As this season of Itni Starry Baatein comes to an end, I take you on a journey with me and tell you my stories in this special episode – the stories that brewed behind the scenes of these starry interviews. Over the course of this series, I've done so many interviews that it was hard for me to pick which ones to talk about. Kuch mazedar, kuch chatp…

In 2002, a 20-year-old woman, Neha Dhupia, was crowned Miss India and 20 years later The Quint sat down with her after she was re-crowned. Neha recalls the moment she was on stage with her kids, husband and parents, reliving the dream. Neha who is also a mentor to women who compete in beauty pageants says that over the years it has become more and …

Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter Navya Nanda is the co-founder of Aara Health, a health platform aiming to create awareness and build services around women's health and hygiene in India. She is also the founder of Project Naveli, in collaboration with L'Oréal Paris, and will be a key spokesperson in ‘I Know My Worth’ Campaign. During her c…

Finally, India has some statistics which point to the current state of female representation in the Indian film industry and digital space. Spearheaded by Ormax Media and Film Companion, and supported by Amazon Prime Video, we now have a detailed study that reveals the state of female participation, from boardrooms to film sets. The Quint spoke to …

In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the mother-daughter actors' duo, Neena Gupta and Masaba Gupta, get candid about the behind-the-scenes stories of Masaba Masaba, now streaming on Netflix. During the course of the conversation, Masaba revealed that although Neena comes across as an unconventional mother, she is as conventional as a mother can …

On this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, Anil Kapoor talked about his recent release JugJugg Jeeyo, working with Neetu Kapoor and Maniesh Paul, Sonam Kapoor's pregnancy, his upcoming release No Entry 2 and much more. Recalling the time that Sonam Kapoor told him that he was going to be a grandfather, Anil Kapoor said, "I thought I won't feel emotion…

In the new episode of Itni Starry Baatein, we are in conversation with the cast of Shamshera – Ranbir Kapoor, Vaani kapoor and Karan Malhotra. The film is releasing on 22nd July in theaters and this will be Ranbir Kapoor's first release in 4 years. Karan Malhotra, Shamshera's director, shares how Ranbir reacted when he broke the news of him having …

This new episode of Itni Starry Baatein is all about Ratna Pathak Shah and Paresh Rawal's personal and professional journeys. With host Abira Dhar, they discuss their love stories, the lens that writers look at older characters through, the pay disparity within the film industry, what a comeback of Maya Sarabhai and Baburao should look like, and mo…

In this episode of 'Itni Starry Baatein', Sanjay Kapoor recalls the ups and downs of his career, the preparation that went behind daughter Shanaya's debut and all about his experience of working in OTT. Sanjay Kapoor is all set to bring back Rajiv Gural in the second season of The Gone Game, now streaming on Voot. The first season, which came out i…

In this episode of 'Itni Starry Baatein', we are in conversation with Krishna Shroff. Being Jackie Shroff's daughter, expectations were high from Krishna since her childhood. After discovering her love for fitness, Krishna turned this passion into her profession and is now a successful entrepreneur. During the course of our chat, she talks about al…

Pakistan challenged stereotypes when it crowned its very first Miss Trans Pakistan, Shyraa Roy, in 2020. A singer, producer and beauty queen — Roy will also be representing her country at international beauty pageants. But how did she get here? From her childhood to facing transphobia in her journey to success— Shyraa tells us all in this episode o…

Sonali Bendre, after her cancer recovery, is returning to our screens with the newsroom drama The Broken News, which also marks her OTT debut. The show is currently streaming on Zee5. In the show, she plays the role of Amina Qureshi — a headstrong news editor who believes in ethical journalism that places her at loggerheads with a leading news chan…

Archana Puran Singh and Shekhar Suman are making a comeback to the small screen to judge 'India’s Laughter Champion' – a new comedy show that aims to discover fresh standup comedians. This new show will be replacing 'The Kapil Sharma Show,' which is now headed for its US tour. Although the two have been a part of 'The Great Indian Laughter Challeng…

Actor Ashok Pandit is better known as 'Vinod' these days. This supporting character that Pandit played in an episode of TVF's comedy-drama series Panchayat has taken the audience by a storm despite his limited screen-time. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the budding actor speaks to us about his childhood days that were spent in Haryana, how…

Divya Dutta has been garnering a lot of praise for playing a negative character to perfection in her new release Dhakkad where she stars alongside Kangana Ranaut and Arjun Rampal. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, she talks about how the last 25 years in Bollywood have been for her, the first time on a film set, sharing the screen with Amitab…

We know Madhuri Dixit — the actor and the dancer but now we are getting to see the musical side of her as well. Recently, the talented star dropped a new single 'Tu Hai Mera' which is dedicated to her fans. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, she tell The Quint how music is in her system and how it keeps her family together. She also opens up a…

For those who prefer having pets over children, Sony LIV's new show 'Pet Puran' is surely going to be a fun watch. This Marathi web series is centred around Chef Atul, played by Lalit Prabhakar, and his wife Aditi, played by Sai Tamhankar, who set out to create a modern family with their pets Baku, a kitten, and Vyanku, a rescued dog. In this episo…

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has received a lot of acclaim for his versatile acting be it in a commercial or an indie film. In the course of his career, we've seen him play diverse roles — from Faizal Khan in Gangs to Wasseypur to Sadaf Hasan Manto in Manto. In latest film Heropanti 2 which got released on 29 April, we see the actor in a completely differen…

Ajay Devgn's latest directorial venture Runway 34 is an aviation thriller, inspired by true events from 2015, when a Kochi to Doha flight had to make a landing choice which could have gone either way. In the movie which hit the theatres on 29 April, Ajay and Rakul Preet are seen playing co-pilots. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the co-star…

From producing some of India's most popular saas-bahu TV serials to launching an OTT platform – Ekta Kapoor is all about taking big leaps. Her new production Lock Upp, which is a new reality TV series hosted by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, has certainly created some buzz. But how did the concept of Lock Upp come about? What made Ekta Kapoor ch…

Atul Mongia's new Netflix thriller series 'Mai', which tells the story of a mother seeking to avenge her daughter Wamiqa's death, will begin streaming on the OTT platform on 15 April. Sakshi Tanwar as Sheel is on a relentless pursuit to uncover the truth behind her daughter's freak accident as she deals with her personal tragedy. Alongside Tanwar, …

KGF Chapter 2 will be releasing nationwide on 14 April in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam. Directed by Prashanth Neel, this action-drama which is a sequel to KGF Chapter 1 will be starring Yash in the lead role. Ahead of its release, we speak to the director and his lead on Itni Starry Baatein. In this episode we ask Prashanth Neel what…

Actor and TV host Sunny Leone, who is enjoying the successes of her new web series Anamika directed by Vikram Bhatt, says that having gone through the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the Indian film industry, her time in Bollywood has largely been a great experience for her. In this new episode of Itni Starry Baatein, as Leone talks about the …

Two of India's most talented actors — Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah have come together on-screen for Suresh Triveni's Jalsa which is a story around inner-conflict, motherhood and class. In a candid chat they tell us about which female actors in the OTT space inspire them, how it is to be working women. They also opened up on how shows like Jalsa can…

Rahul Nair’s new Netflix comedy-drama stars Vihaan Samat as Ray – a young awkward, introverted man who is Eternally Confused and Eager for Love – and Jim Sarbh as the cheeky voice in his head. As Ray tries to navigate around the world of love, romance, and sex, 'Wiz' – a personification of his inner voice – says what Ray cannot say in front of peop…

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine blazes on, we speak to Dar Gai — Ukrainian director, screenwriter and producer who's been based in India for the last 12 years. She's been known for directorial work on Teen Aur Aadha and Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence. Gai was recently also a part of Gehraiyaan as the film's intimacy coordinator. In this new e…

Sonu Nigam whose melodious music popularised Indian classical in the Bollywood mainstream was recently awarded a Padma Shri earlier in January this year. On 10 February, he also dropped his new single 'Maula re' — a song dedicated to highlights the lives of children who have found themselves left orphaned in the Covid-19 pandemic. In this new episo…

After an illustrious career in Bollywood, Madhuri Dixit Nene is making her OTT debut, with Netflix Original The Fame Game alongside Manav Kaul. In the web series Madhuri Dixit Nene plays the role of a Bollywood star named Anamika Anand. In this latest episode of Itni Starry Baatein, we catch up with the lead actors of the show. While Madhuri talks …

90's heartthrob Bobby Deol is coming back on screens but not as a chocolate boy. He will be seen in ZEE5's Love Hostel alongside Sanya Malhotra and Vikrant Massey in what is perhaps one of his darkest roles — an assassin called Dagar. Ahead of the film's release, speaking to The Quint, in this latest episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the actor said h…

Dhairya Karwa who debuted in Bollywood with Uri: The Surgical Strike, will now be seen in Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan alongside Deepika Padukone. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the actor talks about how he made the leap into modelling and then acting after working a 9-5 job in a cubicle as a data analyst. He also talks about his early days i…

Shakun Batra’s upcoming film Gehraiyaan is set to bring four talented actors together on screen. Starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karwa — this will be a story of complicated relations. In this episode of Itni Starry Baatein, the stars and the director talk about the making of film. They also discuss how havi…

Pratik Gandhi has made the big leap from Gujarati theatre and cinema to OTT platforms now. After his critically acclaimed performance in a 2020 web series — Scam 1992, where he was seen playing stock broker Harshad Mehta and his Bollywood debut in 2021 with Bhavai, now the actor will be seen in Tigmanshu Dhulia's upcoming web show, The Great Indian…

Parineeti Chopra has certainly made a name in the world of Indian cinema with a lot of accolades and a National Film Award but now the Bollywood actor has also made her debut in reality TV. Alongside Karan Johar and Mithun Chakraborty, Parineeti will be seen co-judging for the reality show Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan that is set to premiere on Colors …

Siddharth Sengupta's crime-thriller series — Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anchal Singh and Shweta Tripathi is all set to premiere on Netflix on Friday. Ahead of the release, we caught up with the cast of the series in this new episode of Itni Starry Baatein, to get to know more about the show and the story behind its interest…

Ranveer Singh, who started his acting career with Yash Raj's Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010, has transformed as a seasoned actor over these year. His energy is infectious, and talents, incredible. After playing a wide range of characters, he will now be seen as the legendary, Kapil Dev in Kabir Khan's '83'. The actor said that people were sending him v…

From a sperm donor to a bodybuilder — Ayushmann Khurrana sets himself apart from other Bollywood actors with his versatility and the diverse range of roles he has played on-screen. In the second episode of Itni Starry Baatein the Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui actor candidly talks about the story behind his physical transformation, who came up with the n…

Pankaj Tripathi will be seen playing the role of PR Man Singh, the Manager of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team in Kabir Khan's sports drama 83 — which brings to life India's historic victory. What was the most challenging aspect of playing this role? How was it to meet the real Man Singh? And, what is the story behind-the-scenes? Tune…

We see the glitz and glamour of Bollywood but what is the story behind-the-scenes? Inti Starry Baatein is a weekly podcast where series host Abira Dhar catches up with India's favourite stars in their raw, uncut, uncensored avatars. VO: Abira Dhar Music: Big Bang Fuzzبقلم Itni Starry Baatein