scan a text, and reread the interesting bits and so on. But of course I wanted to hear what you had to say. And I must say, for this kind of dialog between people sharing experiences, a podcast does seem like the right format.
Following from the above, I’m really not an expert on podcasts, but it does sound quite professional. Good to hear your voice.
I feel like you’ve thought really hard about your first question – and come up with a great answer. Anyone who already knows stuff can turn off before the footnotes, the others get the basic info to look things up on their own. You might let listeners know about those footnotes at the beginning of an episode, though, especially for the first few installments. Then they don’t have an excuse to turn it off if they don’t understand every single thing. And maybe put the audience responses first, footnotes in the very end. You know, existing fans might be interested in the responses more than the background. (unless they keep being AI generated.)
By the way, how are you planning to do those audience contributions? Can you add them after you’ve “aired” the episode? Or will you just announce the general topic in advance and collect opinions on that?
Other than that, I only have minor things. The music sounded more Indian than “filmi”, if you know what I mean. I know it’s probably going to be an issue of getting the rights to anything. But if you’re really committed to making this a weekly thing, I’d love it if at some point you found something a little less classical. Because it actually clashes with the content when you say you’re more of a fangirl and not part of the “culture-culture”.
And, totally minuscule: At one point, Dina said something was “up here”. That took me out of the flow for a second because I couldn’t see “where”. May just be because I’m not a native speaker and the idiom isn’t quite as hard-wired in my brain.
Great topic to start, though. I really envy you some of your movie-going experiences. We don’t have that big of an Indian diaspora here in Germany, so there never was an Indian theater. There were basically only some individuals who would rent one copy of a film and then rent one screen for one show in theaters all around the nation, going on tour. The one film distribution company who introduced “Bollywood” to the Germans kind of copied that concept, but they were never sold out. And the German audience just treated those films like they would any movie. All those wasted cues for screaming…
My most lively theater experiences were when we came across community screenings of southern films (without subtitles) by chance. Those were packed. And for Rajinikanth, they did scream.
LikeLike
That was me, by the way. – eva-e
LikeLike
That was my guess! From the Germany references.
LikeLike
Still working on how to do the listener bit! Might just be asking people to send in a statement about what Indian film means to them? And then it would work in any episode. I like the idea of front-loading it, sort of setting the tone for the episode.
LikeLike
I’ll ask a question – who is your target audience? What’s your goal with the podcast? It will help me frame my feedback appropriately
LikeLike
Great question! My target audience is similar to the blog. People who are interested in Indian film, who are fans, but also want some real background and intellect and thought in it. One tagline we’ve been considering is “where the academic meets the emotional”.
So I want to be sure that there is no one going “I’m lost, what is she talking about?” but also no one going “I’m bored, I know this already”
LikeLike
Got it. I’m posting some comments as I’m listening to it, hopefully they match this brief but I’ll also think more about it later.
Tagline – I feel like my experience in your blog is about bringing consciousness and words to the joy and connection I feel with Hindi films. How I was shaped, moved and even manipulated by it. Without your blog I had no words for it and why it was so deep and profound for me.
If that helps you vet your tagline at all.
What do you want your listeners to feel from the podcast?
I read your blog and I feel seen. 😃
LikeLike
Aw, I love that! The only thing I would add is that I am trying to make everyone feel “seen”, you know? So that’s both folks who grew up with the films, and the ones who just watched their first movie last week and fell in love. I love the idea of “why do they make you feel the way they make you feel” as sort of the question to answer?
LikeLike
Yes!!! Help us with awareness, consciousness and connection that we have with film – regardless of when that journey began. Did I get it right?
LikeLike
Yes, that’s it! Just has to be open to folks at the beginning as well as years into it.
LikeLike
Yeah for folks at the beginning do some podcasts with your 101s in podcast form 😉
LikeLike
And maybe some more context. Eg introducing the people when you said Zoya Akhtar and made in heaven – add a line about how you see Zoya. Introduce your listeners to them in one line, very briefly
LikeLike
Because even for people that are years into their journey, it’s very interesting to hear how you see Zoya for example.
LikeLike
It sounds weirdly robotic and digital when I run it at 1.25x
LikeLike
Straight through or just in certain parts? We recorded slightly differently in different bits.
LikeLike
It was definitely someone in the first ten minutes. Then I didn’t try it again for the rest
LikeLike
A description of Jawan would’ve been nice… Maybe a snippet of what it is and why it was a big deal
LikeLike
Maybe this isn’t relevant
LikeLike
I love watching Indian movies alone in a group. Like I don’t want to go to the cinema with others I know because it’s such a private and intimate experience that I don’t want to just share superficially with just anyone
LikeLike
Btw you talking about how you want to watch only fun movies – now you’re very much like most of the Indian film viewers. How ruthless they are with movies that aren’t fun no matter how thought provoking. It just doesn’t seem to work in Indian market IMO. 😂
LikeLike
Yes, but now I am the opposite of most Indian film reviewers! Totally ready to celebrate the happy timepass films instead of the blech poverty porn films.
LikeLike
Reviewers – I don’t think anyone cares about them in India. People used to just see how many stars. I used to watch every movie I could before reviews came out and before I could get judged for liking a movie. SRK telling off Indian critics was so good
LikeLike
Ugh, the reviews INFURIATE me!!! Because they have no effect on the audience, but somehow do have an effect on how films are talked about online. There’s this whole “flop” “hit” and “good” “bad” discourse that grows up around the reviews, and seems to have no relationship to what people actually thought of the movies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly!!! And they are so superficial and definitely wouldn’t have done a film studies specialization like you. How someone said – everyone is a reviewer on Twitter these days
LikeLike
Jawan was definitely designed for whistles and cheers. Watch Atlee’s film companion interview. He said he put 20-25 entry shots for SRK through the movie. I’m so glad I watched it with fans in India. It was a tough movie with the sanitized movie viewing experience
LikeLike
I might record a clip about my theatre experience in India… For Jawan if I can find the words 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect!
LikeLike
How long should it be?
LikeLike
30 seconds or less? You can send in multiple also, first movie memory, why SRK is your favorite star, anything.
LikeLike
Mark Twain – I didn’t have time so I wrote you a long letter. Let me try and see what I can come up with. As you can see I’m very chatty 😂
LikeLike
Yes multiplex experience in India is awful now. I couldn’t stand it to watch Jawan in PVR
LikeLike
I think that Indian Film is a victim of “elitism”. Somehow seeing English cinema is a sign of how sophisticated and evolved someone is vs Indian cinema – oh that’s just so crass and for the lowly masses.
LikeLike
Oh, by the way, you’re going to put the podcast up here on your blog too, right? So we can actually discuss the content and not just add sound bites.
LikeLike
Of course! What’s the point if I can’t talk about it?
LikeLike
“Perfect! No notes!”
LikeLike
I liked how open you were about being the only white people in the theater. And I liked the opening music.
I disliked the music playing during the AI generated listener feedback.
I was very interested in the movie going experience and how it has changed and if I didn’t know you (if I were a first time listener) I would have been frustrated that there wasn’t more information on the movie going experience in India today. I wanted to hear someone chime in from India to say what it was like prepandemic, and what it is like now post pandemic. I liked that there wasn’t a ton of chit chat outside of interests in Indian film. I hate the chit chat on podcasts, it is one of the reason I don’t listen to them often. I used to listen to Bollywood is for lovers, but the chit chat got to me, so I don’t anymore. One of the reasons I consume much of my news in print and DON’T listen to podcasts is because it allows me to speed through what I am not interested in, or avoid it all together. So I’m not your target audience…
Regardless topic ideas that I DO want to listen to:
What it is like to be a fan and also an expert of another culture’s artform pre-appropriation debate and post appropriation debate.
Full dive on Shah Rukh Khan and what he is to the world.
Chemistry in movies
Kinda like your 101 series, discussions of individual past and current actors, their history, strengths, weaknesses with movie recommendations at the end. (this may be what I want to hear the MOST).
LikeLike
Dina and I made a pact that we don’t want to be, you know, death threated. So we are avoiding anything super controversial. Kind of feels like the pre- and post-appropriation might get into that, and DEFINITELY don’t want to touch how/why the theater experience in India has changed!
I also hate the chit-chat parts of podcasts, I like the informational straight up ones, very glad we avoided that.
You know I love talking about stars, so yes! That is also a great topic for us!
LikeLike
Don’t want you to be death threated either. I had the urge to link your reviews on Reddit a couple of times and I stopped myself, because I felt it may bring toxic people here that we don’t won’t
LikeLike
Reddit is awful and filled with the same kind of people who constantly talk about how Tamasha is underrated and the Indian audience is stupid.
LikeLike
Yeah I found a really good community for my favorite tv show (but it’s not Hindi and not Indian)
LikeLike
I’d also like a discussion of the fun little weirdnesses of Hindi film. Like how you need to let go of common sense when a doctor enters the screen. Or keeping track of the telephones especially in older films. Or SRK’s hair, since you mentioned it yourself.
Also, I wouldn’t worry too much about being inaccessible for new fans. Hearing people enthusiastically discussing the movies with obviously more knowledge than me was part of what drew me into it.
LikeLike
Listening to it right now! Actually at the point I’m writing it, I’m midway through the episode, where you and Dina are speaking about the movie theatre experience (and being puzzled about the lack of noise at Jawan).
Things I loved:
1. The highlights for me for me was talking about what you are used to as a Hindi film movie goer, and the discussions on how your needs as a viewer have changed pre and post pandemic.
2. The discussion about the theatre experience was both so familiar and eye opening at the same time. Like looking at these deep dives into movie theatre and multiplex culture, I feel so much like these are things I’ve SEEN…but not really NOTICED…if that makes sense? So I definitely love that.
Listening to this made me look back at my first ever movie in a theatre in India (Veer Zaara at an old theatre in Bangalore called Cauvery) with a couple of friends (two of them were celebrating their birthdays, so the film was their treat!). I honestly never got the appeal of SRK slo-mo *turning* until I heard the wild screams in the theatre. I think that was my big SRK moment for me! I remember that a couple weeks later, my friends and I actually bunked class to watch it again 🙈 It really was a pretty amazing…but also overwhelming…experience.
Thing I wasn’t so into:
While I loved the table and flute vibe going on with the music, I found it a bit overwhelming when it plays at the background of some of the commentary. I think because of that, I kinda get distracted when the transitions to the next topic happen. I wonder if there’s a way to get it to fade out a little more or make it a little lighter in the background?
I’m SO excited to see this podcast up!! 😍😍😍
LikeLike
Thank you! I am excited too!
LikeLike
I know I’m late to this but wow, I really loved listening! It’s so fun to hear the conversation between you and Dina and how you complement each other. Love that this new format is giving you a reason to bring all your depth of knowledge and experience out again. I listen to a lot of podcasts these days and I think you hit a perfect balance between chatty and personal and meaty and substantial. Also liked the length – too many culture podcasts get into the hour plus with conversation that doesn’t really say that much and who has time for that?
The music livens up the transitions and gives you a distinct audio signature, I would keep it even if you tweak the volume or placement. I liked how there were definite segments but it all fit together. The editing felt solid. I liked the idea of the audience comments, though in my experience that’s hard to do consistently unless you actively recruit for every episode.
Topics: agree with the focus on stars idea, especially how stardom has changed over time from one generation to the next or how it’s different between industries. Women directors and producers and their impact. I always love when you do deep dives on music, the role of music and musicians is so unique in Indian cinema, including how it’s used in promotion and how it keeps people connected to films for years after by listening to the songs. Ooh, maybe something on action sequences – how they play into star image, or how realism does or doesn’t matter, or how they beefed up over time with international influences from Hollywood and China and Korea? Oh and definitely know you have a lot to say about romance, what gets you in the heart, what Indian films do uniquely well, why there’s less of it lately, any angle you know better than me.
Overall: yay!
Emily
LikeLike
Thoughts on some of the things you talked about:
Made In Heaven: yes! I’m stuck about halfway through S2. It’s not that it’s so deep about society, for me, it’s that Arjun’s character is suffering and doing self-destructive things and I’m finding it hard to watch. I crave escapism. And there are so many things to watch.
Agree with everyone who envies your theater going experience. The theater I go to is often full, and the audience is engaged, but they’re quiet. The closest we’ve had was when we went to see The Legend of Maula Jatt (had to drive farther for that one) and there were families and little kids running around. My kids were delighted. (Though wow, that was very violent to take small children to see.) Loved the part where you talked about how accessible going to the movies always was even for families who couldn’t afford other luxuries. Sometimes I wonder if part of what makes it harder for the “nepo baby” generation of stars to connect is that they never experienced what movies mean to people who had them as they’re only outlet for transcendence over the banal indignities of every day life.
Emily
LikeLiked by 1 person