Are podcasts in India becoming the country’s real talk shows?

Bollywood has long shaped the architecture of talk shows in India, yet the rise of podcasts in India has shifted where–and how–conversation actually happens. From Rendezvous with Simi Garewal (2001-2005), whose Reels still circulate on Instagram to Koffee With Karan (2004-), which turned filmmaker Karan Johar into a cultural fixture, the format has largely relied on controlled intimacy and star-driven appeal. 

It came from mass appeal rather than censorship. In the 1990s and 2000s, when Television Rating Point or Target Rating Point (TRPs) determined whether a programme could survive, television relied on high-volume content such as Bollywood and cricket to hold a national audience. As a result, even talk shows that didn’t start off as Bollywood-oriented like Aap Ki Adalat (hosted by journalist Rajat Sharma since 1993), eventually brought celebrities into the fold. 

“Rendezvous With Simi Garewal has had Farooq Abdullah and Jayalalitha as guests. It’s only now that it’s become problematic to invite politicians on talk shows,” says producer Shreemi Verma, who has worked on two seasons of Koffee With Karan and Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle (2025). “A lot of politicians don’t give press conferences either. Even cricketers [withdrew] after the backlash against KL Rahul and Hardik Padya on season six of Koffee With Karan.” The episode was also deleted from the servers of streaming platforms. “So, today, when politicians and sportspersons refrain from appearing on these shows, Bollywood guests become easier to get—and they are media-trained as well.” Television shows like Aap Ki Adalat occupy a different category altogether and have always been viewed as news rather than entertainment. “Something like The Young Turks (2002-), an American political talk show, is treated as news journalism,” says Naina Bhan, actor and co-host of the podcast Moment of Silence. This left Indian television without the equivalent of shows like The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! or The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 

That vacuum is where video-led Indian podcasts found room to grow. The move from audio to video created space for conversations that television no longer embraced.  It opened the door to niche subjects, deeper exchanges, and communities built outside legacy media. “Podcasts today cater to any niche of audience that TV might alienate. And with money being pumped into podcasts, sponsors want a video format,” says Bhan. 

Video podcasts are also more likely to go viral on Instagram, which has become one of the most influential discovery platforms for content in India. 

How podcasts in India make money as compared to OTT talk shows

Podcasts that aren’t chasing TRPs still compete for reach through an entirely different medium. Their performance rests on metrics shaped by YouTube’s ecosystem, where retention rate, click throughs, subscriber growth, and returning viewers carry real weight. 

“There are podcasts like Ranveer Allahbadia’s which are making money via YouTube views—and these are upward of a million. They don’t even need to be new podcasts, but old conversations that have resurfaced, especially with YouTube Shorts. Earning ₹7-10 lakhs per month through that is easy,” says Nikhil Taneja, co-founder, We Are Yuvaa and creator-host of the podcast, Be A Man, Yaar!. 

Hosts are now conducting live IRL conversations, selling tickets or receiving a fee for the appearance, in addition to being paid to feature guests. “But you can’t compromise on the ethical aspect of the podcast for ₹50 lakh, no matter how lucrative the money is,” adds Taneja. The ethics get murky when paid deals do not disclose themselves as such. “Decently popular podcasts can charge ₹15,000. Some even charge ₹2 lakh extra per Reel. But, giving editorial rights in these cases makes it more of an ad, not an interview. There’s no code about these ethical norms,” says an Indian podcast host who requested to remain anonymous. “But  making money is so normalised in cities like Mumbai that there’s a societal shift toward a new kind of morality, which may be skewed for people. Everyone is doing things you would have looked down upon 10 years ago. Even the podcasting space comes with its own new morality.” 

Sponsorship remains the most prominent revenue stream for Indian podcasts. A single episode can get several  lakhs in sponsorship. “A brand is likely to approach a podcast that has created and curated a community. It’s a business model that works when the podcast is servicing a need or niche of a consumer base that wants more than what just appeals to the masses,” says Taneja. For Be A Man, Yaar!, most earnings come from brands responding to the social and cultural conversations that garner momentum in the comments and views on YouTube. 

The brands drawn to talk shows in India are different from those that back Youtube podcasts in the country. “A brand will give a streaming platform like Amazon Prime Video three times more money than a YouTube podcast—and take away more creative freedom,” says Verma. “That OTT show will have five brands to cater to—a game or an element will have to be presented by a certain brand that’s pumping money into it.”.

Marketing and PR professional Mehek M. Singhi who has worked with JioStar and Netflix in the last five years, says, “No brand wants to tap into the smaller market, so they will pick OTT talk shows over podcasts. The money also differs because YouTube is a free platform, unlike a streaming platform, which has a subscription that also acts like an added revenue. But, streaming platforms don’t make money through social media like podcasts do—it’s more of a marketing tool.”

How Bollywood drives discovery for podcasts in India

In the age of Reels and memes, social media shapes how podcasts in India get noticed. “Today, due to the social media boom, everyone wants content that makes for viral Reels and gets views, for which, Bollywood is a low-hanging fruit,” says film critic Abhimanyu Mathur. 

“It’s easier for a podcast to be discovered if it has a known face [hosting it]—whether a Bollywood star, a cricketer, comedian or content creator. Unless a podcast has a guest who has never been interviewed, or say, Shah Rukh Khan, it’s impossible to garner eyeballs,” says Taneja. 

The real benchmark for both podcasts and talk shows in India is how far a clip travels on X, Instagram or Reddit through conversations and memes. “Talk shows are not above the fact that something will get picked up and be turned into a meme or Reel. They want it to make it to that cut because it travels well enough to get people acquainted with the podcast without having to watch the entire hour-and-a-half long episode. It’s the aim that’s on every creator’s mind because there’s a fight for visibility and everyone is trying to get their two seconds in the limelight,” says Verma. 

The reality is that most viewers watch Instagram Reels made from podcast snippets. Tanjea adds, “But if a Reel gets 10 million views, an episode will get 1.5 million or 50k views. That’s still 50k people who connect deeply with the podcast, also emotionally.” 

Reels matter, which is where Bollywood returns to the centre of discovery. “Voyeurism is such that people still really want to know things about famous people,” adds Mansi Sharma, a producer who has worked on Indian Matchmaking(2020-) and Dining With The Kapoors (2025). 

For instance, audiences want to know whether Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh are really in an open relationship. “And people are still surprised when someone says Salman Khan was smoking on set. It’s the same Stardust headline, but on Reddit and X now,” says Verma.

Celebrities have become more cautious about what they say  on camera. “Why, after that, would a celebrity give access to their life like Padukone did? It’s not just the audience that’s to blame. The repercussions are so strong with cancel culture, especially with the internet [that is ] cheap and accessible, which further adds to the celebrity’s hesitation to be vulnerable,” says Verma. 

Self-censorship is built into the behaviour of most Indian celebrities appearing on mass-appeal chat formats, a pattern far less visible in the West, partly because of the hero worship surrounding Bollywood. “In India, people put Bollywood celebrities on a pedestal, and celebrities can’t disappoint their fans—the fall is worse. In the West, when a celebrity says something problematic, people eventually do get over it. Here, they’re removed as the face of brands; like Aamir Khan was in 2015 after he mentioned feeling a ‘growing sense of disquiet, and despondency’ in India,” says Verma. 

Content creators, meanwhile, don’t deal with the same level of scrutiny. “Internet fame isn’t getting a seat on talk shows,” says Mathur. Nor is it getting podcast hosts the same interviews as Karan Johar. As a result, Bollywood celebrities remain more accessible than stars, and are appearing on video podcasts in India. 

Social media has further transformed the idea of stardom. “And there are people who are famous for just being famous. If Orry starts a podcast, people will watch it” says Mathur.  Audiences now want someone they can connect with or relate to, a non-celebrity who has made it on their own, which makes it feel more attainable than imagining the life of someone like Shah Rukh Khan. This is where podcast conversations carve out their relevance. 

Why more celebrities are choosing podcasts in India

Celebrities are increasingly comfortable appearing on podcasts in India. “Today, celebrities prefer going on four podcasts instead of talking to 30 journalists, who may ask similar questions. Internationally, too, a production house like Marvel is likely to opt for a podcast over an interview with a journalist because of the reach,” says Mathur. 

There are, however, very few Indian podcasts that ask their guests well-researched questions. Stars often prefer to promote their new films on talk shows hosted by their friends; for example, Soha Ali Khan’s podcast All About Her or Two Much With Twinkle and Kajol, where conversations feel safe and familiar.  

A repeating pattern is evident when celebrities and PR teams appear on podcasts only when a film or project needs visibility. “But then, the same person will appear in six different podcasts at the same time, and share PR-trained responses, which is a whole lot of nothing. It doesn’t enhance the credibility of the space,” says Bhan. 

Podcasts can still position themselves as experts if they stay  consistent with a theme. “Like The Indian Silicon Valley by Jivraj Singh Sachar, which has entrepreneurs as guests, and is devoid of Bollywood. But if a podcast is trying to get publicity in the larger media, featuring Bollywood celebrities still helps,” says Taneja. It may not produce the strongest content, but can help build credibility. 

A niche podcast can also survive if its community is strong enough and has buying power. “For example, the main audience for Moment of Silence is women in the age group of 18-40 years in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities—an audience that has purchasing power,” says Bhan. 

Censorship, responsibility and how podcasts in India navigate risk

A major shift from talk shows in India to podcasts is the leniency in the language used.  A speaker can say the word ‘f**k’ without immediate backlash. “You can speak in a language you are comfortable in, can show more sex on screen, even though the government might issue guidelines,  and you never know when there’ll be a court case filed. But, in Movers & Shakers (1997-2012), host Shekhar Suman made an entire career out of imitating former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which is impossible today. It’s self-censorship because people don’t want it to get to that. Even if those in power might be okay with it, people are afraid to do it because of how murky the waters are,” says Verma. 

Movers & Shakers, which replicated the format of The Tonight Show, featured Bollywood stars and politicians alike, and started with a monologue. “It had funny bits, and the host dared to ask questions that we wouldn’t dare to ask today,” says Mathur. “Today, it’s political censorship that’s curbed a lot of content coming out. The censor board is notorious for cancelling what should go on air,” says Sharma. 

“If you are primarily an English long-format podcast, you can still get away with a few things because trolls don’t have so much patience. It also helps filter out listeners. We also add a disclaimer in the beginning, stating that what is shared are personal opinions,” adds Bhan. 

Podcasts aren’t run by a network or an OTT platform and do not fall under the purview of the Central Board of Film Certification. “So, podcasts can get by just stating ‘for adults only’ or adding similar disclaimers. A brand sponsoring a podcast may have their say in it. Beyond that, it’s all self-censorship by the production team,” says Mathur. 

As podcasts in India move towards saturation, responsibility becomes diluted. The ease of producing a podcast has blurred the distinction between expertise and visibility. “There should be censorship in podcasts. You can’t put anyone and everyone on a podcast and give them a platform just for views. Unless you’re an expert on a subject, genuinely curious, and are putting something out there not just for views, having a podcast doesn’t work. Influencing is a responsibility as is having views. The lack of societal responsibility is disappointing,” says Taneja. 

Saturation also affects the core strength of a podcast: a good, engaging conversation. If a person has spoken about a topic, but it’s their fourth podcast in a week, then you know they’ll probably have nothing new to say. “This wasn’t the case with talk shows a decade ago because there were only four of them,” says Mathur. 

As the act of listening increasingly becomes secondary listening, the question persists: Are podcasts  replacing chat shows in India? “Podcasts won’t replace variety shows like The Kapil Sharma Show, where skits come into play. They’ve filled the void of late-night chat shows, where the host has in-depth conversations with a guest,” says Mathur. 

Podcasts now occupy the space talk shows left behind (or never really occupied in the 2000s), although the shift is more about packaging than substance. Shaped as much by economics and platform culture as by the limits placed on traditional media, they offer the appearance of openness within a system that still negotiates access, PR, and self censorship. They thrive on virality even when the conversation is slow. Whether they change the conversation or only move it around, podcasts are determining how a generation listens. They may feel new, but the dynamics are the same. The medium changed, the rules didn’t.