The Pooja Bhatt Show

There’s something strange about old photographs. Sometimes they capture a fleeting moment and sometimes… they capture a future. Long before cinema and fame, a little girl held the hand of a sweet, fair-haired boy under a Christmas tree at a kindergarten called Babyland in Shivaji Park. Then, life happened. The school was demolished. The city changed. The children forgot. Years later,...

"The first image a cinematographer captures is never on film. It is captured deep within memory." For cinematographer and musician Nigam Bomzan, that image was his infant sister in a polka-dot frock, bathed in soft Himalayan light and mountain mist. Decades later, that childhood memory still dictates how he shapes light and longing in cinema. In this evocative and free-flowing episode of 'The Pooj...

“Before a character speaks… the walls have spoken. Before the emotion erupts… the room has already betrayed the soul living inside it.” In this episode, Pooja Bhatt pays tribute to a silent titan of the cinematic frame: the legendary art director Vinod Guruji. In an industry dazzled by stars, Vinod Guruji is the man who builds the worlds they inhabit. He is a practitioner...

Between Karbala and the Stage: The Intersection of Longing and Logic with Danish Husain In this evocative episode, Pooja sits down with Danish Husain-A man whose life and work exist at the intersection of longing and logic. From the calculated world of economics and banking to the visceral, ancient art of Dastangoi, Danish’s journey is not one of mere career change, but of spiritual homecomi...

In this episode, Pooja Bhatt sits down with film archivist S. M. M. Ausaja for a conversation that traces the fragile, often forgotten journey of Indian cinema’s memory. From wandering through dusty godowns and discarded collections to building one of the largest private archives of film memorabilia, Ausaja reflects on a life spent rescuing fragments that the film industry - and time - have...

A chest cut open, a heart repaired, and a bottle left behind. Does a taste of death ignite a passion for life? In this episode Pooja sits across Kaustav Narayan Niyogi, a man who lived the fast-paced life of an advertising "alchemist" before life forced him to slow down. From becoming India’s youngest creative director at age 29 to becoming one of its "oldest debutant" film directors at 50 w...

In this episode, Pooja Bhatt sits down with Aadhya Anand for a conversation that traces the journey of a young actor coming of age in the glare of an industry that rarely pauses. From her early years in Singapore to stepping into the volatile, demanding world of Indian cinema, Aadhya reflects on the experiences that shaped her instinct, resilience, and sense of self. Thrust into the deep end with...

In this episode, Pooja Bhatt sits down with producer Ronnie Lahiri for a conversation that traces the journey of a true cinematic nomad. From his early years in Shillong - surrounded by music, nature, and quiet observation - to navigating the dynamic landscape of Indian filmmaking, Lahiri reflects on the experiences that shaped both his worldview and his storytelling voice. They trace Lahiri&rsquo...

In this episode, Pooja sits down with acclaimed cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi, the visual force behind Company and Maqbool, for a conversation that unfolds as a profound meditation on memory, loss, and preservation. They trace Hemant’s epic 70,000-kilometre ‘pilgrimage’ across 21 states - an unwavering race against time to document over 1,300 single-screen theatres before the...

This episode features a deeply personal conversation between Pooja and filmmaker Mohit Suri, moving beyond the mechanics of cinema to explore memory, loss, and the unspoken family bonds that shape their lives. They revisit their shared legacy and discuss how the early loss of his mother acted as the silent engine behind the melancholic, high-emotion tone and texture of his films. They dive into th...

In this episode Pooja Bhatt and seasoned journalist Vickey Lalwani deconstruct the glamour to expose the friction between Bollywood, the nature of fame and tough reporting. A warhorse of the industry, Lalwani operates on a singular, blunt principle: real news is exactly what the industry wants to hide. Together, they critique how modern celebrity culture has traded grit for sanitized, PR-controlle...

In this vibrant episode that radiates sun-drenched energy and laughter, Pooja Bhatt and Zareen Khan wipe away the greasepaint to reveal the bare-faced realities of stardom. The duo dives deep into the industry’s obsession with the next big thing, a volatile cycle that demands a luminous, unshakeable spirit. They candidly call out the film Industry and a relentless media for enforcing narrow...

"Sometimes you laugh because you cannot cry. Sometimes you laugh so you don't go mad." In this deeply honest episode, Pooja Bhatt and Nitinn R Miranni peel back the mask of the 'funny man' to reveal the quiet storm behind the laughter. Despite a global career alongside icons like Trevor Noah and Eddie Griffin, Nitinn shares that his most defining act of bravery was not a punchline, but a determine...

In this episode, Pooja Bhatt speaks with Samara Tijori about identity - what it’s like to grow up with a known name, step into the spotlight, and still find your own voice. It’s a conversation about being seen not just for where you come from, but for who you truly are. Samara traces her journey from a childhood shaped by cinema to the quiet, uncertain years of auditions and near-misse...

In this revealing episode of The Pooja Bhatt Show, Dino Morea strips away the 'heartthrob' veneer to reveal the grit and vulnerability behind the glamour. He retraces his roots to his childhood in Bengaluru, where his foundation was built on discipline, etiquette and the importance of being a team player.  Early lessons that served as the anchor that kept him steady through the later turbulen...

In this episode, Pooja unpicks the seams of cinematic style with Theia Tekchandaney - a quiet powerhouse whose understated brilliance has shaped the iconic aesthetics of Jism, Paap and Neerja, to name a few. Theia joins Pooja to reveal how she uses fabric and fit to broadcast a character's soul before they ever speak a line of dialogue. They journey through the creation of Bipasha Basu's sultry, n...

What does cinema sound like when we truly listen? In this episode of The Pooja Bhatt Show, Pooja talks to sound maestro Gunjan Augustine Sah who pulls back the curtain on the invisible force that shapes our movie-going experience. From his nomadic childhood as an army kid where a life on the move taught him to listen to India’s unique rhythm to the high-stakes sets of Gully Boy and A Suitabl...

What happens to a writer when the Film Industry stops listening? In this stark & achingly honest episode, Pooja sits down with screenwriter Shagufta Rafique, whose words once powered some of Hindi cinema’s most successful films - Aashiqui 2, Murder 2, Jannat 2, Raaz 2 & 3, Jism 2, Awarapan, and many more.  This is not a victory lap. It is a survival story. Shagufta speaks of a l...

In this forthright and informative episode of The Pooja Bhatt Show, Pooja sits down with Meet Ashar - lawyer, animal rights advocate, Legal Advisor & Director of Cruelty Response at PETA India. Ashar reminds us of something very basic: life matters. Not just human life - all life. He emphasizes that animals are not problems to be managed, but lives to be protected, and why the manner in which...

Human suffering is the womb of great art. And sometimes, grace arrives disguised as grief. This conversation between Pooja Bhatt and award-winning filmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari is not assembled for comfort. Not shaped to soothe. But to awaken. What unfolds on this episode of The Pooja Bhatt Show is not grief revisited, but life awakened—a meeting where pain has already done its work. Where los...

Some conversations don’t leave you impressed. They leave you nourished. This episode of 'The Pooja Bhatt Show' feels like coming home — to a warm meal, familiar aromas, and stories that sit gently with you long after they’re told. Pooja sits down with Chef Vicky Ratnani — chef, author, television personality — not to dazzle, but to listen, remember, and reflect. The j...

In this intimate conversation, Pooja Bhatt sits down with producer Marijke Desouza to explore a career shaped as much by mentorship as by quiet perseverance. What emerges is the portrait of a filmmaker who learned her craft from the ground up—by observing, absorbing, and carrying forward knowledge passed down through experience rather than formal instruction. Marijke reflects on her journey...

In this intimate conversation, Pooja Bhatt sits down with Kunal Kapoor to trace the living legacy of Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre—not as an institution, but as a home shaped by memory, ritual, and artistic discipline. What emerges is a portrait of a family for whom theatre was never merely performance, but a way of life. Kapoor reflects on deeply personal traditions—from legendary Ch...

In this episode, Pooja sits down with actor and voice artist Mohan Kapur, a performer who has mastered his craft by simply living life. The episode sees the two friends trace Mohan’s journey: from being paid ₹500 an episode on Saanp Seedi - money he jokingly refers to as for “cigarettes and booze” - to finding himself inside the Marvel universe. He laughs about being “a man...

In this episode, Pooja meets Abbas Ali Moghul, the award-winning action director behind more than 300 films and shows, and the son of actor Habib, who fled Iran at seventeen to chase his dream of working in Hindi cinema.  Habib went on to appear in more than 150 films, yet passed away with little recognition. Abbas carries that legacy forward with quiet pride, and has become one of India&rsqu...