The Rise Of Celebrity Podcasts

Why are celebrities flocking to podcasts like never before? Is it an ego boost or a genuine desire to connect with people?

- Ravi Raj

Every so often, a cultural craze emerges out of nowhere, sweeps through the ranks of celebrities, and at present, podcasts appear to be enjoying that distinction. From pop stars to billionaires, actors to entrepreneurs and grifters, everyone is today jumping on the podcast bandwagon. They all believe they have profound insights to share, or some just feel that their daily gossip is so interesting that not disseminating it for public consumption would be a great disservice.

On your daily dosage of aimless doom-scrolling, you'll certainly find a clip or two of some celebs speaking in front of a microphone. What do they talk about? They chat about anything, from the mundaneness of their daily lives to their favourite recipes, and of course, the wisdom, or rather half-baked opinions packed as some greater truths of life everyone should abide by to reach the top of the ladder. Ashish Sawhny, the host of The Queer Podcast, tells that celebs are driving towards this medium because "it's a new way of expression for people".

Stumbling upon the contents of Dumb biryani, a recently launched podcast by Arhaan Khan, son of Malaika Arora and Arbaaz Khan, I can't help but wonder what's the point behind it.

Arhaan and his friends seem to be having fun with this project, bringing guests from the showbiz business and asking them lighthearted questions. What could have easily been a dining room conversation is being sold out to the public, and their follower count of over 52k tells there's no dearth of takers.