Forbes India Rewind 2022: Best podcasts we heard this year

What the hell Navya

This year, for some reason, I was in no mood to listen to serious content. When I first saw Navya Nanda’s teaser for her new project, I did not expect it to be a podcast. But as soon as the trailer launched, I knew this was going to be fun. It is a feel-good show about three women—Navya Nanda, Shweta Nanda, and Jaya Bachchan—three different generations of the Bachchan household talking about various aspects of life. Two things caught my attention. One, the format itself and second, not once did the show seem preachy. Surprisingly, it was extremely relatable. Who would’ve thought? There were days when I was on my 6 am morning walk, listening to the podcast, and I found myself laughing. If you haven’t heard it yet, you must.

NoSugarCoat with Pooja Dhingra

As a business journalist, understanding an entrepreneur’s journey intrigues me. This is precisely why I started listening to NoSugarCoat. The show gives an in-depth insight into the struggles and challenges entrepreneurs face. Hosted by Pooja Dhingra, founder of Le15, the format is super interesting because it is not a host-interviewee format. Instead, it is two entrepreneurs and friends chatting about their respective journeys, learnings, failures and self-doubts. For any budding entrepreneur, I’d highly recommend this show. Again, it is not too serious and not too preachy.

RUCHA SHARMA'S PICKS

Archetype with Meghan

Princess Diana didn't have an organised, strategic PR team behind her when she did the infamous BBC Panorama interview in 1995. Her son, Prince Harry, has learnt the lesson. Partly thanks to his smart wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Archetype with Meghan is their first offering to the world that shares the narrative of the couple that left 'The Firm.' In every episode, Meghan talks to remarkable women, and together, they dissect the labels that try to hold women back. Guests such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Deepika Padukone subvert the negative archetypes such as ambitious, diva or crazy—labels incidentally used by UK media to describe Meghan when she married Prince Harry. It is a great study on how to use your megaphone to take down an institution.

Sound + Image Lab: The Dolby Institute Podcast

This is a perfect podcast for those who look at a movie beyond its actors. Dolby Institute director Glenn Kiser brings the stars behind the camera to his table to have a conversation about their inspirations, their work techniques, and some exciting, never-heard-before anecdotes about the auteurs they work with. If you want to know how Michael Giacchino's sound for The Batman is also connected to his collaboration with director Matt Reeves's The Planet of the Apes series, this is the podcast you should listen to. If the pace of The Queen's Gambit kept you hooked, then editor Michelle Tesoro dissecting the scenes and explaining his process to make the show exciting for non-chess players is a must-listen. ​