Take a pause with Varun Duggirala

In this candid chat with Varun Duggirala, Viraj Ghelani reveals his journey from hosting sangeet functions to creating viral content with FilterCopy to starring in a bollywood movie! From how he got his Nani to make reels with him to his biggest learnings about the industry and how he is determined to make South Borivali the new South Bombay - we cover it all and more in this latest episode of Tak...

In this episode, Varun Duggirala sits down with Actor Varun Sharma and takes us on a ride through his life, sharing his fascinating journey from a small-town dreamer to a Bollywood sensation. Varun Sharma opens up about his childhood, reminiscing about the days when he first fell in love with acting, the invaluable life lessons he gained during his initial struggles, the incredible role his friend...

Join Varun Duggirala as he takes us into the life and experiences of Sahiba Bali, who has successfully balanced a thriving marketing career with her undeniable passion for acting. We dive deep into Sahiba's transition from becoming the host of her own Zomato show to her unique Bollywood roles and becoming a creator. From the best advice her father has given her to her biggest learning about th...

Join Gaurav Kapur and Varun Duggirala as they take us through Gaurav’s extraordinary journey in the world of cricket, entertainment, and storytelling. Gaurav reveals the story behind the inception of his wildly popular show, Breakfast With Champions, his undying love for cricket and the microphone. From being fascinated by all things weird to his entrepreneurial journey to his biggest learning abo...

Join Gajraj Rao and Varun Duggirala as they reflect on his his impeccable performances and versatile role, his love for languages, how his 11th grade sociology teacher changed his life forever and why he no longer feels guilty about the finer things in life - all in this latest episode of Take aPause! An Indian actor and Ad filmmaker Gajraj Rao, started his acting career in the early 90s with the...

Varun Duggirala sit down with Rob, from M.A.D Stuff with Rob, who was one of the best parts of so many people's childhoods. Join them as they delve into his fascinating journey, from getting discovered by POGO by chance  to his art of making kids fall in love with art itself. We explore why he left Mumbai, the secrets behind his success, how he found his way to art and a whole lot more- all in...

In honour of World Yoga Day, watch Anshuka Parwani and Varun Duggirala  share their personal experiences and insights  on the profound impact of yoga beyond just physical movement. Anshuka reveals how yoga has the power to nourish the mind, body, and soul, and how it played a crucial role in her own journey to healing and self-discovery. From becoming the go-to guru for A-list celebrities like Kar...

Join Rajeev Masand, film critic & now COO at Dharma Cornerstone, and Varun Duggirala as Rajeev shares  his insightful journey of witnessing the changing landscape of movies and the evolving experience of film watching over the past 25 years. From his iconic roundtable conversations with Bollywood's biggest stars to his surprising career shift to artist management at the age of 44, Rajeev t...

Join Varun Duggirala and Krish Ashok, author of ‘Masala Lab’ and TCS Global Head, as they explore the origins of Indian cuisine and the cultural influences that have shaped it over centuries. Krish sheds light on the fascinating history and science of flavours, spices, and techniques that make Indian food so unique and beloved worldwide. From understanding why no dal ever tastes as good as the one...

Tune in for an insightful chat between Actor Shreya Dhanwanthary and Varun Duggirala as they trace back to Shreya’s childhood as the “weird” kid with weird interests to her modelling days. They also explore how Shreya knew she had found true love when she heard “lights, camera, action!” for the first time, how serendipity led her to her breakthrough role in the show ‘The Family Man’, and how comin...

In this candid conversation of Take aPause, Ankur Warikoo and Varun Duggirala open up about their childhoods, and why Ankur regrets being too judgemental growing up. We also explore Ankur's leadership philosophy as he shares valuable insights on the importance of processes, collective collaboration and empowering others to succeed. Find out about Ankur’s obsession with astronomy, navigating pa...

Varun  Duggirala has hosted over 600 episodes across multiple podcasts and he is now ready to take you behind the scenes of his podcasting process! Ever wondered how Varun gets into the right mindset before hitting record or how he drives effortless conversations? Watch on to find all your answers! Find out his process, gain valuable insights into the world of podcasting and the importance of mind...

Join this episode of Take aPause with Varun Duggirala featuring relationship coach Ekta Dixit, we explore the nuances of various aspects of modern friendships & relationships. We delve into the world of friendships and discuss the challenges of setting expectations, dealing with one-sided relations and ghosting,  the importance of communication,friendship break-ups, and also explore the age-ol...

Varun Duggirala ends every episode asking the guest the best advice they have ever gotten and that segment has given us some of the most memorable learnings that make us think deeply.  Watch this specially curated compilation of the BEST advice guests Faye D'souza, Dhruv Sehgal, Karishma Mehta, Ashwin Suresh, Marcus Ranney, Kubbra Sait and Priya Malik shared with Varun and find the guidance, r...

In the newest episode of Take aPause, Varun Duggirala sits down with the actor, writer, and director Hussain Dalal to chat about his life, career, and the learnings he has had along the way. From discussing the truth about privilege to the good part about missing out on opportunities, his struggle with ADHD to his love for running, Hussain shares his journey of pursuing his passion for writing and...

Faye D'Souza, like most of us, came out to the other side of the post pandemic world with a whole new life - she was now an independent journalist, a new mother and had a completely new understanding about relationships, work and the state of journalism in India. In the latest episode of Take aPause, Faye D’Souza and Varun Duggirala dissect their changed lives and perspectives post pandemic, F...

The chef behind the iconic Goila Butter Chicken, Saransh Goila sat down with Varun Duggirala for a chat about the journey of how he found his love for cooking during his earliest tryst with Aloo paranthas in his childhood home, growing up as an introvert, dabbling in acting, his MasterChef Australia journey, how his love for camera and love for cooking found home in his vlogs and more! Saransh Goi...

If you’re a creator/ professional or entrepreneur who has been struggling to find your ‘why?’, you’re not alone. Varun Duggirala was also in this same position once and that’s when he created his ‘Foundational Framework’ to help him build his ‘why’.  In this episode of Take aPause, Varun Duggirala shares how he overcame questions like ‘ I don’t know what I am doing’ or ‘ I don’t know how to do thi...

Any conversation with Roshan Abbas comes with a treasure box of learnings and stories that leave you with perspectives that give a new light. Watch this enriching conversation between Roshan Abbas and Varun Duggirala to uncover the key to turning curiosity into a career, how to have valuable communication, building deeper connections, Roshan’s BEST techniques for giving feedback and work-life bala...

Anuv Jain, Smriti Srivastava, Nakuul Mehta & Yahya Bootwala shared with Varun Duggirala some of the most insightful advice & learnings about love and relationships. In this episode of Take aPause, the best of relationship and love learnings have been curated to create the ultimate relationship master class! From how to bring authenticity to relationships, finding love in the most ordinary...

Join Priya Malik and Varun Duggirala as they dive deep into Priya’s creative process, being a misfit, how her relationship with anger has changed over the years and how she found true friendship within herself. From her vivid childhood memories to how her art empowers her and of course, her love for love - we cover it all in the latest episode of Take aPause! Priya Malik is several things - an act...

If there was a guidebook on how to deal with the unprecedented challenges life throws at you, a lot of this anxiety and pressure we carry inside ourselves everyday would just vanish. When the pandemic struck, Varun Duggirala found himself surrounded by anxiety of losing control and not knowing how to let go of it. That’s when he found his way to Stoicism, an age-old Greek philosophy that taught hi...

Join Harshil Karia, Founder of India’s most impactful digital agencies Schbang and FoxyMoron, and Varun Duggirala chat about finding purpose in entrepreneurship, how Harshil brought Schbang to life, how he creates his “moments of awesomeness”, overcoming patterns that hinder self growth and so much more!  Harshil Karia calls himself a 3 time entrepreneur and rightly so. He is  the Founder of Schba...

Fear is a powerful emotion. We feel things deeply and intensely whenever we are faced with things that scares us. And often, the things we care about the most are the ones that scare us the most. So, you could let fear take your decisions for you or… you could turn it into your biggest motivation! Watch Varun share the 5 ways through which he transformed his relationship with fear and how you can...

Nakuul Mehta and Varun Duggirala dive deep into fatherhood, being vulnerable as men, feeling like an outsider, chasing purpose and craving validation as an artist and more in this episode of Take aPause. From the importance of being vulnerable in front of our kids to Nakuul facing his biggest failure at 24 to dealing with self doubt - we cover it all! Nakuul Mehta is an Indian actor who primarily...