TPR Pod

We're back and have a brand new creator on the show! Abdul Rehman has had explosive growth on TikTok and then Instagram over the past year. You know him from his hilarious videos where he does everything from perform as a "Ladis", to becoming an exam invigilator, to parodies of influencer videos and more! Also, he is ONLY 15 YEARS OLD. Okay he just turned 16.   

Things discussed in this video:   

00:00 Intro  

04:35 When did he start his TikTok & Instagram accounts and how quickly did they grow?  

11:34 How things changed as he got more and more famous  

17:13 TikTok in Pakistan - is the fyp better now, meeting other creators, audience demands  

23:25 Have his parents/teachers seen the videos? How does he manage studies  

26:09 What does he want for a career? Do kids his age relate to Pakistani TV and movies?  

29:02 Audience questions!  

-Aun & Raheel’s drama  

-Who inspired the ‘ladiss’ character  

-How does it feel to be famous  

-How much did he study  

-What school he goes to  

-Hasan Raheem discussion  

-Merch plans and payments from social media  

-TOWEL CONTROVERSY  

-Billie Eilish  

-Constructive criticism from audience people  

37:56 Moving to YouTube, fans of his characters, how many towels does he have?  

42:55 Outro   

LINKS:  

Abdul's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@abd___223 

Abdul's IG: https://www.instagram.com/abdulrehmanasimm/  

Laiba Khurram: https://www.instagram.com/laibakhurramm_/  

Aun Mehmood: https://www.instagram.com/whoisaunanyways/ 

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupperRizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkharSarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Our first ever episode was a review of the first Doctor Strange, some SIX years and nearly 200 uploads ago. Now the good doctor returns in his second solo (ish) outing and there's a new Roundup episode (FULL OF SPOILERS) for it! Thanks to Rahail for joining us again! 

Things discussed in this episode:

00:00 Intro

00:40 Summarizing the whole plot

07:03 The biggest problem with the movie

14:48 “Look at all the special effects we have!”

18:21 America Chavez, post-credit scenes, Wong

21:46 Effects & visuals - DC vs Marvel vs The Batman

24:57 Narrative building in the movie - Strange here vs Strange in Phase 3

27:41 What would we have changed, and giving the movie a score

32:05 Outro

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Eid Mubarak, all. Don't listen to this episode with your parents. Or do, if they're chill like that.   

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Why did we want to do this episode; a discussion 

05:35 Kids growing up now will have a complete history of their parents 

08:12 Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp 

14:13 Our expert political commentary  

Weird Food Combinations  

20:04 Pani Puri, Nutella, and Bun Kabab stories 

27:45 People out here eating ass, teats, and more. WHY. 

33:51 Liver, haggis, daal palak?? 

38:08 Sheer Khurma, sivaiyan vs seviyan, Sarkhail goes to the markeet  

40:06 Eidi talk 

42:48 Interlude about Bilawal 

44:41 Eidi talk continues 

51:49 Chalant Advice Section Eid in the UAE Not following news but also not having FOMO How to grow wedding photog Instagram 

59:51 Telling Rizwan how to pose in photos 

1:02:22 The most scandalous story we have ever been sent   

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupperRizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkharSarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Nadir Nahdi is on the show! Nadir's a super versatile content creator, traveler. foodie, EXPERIENCE CURATOR and a lot of his work is about culture, identity and ethnicities. Part of his multi-ethnic background is Pakistan and this episode talks about his recent first trip ever to Pakistan.   

A very nuanced and insightful conversation, we talk about the different vibes of the cities, conversations and who controls them in the content space, divides in urban spaces and more. Jump in.   

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro 

02:26 What does Nadir do and why 

08:24 Why did he want to go to Pakistan? 

15:10 Did the trip live up to expectations? Could it ever?  

The Pakistan Trip: 

20:09 Landing in Karachi, first impressions of the city, its culture & divides 

27:11 Interacting with people, not speaking Urdu and how people reacted 

32:52 Seeing Lahore and Islamabad, centuries old histories, elitism & class barriers 

42:16 Ex-colonies inheriting and enforcing structures of power from their oppressors 

49:34 Going to the North, foreign vlogger stereotypes, making an effort to travel slower 

57:18 Pakistani creators who “should” have more followers, the roles diaspora creators can play  

1:02:57 How he got good at content creation, his next Pakistan trip 

1:06:09 Outro  

LINKS: 

Nadir's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadir.nahdi/  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Minhaj Ali Askari is FINALLY on the show! After a full year of us failing to coordinate with him, a fan request on Twitter had us get it together and make this happen asap. He talks a bit about his early days in radio and how he got into the horror genre, why others failed to compete, why brands in Pakistan don't invest more in the field and OF COURSE he brought some killer stories along. Dive in.  

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro 

01:37 Minhaj summarizes the early days of his career in radio & NAPA 

06:15 How the horror stories episodes first began 

13:51 How he focused more on the “story” than the “horror” aspects, and how the competition failed to understand this 

20:20 Why do brands not want to invest in horror/thriller content in Pakistan? 

24:42 The format of his show and how audiences participated, also how WE laugh at jinn stories 

31:32 Seeing common themes after listening to so many stories from people  

36:22 STORY 1: The possessed caller 

42:35 STORY 2: His first radio station’s building was haunted 

51:20 STORY 3: Karachi’s haunted offices 

55:44 STORY 4: Ali’s own incidents & Karachi’s old haunted areas 

1:03:00 STORY 5: His khala’s benign paranormal houseguest 

1:08:32 Why’d he start livestreaming on YouTube and how his journey has been 

1:19:44 STORY 6: A family story 

1:25:07 Outro  

LINKS: 

Minhaj's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MinhajAliAskari

Minhaj's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minhajaliaskari/ 

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupperRizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkharSarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Ariba Shahid is a journalist most known for her stellar work at Profit magazine, a standout publication focused on the Pakistani economy and business world. She is also known for her very popular Twitter account which can she can be found expertly threading the needle between her worklife and seeming expertise at, in her own words I promise, shitposting.   

We talk about her career, some of her more famous articles, some of her viral Twitter moments, and also about the recent TPR tangent of why Pakistani news and discourse seem to view factual discourse as something to be kept firmly at arm's length. All on the heels of massive recent upheavals in Pakistan's government.

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro 

02:01 How did Ariba become a business journalist? 

07:46 How she became a writer, and early days at Profit 

12:42 The award winning story about Pakistani Lawn being sold/smuggled to India, how it happened (LINKED BELOW) 

17:20 A discussion on Lotus vs Candi biscuits (LINKED BELOW) 

23:06 Why is Profit magazine’s tone so approachable/current? 

30:01 Twitter in Pakistan: fake news, fake trends, high school analogies 

40:48 Live-tweeting her way to virality during the TRG EGM 

49:22 Behind her “Stock Market Is Not An Indicator of the Economy” catchphrase, and wider issues of financial illiteracy in Pakistan 

54:37 The completely trash level of Financial News discourse on mainstream TV (feat. Shahzeb Khanzada’s abs) 

59:39 Drawing room discussions in Pakistan and their disconnect from facts, would she host her own TV show? 

1:06:12 Jinn Stories! O levels feat OBL, and Noor Jehan’s batcave! 

1:13:11 Outro  

LINKS: 

Her article on Pakistan Lawn and it's huge market in India: https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/12/26/pakistani-lawns-biggest-market-could-be-in-india-but-isnt-because-we-cant-have-nice-things/ 

Her article on the Lotus biscuit craze and why Candi could learn: https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2021/01/24/thinking-outside-the-wrapper-how-local-brands-like-candi-can-compete-with-lotus/ 

Her Twitter: https://twitter.com/AribaShahid 

Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aribashahid/  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Coke Studio season 14 has concluded and so we're following up Roundup#1 with this episode to conclude our review of the season overall. Best songs, videos, collabs, DISCOURSE, the future and more!  

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:08 Intro 

01:03 What was the Season 14 vision and was it achieved? 

06:51 Best 3 songs of the season - audience poll vs us 

16:39 Best 3 videos of the season - audience poll vs us 

22:30 Most unexpected collaborations of the season 

27:16 What is Coke Studio’s “job”? 

32:43 The different “Ages” of Pakistani pop music 

37:25 Where does Coke Studio go from here? 

43:06 Conclusion  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

When we recorded the podcast Pakistan had a working government. Now that we're publishing it things seem different. Last week's events seem like a year ago but come be distracted.  

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro & immediate chaos 

03:10 Chaudhry Shujaat to suddenly Chris Rock 

06:55 Rizwan reviews Daachi & Lahore food festival beef 

13:56 Coke Studio live performances live  

SARKHAIL’S COKE STUDIO REVIEW: 

19:03 Notes on the Season overall 

28:55 Three songs he has a hard time getting into, Rizwan goes on twitter 

35:57 Should it end now, and talking about react videos  

41:42 Ali Noor was cancelled in Rizwan’s eyes years ago 

46:36 Talking about Smash Burger & burgers in general 

51:09 Interlude about refugees who “look just like us” 

53:23 Ali’s witnessing blatant yet ignorant racism 

1:03:13 Miscellaneous thoughts: Denzel, John Cena, twitter, Foo Fighters 

1:11:38 Outro  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Digink is back. More than TWO years after his first appearance on the channel, the mad lad of Pakistan's art scene comes back to hangout and chat about a wide variety of topics. From not the best experiences working with Coke Studio reps, to agency woes in Pakistan for artists, to his NFT plans, and a surprising reveal about his musical inclinations; this chat goes all over the place.   

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro 

01:47 Why is he not at uni in and opening teasers for big plans 

08:09 His COVID update and commenting on the state of my room 

12:34 Working with Coke Studio 

20:23 Bad experiences working with agencies 

25:10 NFT projects he’s working on 

30:39 Talking Rastah, the Pakistani streetwear scene and his own merch 

37:12 Digink is doing music?! 

41:42 Looking to setup an organization for Digink 

48:46 Talking about Pakistan’s design scene, music scene, and his plans to combine them 

53:04 Future plans, Conor McGregor, why he got a fur coat, Forbes 30 under 30 

58:39 Heavily censored Jinn Story 

1:00:26 Outro  

LINKS: Digink's LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Digink  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks to our sponsor Manscaped - Check out the Performance Package 4.0 at https://Manscaped.com and use our offer code! * Get 20% off + free shipping with the code TPR at manscaped.com.   * That’s 20% off + free shipping with the code TPR at manscaped.com.  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod  Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupper Rizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkhar Sarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan

Hamza's BoyBawarchi account is a TikTok and Twitter sensation. You know him from his extremely calming, almost serene, baking videos on the platforms. Just Hamza and his baking, and a visual aesthetic that brings an almost meditative vibe to his videos.   

That's what I thought I'd be talking to him about, how he makes his videos, difficult baking experiments and the like. Where the conversation went pretty much immediately however, was a place that was far more emotional and deep than I expected.   

Things discussed in this episode:  

00:00 Intro 

02:38 Growing up in Pakistan and the US, adjusting to the moves 

05:49 How he got into baking in college 

14:11 How he developed his video aesthetic 

19:12 Why do people like his videos? What he thinks, what people say 

28:50 The deeper, spiritual connections to be found in food and living life with intentionality 

34:00 How does he decide what to make? Channeling his identity through the recipes he chooses 

41:23 A turbulent but revelatory trip to Pakistan, just as he went all-in on baking 

58:00 Our complicated emotional relationships with Pakistan 

1:02:55 Business plans, going to Pakistan to collab and learn local recipes 

1:07:34 Feelings of solitude, finding a community in the US, thinking about legacy & belonging 

1:22:45 Being from two places, why he might want to move to Pakistan, it’s okay to want to be happy 

1:30:40 How he wants to connect his faith to his work, Chef’s Table 

1:36:10 Shoutouts and outro  

LINKS: 

His TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@boybawarchi

His Twitter: https://twitter.com/boybawarchi

His Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boybawarchi/

His YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3RE-jX9J9Pj26NQM5q-XCw/about 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Thanks to our sponsor Manscaped - Check out the Performance Package 4.0 at https://Manscaped.com and use our offer code! * Get 20% off + free shipping with the code TPR at manscaped.com.   * That’s 20% off + free shipping with the code TPR at manscaped.com.  

Support the podcast by becoming a monthly patron on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/tprpod) or send a one-off token on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/tprpod)!   Find all our previous episodes on SoundCloud, Spotify & Apple Podcasts and follow us all on Twitter! Links to everything below!  SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/tprpodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6PvTahp... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tprpod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TPRPod Ali: https://twitter.com/themaholupperRizwan: https://twitter.com/RizwanTakkharSarkhail: https://twitter.com/Sarkhail7Khan