EPISODE 25 : PART 2 (OF 2) DR. STANNY PINTO CONVERSES ABOUT HOW HE ALMOST GOT KILLED IN A GANG WAR, HOW HE SUCCEEDED IN BUSINESS & THE UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE OF HIS LIFE TO THE BACHCHAN FILM ‘TRISHUL’

In the second and final part of our conversation with Dr. Stanny Pinto, we conversed about wise words from an encouraging father, how Stanny’s life as a political gangster almost got him killed in a gang war, the principles he used to become a successful businessman, and the uncanny resemblance of his real life with the fictional world of the Amitabh Bachchan film ‘Trishul’ … So please welcome Edupreneur, Influencer and life coach, Dr. Stanny Pinto, a man who will help us understand, how a bank loan is the mother of invention.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 24 : PART 1 (OF 2) FROM AN IMPOVERISHED CHILDHOOD IN A 100 SQUARE FEET TIN-WALLED HOUSE IN INDIA’S LARGEST SLUM, TO OWNING MULTIPLE SCHOOLS, STANNY PINTO CONVERSES ABOUT HIS INSPIRING JOURNEY

As I have grown older and understood the world a little better, I have realised that a lot of success in life is driven by our starting points. As a child, the better starting points we have in terms of money, education and family affluence, the better chance we have of doing well as an adult in the real world. With that in mind, the questions to ask of our guest today are, how does someone who grew up in a 100 square feet house with tin walls in Dharavi, one of India’s largest slums, end up owning multiple schools in the same city? How does someone who spent all his childhood sharing five public toilets with 250 other people think of starting his own university? How come someone with such an impoverished background be ambitious enough to think of setting up 100 educational institutions all over the country?

In the first of our two part searingly honest conversation with Dr. Stanny Pinto, we conversed about his childhood in the slums of Dharavi, owning a bike before he was legally allowed to drive, his life as a political gangster, how his entire family joined him on his honeymoon and finally, the ingredients required for the secret sauce of material success. Please welcome edupreneur, influencer and life coach, Dr. Stanny Pinto, a man who is not shy to admit that it is his shame as a child that has spurred his success as an adult.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 23 : PART 3 (OF 3) ACTOR ERROL PETER MARKS TALKS ABOUT HEARTBREAK ON THE HOLLYWOOD SERIES ‘SHANTARAM’, FUN TALES ABOUT SALMAN KHAN & A FUNNY YARN INVOLVING A SNAKE, A RED SHIRT & A GREEN SHIRT

He almost hit international fame when he was cast and even shot for the iconic series ‘Shantaram’, In the third and final part of our conversation with actor Errol Peter Marks, we seamlessly mix tragedy and comedy as we hear first-hand about his Shantaram journey from euphoria to dismay, Errol’s search for validation as a performer, hilarious stories about Salman Khan and a rolling in the aisles funny filmy tale involving a snake, a red shirt and a green shirt.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 22 : PART 2 (OF 3) WITH ACTOR ERROL PETER MARKS WHO CONVERSES ABOUT A SILENT RELATIONSHIP WITH GRIEF, THE ROUGH PATH TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL ACTOR AND HOW TO IDENTIFY RICH FOLKS IN ANY PARTY

In the second of my three part conversation with Actor Errol Peter Marks, we flew in diverse directions like his initial school years, his silent relationship with grief, his messy bond with his stepfather and the rough path to becoming a successful performer … so please welcome actor Errol Peter Marks, a man who knows exactly how the rich treat Kaju-badam and how they hold a glass in a party.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 21 : PART 1 (OF 3) BROUGHT UP BY STRONG, INDEPENDENT AND BROKEN WOMEN, ACTOR ERROL PETER MARKS CONVERSES ABOUT KEEPING PROMISES MADE TO A DYING MOTHER, FORGIVING WHEN ALIVE, HEALING & CLOSURE

He calls his life a comedy of tragedies as his parents separated very early in life and growing up, he never really had a father to look up to. Instead he was brought up by a set of very strong, independent, fierce and broken women.

In the first of my three part conversation with actor Errol Peter Marks, we get a very personal insight into what it is like for a woman in the 1990’s to be divorced with a child, what a privilege it is to be reared by multiple motherly figures and the importance of forgiveness and closure … so let’s welcome the man who has kept all the promises he made to his dying mother and someone who firmly believes that we should always choose to forgive and we should always choose to heal.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 20 : A DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY & YET AN ENVIABLE CAREER IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. DR. CURTIS COLE CONVERSES ABOUT GROWING UP GAY IN AMERICA, AIDS ACTIVISM & CONNECTING THE DOTS IN HINDSIGHT

His family includes the 12th President of the United States, folks who made a famous brand of bourbon in Kentucky and women who excelled in golf, at a time when it was frowned upon. However, all that affluence was lost by the time it came to his generation, and life was a lot tougher with food stamps and little money for winter clothes.

In a freewheeling conversation about failed violin lessons, a depressed childhood, self-loathing before he came out as gay, his endearing love story, AIDS activism and a history of student debt in the US, we finally managed to connect the dots, on how a man who has majored in Psychology and Medicine ended up building an enviable career in Information Technology.

Please welcome Global CIO of Cornell University, Dr. Curtis Cole, a man who believes that for a real education, pick the good teachers, irrespective of what they are teaching.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 19 : PART 2 (OF 2) WITH AD DIRECTOR RAVI GUNDYA DESHPANDE AS WE CONVERSE ABOUT HIS JOURNEY AS A SON, A STUDENT, A FATHER, A WRITER, A FILMMAKER AND MOST OF ALL ‘A GAON DOST’

In the second part of my conversation with advertising and film director Ravi Deshpande, we conversed about a father, who used to read the vedas to him, his career as a writer on some wonderful films like ‘The terrorist, Malli and Dubai return, his views on how cinema is an immersive experience and why, inspite of having a truckload of celebrity friends, he doesn’t really like to be seen with any of them in public spaces.

Please welcome Ravi Deshpande, a man whom I fondly call ‘Gaon-dost’ because his friend list would make up a whole village or maybe even a small town.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 18 : PART 1 (OF 2) WITH AD DIRECTOR RAVI GUNDYA DESHPANDE AS WE CONVERSE ABOUT SHARING BOOKS WITH SMITA PATIL, AN INFERIORITY COMPLEX & A REBELLION AGAINST PATRIARCHY WITHIN HIS OWN FAMILY

He comes from a family of landlords who were given Jaagirs by the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He has spent his childhood on the laps of greats like Kumar Gandharva, who used to hold private mehfils in his house. His father, a renowned writer himself, tried to push him towards cinema, while the rebel in him wished for a career in design.

In the first part of my conversation with Advertising and film director Ravi Deshpande, we conversed about a Maharashtrian boy’s childhood in Telugu land, a warm bond over books with the late Smita Patil, an inferiority complex because of his father’s sterling success as a writer and his own gentle attempts at dismantling patriarchy within his own family.

Please welcome Ravi Deshpande, a man who can make films, as effectively, as he can stitch a blouse.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 17 : ALMOST ORPHANED AT 17, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ARUN MATHIAS SAT AS DUMMY IN EXAMS TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE AT HOME. A WISE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW TO FACE THE DEMONS OF LIFE AND YET STAY HAPPY

He grew up in a chawl in Worli village, an iconic part of Mumbai which is fast being gobbled up by high rises. At 16, his mother died and his father was bedridden after a freak road accident … and he ended up hustling to put food on the table for his younger siblings. He sat dummy in exams for other people, wrote copy and eventually ended up working in production in films like Oh my God and Jaane tu ya jaane na.

Please welcome Executive Producer Arun Mathias, someone from whom we can learn, how to flow with the good and survive the bad.

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.

EPISODE 16 : PART 2 (OF 2) WITH FILM SOUND RECORDIST INDRAJIT NEOGI WHO CONVERSES ABOUT HIS RICH EXPERIENCE IN WORKING ON CULT ART FILMS & HOW THE AUDIENCE VALUES SOUND FAR LESS THAN VISUALS IN FILMS

Imagine a train passes by on screen and you don’t hear the passing train at all or a tiger roars in a film but instead you hear a dog bark. These are not really good examples but I guess you now understand how important sound is, in film making, but unfortunately, in the real world, the attitude towards sound is the exact opposite. The value of sound in the Indian film industry is highly underrated. Sound design is the kind of skill in filmmaking, the presence of which is never given enough credit for, but the absence is sorely missed.

In the second part of my conversation with professor Emeritus and sound recordist and designer Indrajit Neogi, we continue from where we left of and converse about the importance of sound in films and discuss his contribution in landmark art films like 36 Chowringhee Lane, Khamosh, Vijeta and Ardh Satya

Hi, I am Atul Taishete and welcome to my podcast ‘Conversations with Atul’.