Casually Obsessed

Niharika Nanda, Aishwarya Khosla, and Shruti Kaushal are back with another jam-packed pop culture roundup! This week, your hosts dive into Taylor Swift's headline-making wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, touching on every public detail from the viral subway hoardings to Adam Sandler officiating the ceremony, and debate whether Dua Lipa's low-key wedding approach beats Taylor's spec...

In this episode of Casually Obsessed Season 2, Niharika, Shruti, and Aishwarya discuss Homi Adajania’s much-talked-about sequel to the 2012 blockbuster Cocktail. Starring Shahid Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Kriti Sanon, Cocktail 2 has been making headlines for multiple reasons. In this episode, the trio compares the two films, explores how Bollywood’s portrayal of romance has evolved in the age...

In this episode of Causally Obsessed, Niharika Nanda, Aishwarya Khosla, and Shruti Kaushal, revisit iconic Imtiaz Ali movies. From love to music to emotions, the trio talks about Main Vaapas Aaunga, Laila Majnu, Rockstar, Jab We Met, and more. Stay tuned to Casually Obsessed only on Indian Express Plus, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Produced by Niharika Nanda Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar  Check...

This week on Casually Obsessed, we sit down with actor and musician Vedang Raina, who made hearts flutter in The Archies and Jigra, and is now all set for his most ambitious role yet in Imtiaz Ali's Main Vaapas Aaunga, a partition-era romantic drama. We get into everything: how love and longing have changed from the partition era to the modern day, why he has not watched Friends, and Vedang's hila...

The 79th Cannes Film Festival has been making waves, with Indian celebrities turning heads on the red carpet. In this episode of Casually Obsessed, Niharika, Shruti, and Aishwarya discuss Alia Bhatt’s six impeccable fashion statements at the festival. From a hand-painted circle ensemble to Tarun Tahiliani’s deep burgundy brocade gown, the trio breaks down each look while also discussing the actor’...

Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep), Andrea Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway), and Emily Charlton (played by Emily Blunt) are back after 20 years with The Devil Wears Prada 2, and honestly, the internet has not known peace since. In this episode of Casually Obsessed, Shruti, Niharika, and Aishwarya spiral into the chaos surrounding the sequel, revisit the iconic original film and book, the fam...

In this episode of Casually Obsessed, Niharika, Shruti, and Aishwarya talk about 'brainrot' content and Bollywood movies. From Tees Maar Khan to AI-slop videos featuring human-like conflicts among vegetables, the episode is loaded with fun and nostalgia. It also highlights the effects of consuming 'brainrot' and how it has gradually become a part of pop culture content. Hosts: Niharika, Aishwarya...

Welcome to another week of Casually Obsessed, your weekly pop culture podcast where we talk about literally everything. 🎬 This week we are obsessing over: Big Mistakes (Netflix) — Dan Levy is back as a gay pastor no less. The ensemble features his unhinged teacher sister, their mayoral-candidate mom, and a mafia they definitely should not have messed with. Taylor Ortega is a whole lot. We have fe...

 Comedian Samay Raina created a massive buzz with his comeback set, Still Alive. In his latest YouTube video, he opened up about the aftermath of the India’s Latent controversy, which threw his life into a whirlwind. From roasting BeerBiceps and admitting he was unable to console Apurva Makhija, to recalling that one phone call with his father, Samay laid his emotions bare for his fans. However, s...

She reads Dostoevsky in a tin-roofed house in rural Bengal, speaks English on camera, wears a simple saree and sindoor, and has nearly a million followers. Pujarani Pradhan — known online as Life of Puja — became the unlikely centre of a very revealing storm, one that has exposed the classism lurking inside Indian internet feminism. On this week's Casually Obsessed, Aishwarya, Shruti, and Niharika...

This week on Casually Obsessed, we are breaking down everything from Ryan Gosling’s lonely spaceship journey to the genius puppet work behind everyone’s favorite alien, Rocky. In this episode of Casually Obsessed, Niharika, Aishwarya, and Shruti dive into the science, the emotions, and the unexpected laughs of one of the most unique sci-fi movies in years. Plus, we compare the film to the book, an...

It was officially the week of comebacks. In this episode of Casually Obsessed, Niharika, Aishwarya, and Shruti cover three massive comebacks that took over the internet this week. Dhurandhar: The Revenge — The Bacha Hai Tu Mera meme era is upon us. We break down why Jameel Jamali has become everybody's favourite slimy character, the insane meme economy this film has generated, and why the Dhurandh...

Ranveer Singh. Four hours. Zero regrets. (Well, almost.) After a three-and-a-half-month wait, Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar: The Revenge is finally out. The Indian Express' resident pop culture enthusiasts, Niharika Nanda, Aishwarya Khosla, and Shruti Kaushal, dissect the plot, acting, use of cuss words, plot holes, and alternate theories. Beware, there are spoilers. You have been warned! Stay tuned to...

This week on Casually Obsessed, Aishwarya and Niharika are flying solo, Shruti's out sick, but she picked the topics, so her chaotic energy is very much present. They are breaking down the Dhurandhar: The Revenge trailer. Will Ranveer Singh rule Karachi? Will Yelena point that gun where we think she will? And is Uzair Baloch secretly the hero we deserve? Then it's a quick detour through London hig...

The social media era has fueled a massive surge in content creation, significantly expanding the YouTube ecosystem. From Farah Khan to Archana Puran Singh's entire family, from Deepika Kakkar Ibrahim to Bharti Singh, several Bollywood celebrities have begun their journeys on the video streaming platform—not as a side hobby, but as content creators. While the Main Hoon Na director gave the internet...

“Be my mistress?”—Bridgerton season 4 volume 1 ended on a cliffhanger, breaking the Internet. The show returned in February, with Benedict Bridgerton navigating his feelings and “yearning” for Sophie Baek, who is just a maid. As this Mayfair season ends, we analyse the entire season 4, including the famous bathtub scene. Did we like it? Dearest gentle listeners, it is for you to find out! Moving o...

He was the background dancer in Dil To Pagal Hai. He became the angry young man of Kabir Singh. But who is Shahid Kapoor really? This week on Casually Obsessed, we go full detective mode on Bollywood’s most versatile (and maybe most misunderstood) actor. Shruti is losing her mind over his Vivah era, Niharika is defending her questionable movie choices (Kismat Konnection. Anyone? Someome?) , and Ai...

AI is polite, emotionally available, and always says yes. So, in this Valentine’s-coded episode of Casually Obsessed, we ask: would AI make the perfect boyfriend, or are we inviting a robo-rising? From ChatGPT marriages to solo dates with chatbots, we debate why people are choosing tech over humans. We also share a quick Valentine’s weekend watchlist (Oh Romeo, 'Tu Yaa Main' , and why Wuthering He...

“Benedict is not ready to take a wife.” “For sure. For sure. For sure.” And honestly? We wanted to punch someone through the screen too. This week, we’re spiralling over Bridgerton season 4, 'outraging' over “iconic” jewellery being treated like mere red-carpet aesthetic at the Wuthering Heights premiere. And because it’s Casually Obsessed, we also talk Netflix announcements and upcoming titles, i...

A viral penguin has taken over social media, and in this episode of Casually Obsessed, we break down the many theories sparked by a clip from Werner Herzog’s documentary, including the surprisingly dramatic possibility of penguin infidelity. In this unhinged episode, we also dive into Border 2, starring Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Ahan Shetty, and unpack how Bollywood continues t...

Hello, listeners! We’re officially teleporting back to 2016. As the throwback trend continues to dominate our feeds, this episode revisits the era of unforgettable viral moments like the mannequin challenge, Snapchat and Retrica filters, pop culture highs, iconic music like Charlie Puth's We Don't Talk Anymore and Closer by The Chainsmokers,  the Musically (now TikTok) wave, iconic Bollywood momen...

Age is just a number… unless you are a woman. From leading men ageing like fine wine to actresses being quietly sidelined once they’re deemed “too old,” ageism still shapes who gets visibility and opportunity. In this episode, Niharika Nanda, Aishwarya Khosla, and Shruti Kaushal talk about the double standards around ageing — on screen, on social media, and in real life. From OTT reinventions and...

The DINK lifestyle is creating a buzz across the country, especially among urban couples rethinking traditional lifestyle. In this episode, we break down the pros and cons of choosing a double income, no kids life, unpacking what it means in the context of modern India. We also explore how pop culture shaped this mindset long before it had a name, with shows like Sex and the City, How I Met Your M...

The New Year is here, and so is our favourite coping mechanism, which is overthinking pop culture so we don’t have to process real life. In this episode, we start with the big end-of-year question: what actually counts as “good” viral content, because the internet’s latest earworm (“one lollipop, two lollipop…”) is being roasted into oblivion, and Tony Kakkar’s response suggests the strategy might...

The winter blues have arrived, and so has our preferred response: staying in bed and watching everything. In this episode, we move from comfort-viewing to critique—starting with Wake Up Dead Man, the third Knives Out instalment, and why its church-set mystery (and Fleabag’s “hot priest” in a very different register) makes for a satisfying, self-aware detective story. From there, we pivot to the di...