Nicely Done

Nicely Done

By Amruta Lakhe and Satya KandalaSociety & Culture
Download on the App Store

Nicely Done episodes

  • Episode 16: 'Tis our favorite season—let's talk Indian festivals

    In this episode, to mark the occasion of one of India's most beloved festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi, we talk about the mega culture surrounding the festival season in India. 

    From centuries-old folklore, varied festival foods that take hours of preparation, we reminisce traditions and discuss how we are making new ones in our current homes far away from our motherland. We also share our favorite childhood memories, and realize the debt we owe to our parents who kept our up spirits up during the long holiday season. Good 1: Evil 0.  




    Bonus: Can you ever just eat one chakli? We give you the definitive answer.

    Related Links: The Dogs of 9/11: Their Failed Searches for Life Helped Sustain It from The New York Times 


    46 min
  • Episode 15: Friendships through film — Dil Kya Chahta Hai?
    In this episode, we talk about all things friendship in Bollywood. In light of Farhan Akhtar announcement of #JeeLeZara ft. Priyanka Chopra Jones, Katrina Kaif, and Alia Bhatt, we take a walk down memory lane and revisit Akhtar’s directorial debut ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and examine why it’s become the millennial gold standard for friendship. We also talk about a few other films that tried to recreate the magic of DCH and fell short. Lastly, we talk about our hopes and dreams for #JeeLeZara and what we really want for these 3 women in the film.
    Bonus: Find out who says ‘Hum Cake Khane Ke Life Kuch Bhi Kar Sakte Hain’ too often. Hint: It’s a dad joke.  
    Links:
    NPR: The Future Is Uncertain For Women In Afghanistan Under Taliban Rule
    Firstpost: Akshaye Khanna's character Siddharth Sinha grounded Farhan Akhtar's coming-of-age film
    57 min
  • Episode 14: "Never Have I Ever" asked for better representation for South Asians on screen

    In this episode, we review the second and latest season of Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s Netflix teen comedy, “Never Have I Ever.” After a quick recap of the first season, we jump into the things that the show got right, like the mother-daughter on-screen pairing. We then move on to unpacking what it could’ve done better (are we still mocking Indian accents in 2021?)

    Finally, we explore the lost opportunities of the show. For instance, why did Mindy Kaling's fans and admirers tune in to watch tired tropes reenforcing South Asian stereotypes instead of a fresh perspective into the lives of immigrant teens?

    Bonus: Tune in to hear why someone should’ve dressed Parvati Patel better for the Yule Ball.

    Related Links:

    Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's on the Time Magazine's 100 Next 

    Washington Post's review of Never Have I Ever

    Vogue (India): Poorna Jagannathan on ‘Never Have I Ever’ season two, representation and wanting to turn producer

    Vanity Fair: Never Have I Ever Season Two and the Beauty of Tearing Up the “Immigrant Mom” Trope

    49 min
  • Episode 13: Summer Days: the past and the post-pandemic
    In our latest episode, we're talking about the summers of our lives.  We look back at some of our fondest summer memories of growing up in India and how those compare to the first post-pandemic summer of 2021 in the United States. From remembering the long and thick afternoons spent before 'desert coolers' in India to rethinking our own seasonal habits in the U.S., we're talking about everything under the sun. We also try to understand summer anxieties and why it's important to have the summer of your life, not someone else's. Bonus: Are you having a 'shot' girl summer?
    Recommendations: Catastrophe (TV): The Looper: The Romantic Comedy Hidden Gem You Can Binge On Amazon Prime (www.looper.com/401257/the-romantic-comedy-hidden-gem-you-can-binge-on-amazon-prime/)
    The Nation: Search Party (TV): The Rigorous Satire of Search Party (www.thenation.com/article/culture/search-party-review/)
    37 min
  • Episode 12:  Five friends reflect on the personal, the professional, and the pandemic

    Six months into the new year, while some countries are reemerging from the pandemic, others are still reeling from its last wave. However, in this midst, our lives are moving on.

    In this episode, Amruta and Satya talk to five friends about how their 2020 was, and what they are carrying into 2021. From changing jobs to having babies, these five people had a challenging year, which further complicated by the pandemic.

    Anusha Iyer talks about steadying herself as she moves to the U.S to pursue her PhD. Anuja Dongaonkar speaks about raising a new born in a scary world. Gandhaar Amin shares how he created a pandemic cocoon and filled it with music. Ellie Nan Storck speaks about being a travel writer in a world stuck at home. And finally, Shibani Gokhale talks about why she kept hustling, even as everything was suspended.

    Bonus: Listen to some of Gandhaar’s original composition. It is music that will heal you.

    Show notes:

    Follow Anusha’s journey as an immigrant student here.

    Follow Anuja’s updates here.

    Listen to Gandhaar Amin’s music for the GAP project.

    Follow Ellie Nan Stock at her job as hotels editor at TripSavvy.

    Follow Shibani Gokhale’s work here.

    58 min
  • Episode 11: “Mare of Easttown” and other super women who are super cops
    In this episode, we talk about television's latest super cop, Mare Sheehan, from the critically acclaimed show, "Mare of Easttown" that has TV fans on a binge. We spend many happy moments talking about how Kate Winslet brought on her star power and (women power) to show a middle-aged woman cop, fighting the bad guys on the street and the triggers of her past.
    We also talk about other badass female cops from television including Catherine Cawood of "Happy Valley", Stella Gibson of "The Fall", Vartika Chaturvedi of "Delhi Crime" and Ellie Miller of "Broadchurch". These women are complete professionals, sensitive family members, tiny bit scary and downright awe-inspiring.
    Bonus: Why do we always ask the world from women?
    Related links:
    Read up on Mare of Easstown and Kate Winslet here. 
    The Fascinating, Maddening End of The Fall by The Atlantic.
    Review: Happy Valley by Variety.
    46 min

About Nicely Done

From the publisher's feed

Friends and writers, Amruta and Satya, are constantly catching up with each other about their curated world. Their conversations about culture and context are now a semi-monthly podcast, Nicely Done,…