The Mohua Show

In this powerful episode of The Mohua Show podcast, host Mohua Chinappa speaks with historian Aniruddha Kanisetti to challenge everything you thought you knew about Indian history. From the Cholas to temple economies, from myths of golden ages to the politics of power—this is one of the best podcasts in India for anyone curious about the truth behind our past. In this episode, we discuss: Why hist...

What does it mean to belong when you’ve lived across cultures, identities, and worlds? In this episode of The Mohua Show podcast, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with British Bangladeshi writer and journalist Nadia Kabir Barb for a deeply reflective conversation on identity, storytelling, and breaking stereotypes in the literary world. The podcast explores how fiction and journalism intersect to rev...

What does it really take to rebuild your life — not once, but multiple times — while leading global conversations on mental health, identity, and womanhood? In this deeply honest episode, Poppy Jaman OBE shares her journey through divorce, perimenopause, solo travel, and leadership — while navigating life as a British Bengali woman in spaces that weren’t built for her. In this episode, we discuss...

In this episode of The Mohua Show , singer and actress Tia Bajpai reflects on the journey of constantly reinventing herself across music, television, and cinema — and the courage it takes to start over again and again. Tia shares what it meant to leave home at a young age to pursue her dreams, navigate the unpredictability of the entertainment industry, and evolve as an artist while staying true t...

In this episode of The Mohua Show , Dr. Debraj Shome — Director, The Esthetic Clinics — speaks candidly about the growing distrust between doctors and patients and the uncomfortable questions shaping modern healthcare. Drawing from more than two decades in medicine, Dr. Shome explores why doctors are often placed on extreme pedestals — seen as “gods” when treatments succeed and “villains” when out...

In this episode of The Mohua Show , Neha Sinha — Dementia Specialist, CEO, and Co-founder of Epoch Elder Care — shares powerful insights on dementia, caregiving, ageing in India, and the urgent need for better elder care systems . Drawing from her personal experiences growing up with her grandparents, Neha explains how that early exposure shaped her mission to transform elder care in India and sup...

What does women’s empowerment look like beyond inspiration — inside leadership, healthcare, and real impact ? In this episode of The Mohua Show , Nivedita Basu — Founder & Chief Vision Officer, Global Cancer Care — shares her journey from shaping iconic women-led stories in Indian television to building accessible cancer care in India. She speaks about women in leadership, career reinvention,...

What does real women’s empowerment look like inside a factory? In this episode of The Mohua Show , Ranjitha Shankar shares a powerful blueprint for building workplace equality — not through slogans, but through systems. With decades of leadership in manufacturing and business, Ranjitha speaks about: Creating dignity and respect on factory floors Hiring and training women in technical roles Support...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a rich, reflective conversation about language, creativity, class, and what it means to reclaim authorship in systems built around approval and hierarchy. Author, actor, and creator Sumanto Chattopadhyay speaks with humour and honesty about his journey from advertising to independent creative life — and why becoming his own client was both a creative necessity and...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a searing, deeply honest conversation about power, gatekeeping, censorship, and what it takes to make cinema inside systems designed to resist discomfort. Filmmaker Kanu Behl speaks with rare candour about his journey through Indian independent cinema — from giving nearly a decade of his life to a film, to publicly speaking out when its release and distribution we...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a powerful and unflinching conversation about racism, patriarchy, migration, and what it truly means to survive as a woman inside systems designed to control her. Writer, feminist, and co-author of The Politics of Patriarchy , Rahila Gupta speaks with rare honesty about arriving in Britain as a middle-class Indian woman — and watching racism strip her of class, se...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a powerful and deeply reflective conversation about queerness, colonial memory, and the politics of desire in India. Academic and Author of the book ‘Forbidden desire’, Sindhu Rajasekaran speaks candidly about growing up queer under Section 377, uncovering erased queer histories in Indian archives, and how colonial morality reshaped the way gender, sexuality, and...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a deeply incisive conversation about the Constitution, justice, and the dangerous consequences of letting public sentiment replace due process. Renowned Supreme Court Lawyer, founder of SRK Lega l and former Bigg Boss star, Sana Raees Khan speaks candidly about why defending unpopular clients is not a moral failure—but a constitutional duty. From media trials and...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a powerful conversation about storytelling as civic action—and why entertainment, when done right, can move people to remember, feel, and act. Filmmaker and producer, Anushka Shah , Founder of Civic Studios speaks about building stories that travel across borders while staying rooted in purpose. From India–UK collaborations and global co-productions to climate sto...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a thoughtful exploration of leadership, technology, and what it means to stay human in an age of constant change.. As the Managing Director of Planview India, Shalini Sankarshana reflects on a career shaped by curiosity, mentorship, and the courage to say yes. From navigating global work cultures to rethinking leadership in an AI-driven world, she shares why adapt...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a vibrant reclamation of identity and tradition. Drag artist and expressionist Patruni Chidananda Sastry dismantles Western imports to reveal the deep, ancient Indian roots of drag—from spiritual rituals to folk theatre—arguing that this art of gender expression was born here, stylised abroad, and is now coming home. A conversation about the masks we wear to tell...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a masterclass in raw entrepreneurial grit. Creator Panasha Siotia shares her journey from a 10,000-rupee salary to building a thriving live-commerce business, powered by relentless consistency and a refusal to settle. A conversation about the fuel of ambition and the daily discipline that turns a side hustle into a legacy. What this episode is REALLY about Not an...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a reality check to the core. Dr. Ruby Makhija , an environmental scientist and waste management expert, dissects the invisible psychology of our throwaway culture and the systems that sustain it. A conversation about the lies we tell ourselves to feel good, and the hard truths we must face to do good. What this episode is REALLY about Not just recycling. Not just...

This episode of The Mohua Show is a quiet earthquake under the foundations of modern love. Actor Priyanka Bose confronts the invisible cages of partnership, power, and gaze, asking how we build relationships where no one feels suffocated by the past. A raw conversation about the claustrophobia of patriarchy, the failures of female solidarity, and the unexpected safety found in a truly present man....

This episode of The Mohua Show is a generational punch to the heart. Author Aarti Narayan , a former MNC executive , tells the story behind her debut novel, The Lives She Carried , inspired by her grandmother, a woman from pre-Independence Kerala who turned pain into power and raised nine children against impossible odds. A conversation about what women are taught to endure and what they choose to...

In this powerful episode, host Mohua Chinappa sits down with K. J. Alphons — former IAS officer, politician, best-selling author and one of India’s most respected change-makers . From being labelled “ an idiot ” in school and scoring 42% in his board exam **, to becoming a topper in the IAS , India’s global face in governance, and author of The Winning Formula — Alphonse’s journey is a living test...

Why do men's mental health and domestic abuse cases often go unheard? How can we move beyond gender stereotypes in relationships and mental health? In this powerful and deeply personal episode of TMS, we sit down with Dr. Aninda Sidhana, who shares her journey of rebuilding her life multiple times while challenging societal norms. As a voice against gender stereotypes, Dr. Aninda Sidhana discusses...

What does it take to build a career in publishing? How is technology changing the world of books? And why is vulnerability the secret weapon for creative professionals? In this insightful episode of TMS, we sit down with Sudheshna, a publishing professional and writer who started her journey by writing randomly, never expecting her work would find an audience. She pulls back the curtain on the pub...

What does it mean to be a man when your childhood was stolen by abuse? How can we create a world where male survivors are heard, believed, and healed? In this profoundly courageous episode, we sit down with Robert H. Marshall Jr.—a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, advocate, and a voice for the countless men silenced by trauma and stigma. He shares his harrowing journey of survival, the heavy cl...

What does it take to become a documentary photographer when you come from a place where art isn't considered a "real career"? How does one capture the soul of communities through a lens? In this deeply personal episode, we sit down with Mrityunjay - documentary photographer, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary storyteller. He shares his extraordinary journey of breaking away from the typical "enginee...