The Artists: Arts, Culture, and Cinema with Suchita Bhhatia

From Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! to Oscars® 2026 —Renuka Shahane joins THE ARTISTS Podcast (Episode 168) for a deeply insightful conversation on cinema, creativity, and conscience.Renuka reflects on her journey from Circus and Nukkad to the iconic blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, and her evolution as an actor, filmmaker, and storyteller.She speaks about her latest directorial work Loop Line — an animated short film shortlisted among 113 films for Oscars® 2026 consideration, making it the only Indian animated short on the list.The conversation also explores theatre as artistic foundation, money vs creativity, patriarchy in Indian cinema (then & now), AI and emotional ethics, and mental health in creative professions.🎙️ A rare, honest conversation with one of Indian cinema’s most thoughtful voices.📺 Watch now🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on cinema, culture & creativity⏱️ PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY/ APPLE FOR US TO REACH MORE ARTISTS AND THINKERS LIKE YOU AND CREATE A BETTER CONTENT.

CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Loop Line & Oscars® 2026 shortlist02:55 – Art vs commerce: why money can limit creativity05:50 – Pressures of success and survival09:00 – From Circus with Shah Rukh Khan to Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!14:00 – How an artist is shaped by surroundings17:00 – Why theatre is essential for actors19:00 – The cultural impact of Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!22:00 – Surabhi and Indian television’s golden era25:00 – Patriarchy then vs now: cinema & gender30:00 – AI, emotional ethics & creative responsibility41:00 – Mental health, work culture & the 8-hour workday#RenukaShahane #TheArtistsPodcast #IndianCinema #HumAapkeHainKoun#Oscars2026 #WomenInCinema #IndianFilmmakers #PodcastInterview#MentalHealth #AIandArt #shahrukhkhan #salmankhan

Two masters. One unforgettable conversation.Why did François Truffaut admire Alfred Hitchcock so deeply?And how did their dialogue reshape how we look at cinema?In this clip from The Artists Podcast, I explore this iconic exchange with Annette Insdorf, who brings a rare, first-hand perspective to Truffaut’s thinking and his relationship with Hitchcock.It’s one of those conversations that stayed with me—and I think it opens up something important about how filmmakers learn from each other across worlds.

If you’re interested in cinema, this is worth spending a few minutes with.

🎥 Watch full episodes on YouTube🎧 Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts

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#TheArtistsPodcast #FrancoisTruffaut #AlfredHitchcock #TruffautHitchcock #FrenchNewWave #CinemaStudies #FilmTheory #AuteurCinema #Cinephile #FilmPodcast

In 2025, The Artists asked questions that don’t resolve easily.

Why did Orson Welles come to be seen as a “failed” director by Hollywood?
How was Alfred Hitchcock really thinking?
Is data shaping content — or is content shaping data?
What does AI mean for filmmakers — ethically, creatively, existentially?
What lies at the core of creativity?
What is shaping the cultural imagination of India today?
Why is Bertolt Brecht still urgently relevant?
What gave David Lynch his singular imagination?
What do filmmakers like Raj Khosla continue to teach us about form, emotion, and restraint?

Across cinema, culture, design, media, theory, AI, and mental health,
The Artists became a space for listening.

We followed one central question:
What lies at the core of creativity?

We moved between legacy and the future,
between form and feeling,
between structure and imagination,
between technology and the inner life.

These conversations were never designed to trend.
They were designed to stay.

We’re back on Spotify & all podcasting platforms- Apple and more.
Over the past months, we’ve been building The Artists into a video-first podcast experience.

In 2026, the show shifts fully into a watch-first format on YouTube—
not to be louder, but to be closer.
To see pauses. To feel silences. To sit with ideas.

🎧 Stay tuned on all podcast platforms for audio episodes.
🎥 For the full experience, watch on YouTube: @suchita_filmmaker_podcaster

Stay Tuned on Instagram: @the.artistspodcast

If you’ve been here already, thank you for thinking with us.
If you’re arriving now, welcome — you’re entering mid-conversation.

This is not a finale.
It’s a continuum.

With gratitude to the voices who shaped this year:

David Sterritt, Siva Ananth, Suhel Seth, Evan Shapiro, Dev Benegal, Preeti Vyas, Abhishek Majumdar, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Dr. Avinash De Sousa, Anthony Sequeira, Todd McGowan, Amborish, Sunil Nair, Vivek Lath

And to everyone who listened, reflected, and stayed.

Suchita Bhhatia | Metaphysical Lab

PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY/ APPLE FOR US TO REACH MORE ARTISTS AND THINKERS LIKE YOU AND CREATE A BETTER CONTENT.

#TheArtistsPodcast #Cinema #Culture #Creativity #AIandArt #IndianCinema #Storytelling #DavidLynch #Hitchcock #OrsonWelles #Brecht #RajKhosla #MentalHealth #FutureOfStorytelling

Welcome to The Artists.

In this episode, Suchita Bhhatia sits down with Suhel Seth—businessman, columnist, actor, and one of India’s most sharp and unapologetic cultural commentators.

This conversation dives into the evolving idea of Indian taste—what shapes it, who defines it, and whether we are in the middle of a cultural renaissance or creative fatigue.

From advertising legend Piyush Pandey to the rise of influencer culture, Suhel brings a brutally honest lens to creativity, branding, nostalgia, and the shifting relationship between creators and audiences.

They explore:

• Who are we really creating for?
• Has algorithm-driven culture diluted artistic integrity?
• What defines modern Indian identity today?
• And what stories urgently need to be told now?

A provocative, unfiltered conversation on art, commerce, and the cultural psyche of India.

🎥 Watch the full video episode on our YouTube channel: @suchita_filmmaker_podcaster

Listen to 165+ episodes of The Artists across platforms.

Follow for more conversations on art, cinema, culture, and the minds shaping it.

#TheArtistsPodcast #SuhelSeth #IndianCulture #Creativity #Storytelling #SuchitaBhhatia #TasteOfIndia

Welcome to THE ARTISTS, podcast! We are thrilled to be fully on ‪@YouTube‬ and for this very special episode, we dive deep into the culture of modern India with the one and only Suhel Seth.Suhel Seth is a renowned Indian businessman, columnist, author, and public speaker. As the Managing Partner of Counselage India, he advises top corporations on brand strategy, leadership, and reputation management, making him a trusted voice on social and commercial trends for the Indian consumer base. He is also a regular columnist for leading publications and a well-known actor, frequently offering sharp insights on business, society, and politics.Join Suchita and Suhel as they discuss creativity, storytelling, the power of nostalgia, and what truly defines modern Indian taste and culture and where are we heading!

(PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW ON SPOTIFY/ APPLE FOR US TO REACH MORE ARTISTS AND THINKERS LIKE YOU AND CREATE A BETTER CONTENT.)

Video Chapters (Timestamps)00:00 – The Artists Intro animation01:07 – Piyush Pandey's core 03:10 – Creator vs audience - where is the demarcation 06:00 – What is the Taste of India09:34 – Cultural Renaissance or Creative exhaustion 17:10 – Who are you making your art for?18:00 – Algorithms, audience.22:00- Influncer & Branding culture ​24:27- Delhi vs Bombay, Why Bombay is a Shit show!​26:22- The urgent story we need to tell as ArtistsSubscribe & ListenThe Artists is now fully on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel here: ‪@suchita_filmmaker_podcaster‬ ‪@metaphysicallab‬ Join our instagram handle- @the.artistspodcast- to stay tuned!Listen to all 165 previous episodes of The Artists on our audio platforms:

A fantastic new episode of The Artists is here! 🎙️

This time, Suchita sits down with Siva Ananth — filmmaker and most recently producer on Thug Life, alongside legends Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan.

We dig into:

1. The making of Thug Life.

2. Collaborating with two stalwarts — Mani Ratnam & Kamal Haasan.

3. Why choosing the right collaborators can make or break a film.

4. Filmmaking as a team sport — like cricket, like soccer!

5. South vs Hindi cinema — the strengths, the gaps.

6. The deep bond between literature, cinema, and the audience.

7. The rise of Marathi & Kannada cinema.

8. The essential qualities of a great director.

🎧 Follow the.artists podcast for arts, culture, and cinema.

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🎙️ A Great Episode of THE ARTISTS 🎙️
In this riveting conversation, we’re joined by legendary film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, a long-time contributor to Cahiers du Cinéma, former lead critic of the Chicago Reader, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on Orson Welles. Rosenbaum—also the co-editor of the essential film book This Is Orson Welles—takes us deep into the cinematic and philosophical legacy of one of the most enigmatic auteurs in film history. www.jonathanrosenbaum.net

🔍 In this episode, we dig into:

1. This Is Orson Welles and Walter Murch’s new book on the craft of editing and sound

2. Who was Orson Welles? Myth, genius, renegade—or all three?

3. “All of man’s achievements turn to dust”—Welles’s haunting existential reflections

4. The elusive The Other Side of the Wind and Welles's fascination with dreamers and illusions

5. A timeless breakdown of the classic Citizen Kane

6. And finally, Rosenbaum reflects on Welles’s greatest quality as a director—his fearless ability to experiment, subvert form, and chase the poetic truth.

A must-listen for cinephiles, dreamers, and anyone interested in the mystery behind the lens.

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In this fantastic episode of The Artists podcast, we are joined by the legendary Sir David Sterritt—renowned film critic and scholar, celebrated for his extensive writings on Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and more recently, Martin Scorsese.

Sterritt, who previously appeared in Episode 89 where we explored Hitchcock, Godard, and Kiarostami (a must-listen if you haven’t already!), returns to unpack the essence of Pure Cinema—a term often used but rarely understood in its full cinematic depth.

He’s written for esteemed publications like MovieMaker, Sight and Sound, and Cinéaste, and his insights offer a compelling journey through both classic and modern film thinking.

🎬 This episode dives into:

1. What truly defines Pure Cinema

2. The dance between suspense, commerce, and artistic intent

3. Inside Hitchcock’s mind—his process, precision, and preoccupations

4. Vertigo

5. The ever-important role of the audience

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey

7. And yes, we circle back to Scorsese—briefly, but brilliantly

A treat for cinephiles, filmmakers, and anyone curious about the grammar of great cinema.

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🎭 A powerful new episode of THE ARTISTS PODCAST is live!

This time, we're joined by the brilliant Abhishek Majumdar—playwright, theatre director, professor at NYU, and an incisive thinker on all things drama and performance.

This is not just a conversation; it's a deep dive into the very structure of drama—where it comes from, how we’ve been shaped by Aristotle and Shakespeare, and how we can begin to break those molds to create original work.

🔍 What does the word drama even mean today?
🧠 Why does the structure of our storytelling matter?
🎭 What’s the relationship between audience and society—and how do we honour both?
📚 Why is wide reading essential for original creation?
🤔 And... why does Shakespeare still remain the most celebrated playwright in history?

Tune in for a truly enlightening episode—this one's for every artist, creator, and curious mind.

Music Courtesy: Francesco Biondi (IPI: 00542050494) pixabay - 

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DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.
The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.

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When a leading actor chooses to set boundaries, the industry takes notice.
What began as one artist taking a stand on working hours has now cracked open long-suppressed conversations about working conditions in the Indian film industry. What Deepika Padukone may never have anticipated is unfolding—a ripple effect that could spark real, long-overdue transformation, especially around the mental health and well-being of artists and workers across the filmmaking ecosystem.

From those in the spotlight to the countless invisible crew members working punishing hours—this episode of The Artists Podcast is a timely, urgent listen.

We’re joined by mental health expert Dr. Avinash Desousa of the Desousa Foundation in a powerful conversation as part of our ongoing series: Artists and Mental Health.
Together, we ask: Why is it so important to speak openly about mental health in the film industry—and what needs to change?

Digs:
1) Productivity vs Work hours2) Designing and respecting the well being of all in the crew3) Steps Production companies should take when working longer hours4) Women in the crew and the boundaries5) Building strong interpersonal relationships based on compassion and respect.6) Women are equal participants in the industry 

Music Courtesy: Francesco Biondi (IPI: 00542050494) pixabay - 

Follow @THE.ARTISTSPODCAST for insights!

Email id: [email protected]/ 

You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia,

For partnerships/queries send you can send us an email at [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.
The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.