InControversial

Chess looks quiet. But inside every move is a storm. In this episode of InControversial, Pooja sits down with Indian chess grandmaster, R Praggnanandhaa during the Global Chess League to unpack what it really takes to compete at the highest level, where one decision can change everything. From focus & preparation to bouncing back & handling pressure through a tournament format, Praggnanandhaa spea...

AI. Influencer. Superstar. And apparently… a rapid fire pro. This week on InControversial, Pooja sits down with Naina, India’s first AI digital influencer, the face behind the hit micro series Truth & Lies (yes, the one getting translated into multiple languages), and a full-blown internet phenomenon who has humans flirting in her DMs like it is their full-time job.  In this episode, Naina breaks...

You may know her as the voice behind Tujhe Bhula Diya or Aas Paas Hai Khuda. Or most recently, from Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri. But Shruti Pathak is far more than the song that plays when your heart is broken. On this episode of InControversial, Shruti reflects on a career that spans nearly two decades, beginning in Ahmedabad, moving through a Master’s degree in Psychology, and eventually...

In this episode of InControversial, Pooja sits down with global tennis stars Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina, live from the World Tennis League in Bengaluru. With over 30 combined ATP and WTA singles titles, Grand Slam semifinal runs, an Olympic bronze medal, and years at the top of world tennis, Gaël and Elina speak about far more than forehands and trophies. They talk about teamwork in an indiv...

Climate change is often discussed in conferences, reports, and big promises. In reality, it begins at home, in offices, and in our everyday choices. In this episode of InControversial, Pooja sits down with Leena Dandekar, founder of the Raintree Foundation and Raintree Family Office, to explore what purpose looks like when wealth steps aside and responsibility steps in. Leena speaks about walking...

In this episode of InControversial, Pooja Chaudhri sits down with Mandhira Kapur Smith, sister of the late Sanjay Kapur, to speak about legacy, loss, and the ongoing inheritance dispute currently before the Delhi High Court. Mandhira shares a personal account of her family’s journey, the building of the Sona legacy by her father, and the events following her brother’s untimely death in June this y...

What does it really take to go from being a girl sneaking cricket time between school hours to becoming the Player of the Match in a World Cup final? In this unforgettable conversation, Shafali Verma sits down and opens up about the highs, heartbreaks, self-doubt, comebacks, and everything that went into lifting the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup trophy for India. Being dropped from the squad, to almo...

Niranjan Iyengar’s body of work belongs to the second kind. From journalism to screenwriting, from styling to poetry, from dialogue-writing for some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic films to hosting his own talk show, his journey has never followed a straight line, but it has always followed curiosity. In this candid conversation, Pooja sits down with the man behind the words in films like Kal Ho Naa...

here are tarot readers and then there are people who make you question whether intuition is logic in a different language. Meet Ma Prem Ritambhara, daughter of India’s first tarot reader Maa Prem Usha, a devout follower of Osho, and a woman who has turned intuition into clarity, comfort, and sometimes, uncomfortable truth. In this episode of InControversial, she talks about: Intuition versus overt...

Money. Legacy. Power. And a Will that now sits at the centre of one of India’s most explosive inheritance battles. In this episode of InControversial, Mandhira Kapur Smith breaks her silence — and her words raise even deeper questions about the authenticity of the Will submitted by Priya Sachdev Kapur after the death of industrialist Sunjay Kapur. For the first time, Mandhira speaks openly about t...

What happens when you sit down with someone who actually gets teenagers? Not theoretically. Not philosophically. Actually gets them. Meet Kavita Bhupathi Chadda Founder and CEO of Mindsetters Club and the woman helping teens navigate anxiety, ambition, and identity in a world that moves faster than their attention span. This episode is for every parent who has ever said: “Why is my child like this...

What happens when you mix boardroom logic to life insights? You get Rushabh Gandhi.  From boardrooms to backhands (yes, he’s a tennis buff), the MD & CEO of IndiaFirst Life breaks down what it really takes to lead with purpose and personality. In this episode of InControversial, even as the mood was festive with Foundation Week celebrations, Rushabh and Pooja dive into everything from the art of d...

She’s been the voice of eras - on stage, on screen, and on air. From casting for Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi to redefining what it means to live unapologetically, Dolly Thakore’s life has been a masterclass in courage, candour, and charisma. In this episode of InControversial, watch the OG trailblazer talk about breaking barriers before it was fashionable, defying norms with grace, and ageing on...

They shoot, they score, and they’ve made Indian archery impossible to ignore. Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam, two of India’s finest archers, join Pooja on InControversial for a conversation about focus, faith, and the fine art of staying calm under pressure. She’s a triple gold medallist and World Champion. He’s one of India’s youngest record-breakers in the sport. Together, they’ve set w...

He’s loud, proud, and one of the most fabulous forces for change in India. From surging abuse as a child, to leading the fight for equality as an adult, and redefining what empathy looks like in action, Harish Iyer is a storyteller, activist, and changemaker who brings heart, humour, and hope to every conversation. In this episode of InControversial, Harish opens up about finding love in unexpecte...

Filmmaker Siddharth P. Malhotra has lived every shade of Bollywood, from being an AD on Kal Ho Naa Ho, to directing We Are Family, fighting seven years to make Hichki, and walking through a legal storm with Maharaj. In this InControversial episode, he talks about privilege, persistence, heartbreak, film family royalty (being related to the Kapoor khandaan and his own pedigree), and why he believes...

Today, we’re joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time, Carl Lewis. A 9-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 1-time Silver Medalist, and 10-time World Champion, Carl Lewis is not just a sprinter or long jumper he’s a living legend. In this firecracker of a conversation, King Carl as he's called, opens up about his journey to greatness what it truly took to stay on top across four consecutive Olymp...

He was the short, chubby kid who thought sport wasn’t for him. Cut to today: the world knows him as the 'Great Wall of Indian Hockey' - that's Sreejesh PR From the day his father sold the house cow to buy Sree his first goalkeeping pads, to those six heart-stopping seconds in Tokyo 2021 that made a billion people scream, Sreejesh’s story is pure cinema on turf. On InControversial, the Padma Bhusha...

Ayurveda isn’t a hashtag for Dr Bhavana Diyora, it’s a lifeline, a practice, and a rebellion against quick-fix culture. On this World Ayurveda Day, she cuts through the wellness noise with humour and hard truths. Why your gut is really your second brain, why protein obsession can be just as harmful as deficiency, and why Ayurveda, when understood right, is not ancient vs modern but ancient and mod...

The self-taught filmmaker behind 'Ghaath' didn’t just make a film, he lived it. Whether it was trekking into Maoist jungles for authenticity, or breaking filmmaking “rules,” he has taken stories rooted in central India to audiences around the world. In this episode of InControversial, he opens up about surviving violence in his childhood, turning down corporate placements for a camera (in spite of...

He’s taken the mridangam, ghatam, and kanjira from Chembur’s Fine Arts halls to global stages. And now, Ganesh Murali Iyer is bringing Indian classical percussion to Ed Sheeran’s upcoming album Play. From learning under the legendary Padma Vibhushan Dr Umayalpuram K Sivaraman to jamming with international musicians, and gifting Ed Sheeran a ghatam, Ganesh’s journey is rhythm, roots, and breaking b...

From selling dreams on the big screen to building skylines in Mumbai, Anand Pandit, Chairman and Managing Director of Sri Lotus Developers and Realty Limited, has lived more lives than most of us can imagine. In this episode of InControversial, Pooja Chaudhri sits down with the man who turned an Amitabh Bachchan movie obsession into a real-estate empire, and then circled back to produce films with...

When Sheila Kanungo picked up a pistol in the late 80s, it wasn’t for the love of sport. It was quiet rebellion. The idea of a Marwari girl from Jaipur turning into a national-level shooter was almost laughable, until Sheila made it to the Commonwealth Games with a second-hand gun, gold earrings traded for bullets, and an aim steady enough to silence every doubter. That she went on to win many lau...

In this episode of InControversial, Raftaar goes full throttle - dropping bars, truths, punchlines, and more style than a sneakerhead’s closet. We talk about fame, failure, faith, and what makes someone actually hip-hop in a scene full of posers. This isn’t just a podcast episode. It’s a verbal cypher. And Raftaar? He came ready to mic drop.

If you've watched Sitaare Zameen Par, you fell in love with Satbir - the cheeky firecracker who told Aamir Khan "aap chup rahiye” and still got a standing ovation. But off screen, he’s Aroush Datta, sunshine in sneakers, a basketball in one hand, and a story that’ll slam dunk right into your heart. From shooting Instagram reels for fun to landing a Bollywood debut with Sitaare Zameen Par, Aroush’s...