The Desi Gaze is a podcast about (mostly) Hindi films made from the 1930s to the present. The goal is to assert "desi" readings and to dismantle the western gaze that is often imposed on Bollywood films. From the Soviet era to the rise of far-right rhetoric, the podcast will bring in-depth understanding of lesser-known Hindi films, Indian/diasporic socio-political culture, and its often-overlooked nuances. Your hosts are Dr. Ankita Rathour, a scholar of Hindi films and postcolonialism at Georgia Tech, and Azharuddin, a Ph.D. candidate at Louisiana State University, whose research revolves around post-9/11 literary culture. Ankita's website is https://sites.gatech.edu/ankitarathour/. The logo is by Ankita Rathour. The editors are Jason Christian and Ankita Rathour. Music is by Sujay Govindaraj.Thanks for listening!
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Booking probability
30%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchThe Desi Gaze is a podcast about (mostly) Hindi films made from the 1930s to the present. The goal is to assert "desi" readings and to dismantle the western gaze that is often imposed on Bollywood films.
The Desi Gaze is hosted by Ankita Rathour. The show has published 21 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "Ankur (1974, Shyam Benegal, Hindi/Dakhini)" (10 October 2026, 78 minutes), "Special Episode: Rang De Basanti (2006), Rakeysh Mehra: 2006 vs 2026" (2 August 2026, 102 minutes), and "Haqeeqat (1964), Chetan Anand: Indo-China, Cold War, and Postcolonial Nation Building" (1 July 2026, 86 minutes).
The Desi Gaze publishes roughly monthly, with episodes averaging 69 minutes across 21 episodes.
Booking probability for The Desi Gaze is 30%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Desi Gaze requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Desi Gaze's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for The Desi Gaze are Film & Video. The Desi Gaze has a tv audience.
Ankita Rathour hosts The Desi Gaze, a tv podcast with 21 episodes published.
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Episode #12
This episode unpacks one of the most important Indian films, Ankur (seedling) directed by the late Shyam Benegal . It stars veterans of Hindi, Oriya, and Kannada films: Shabana Azmi , Sadhu Meher , and Anant Nag in...
The student, the educator, the cinephile, and the rebellious Indian combine in this episode to unpack the relevance of the 2006 Hindi film Rang De Basanti . Ankita and Azhar do so via the Cockroach Janta Party led...
Ankita and Azhar unpack one of the finest war films in Bollywood history. Though set in 1962 during the Indo-China war, Haqeeqat (Reality) deals with the trauma of losing Jawahar Lal Nehru and perhaps his vision for a...
<p>Ankita and Azhar unpack one of the finest war films in Bollywood history. Though set in 1962 during the Indo-China war, Haqeeqat (Reality) deals with the trauma of losing Jawahar Lal Nehru and perhaps his vision for...
Episode #8
<p>Our latest episode dicusses one of the finest and heavily overlooked Hindi film Yahudi (English: The Jew) from 1958. Starring Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, and Nazir Hussain, the film is a testament of...
<p>Happy Karl Marx Day! In this episode Ankita is joined by Zane Merritt as they unpack the 1973 Hindi film Abhimaan.</p> Dr. Merritt is a freelance musician and academic currently residing in Buffalo New York. He holds...
<p>In this episode, we discuss the 1974 blockbuster Hindi film Roti. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Mumtaz, Pinchoo Kapoor, Sujit, Nirupa Roy, and Om Prakash along with the who's who of 70's Bollywood. We love Roti for...
<p>We bring you the first ever Hindi film jointly produced by India and the Soviet Union–the 1957 film Pardesi (Khozhdenie Za Tri Moray or The Foreigner), starring Oleg Strizhenov, Nargis, Padmini, and Balraj Sahani...
<p>Two besties analyze Mrinal Sen's powerful 1982 Bengali film Kharij (English translation: The Case is Dismissed). Based on the 1974 novel of the same name, the film follows a family after thier child servant dies of...
Episode #3
<p>Ankita and Azhar analyze India's Cold War anxities through the 1968 Hindi spy thriller Ankhen (Eyes), directed by Ramanand Sagar. India is facing a crisis as its "enemies" are fueling riots within the nation...
Episode #2
<p>Ankita continues to expand her thoughts/feelings on Dhurandhar, but this time with two of her favorite people–Vignesh Burugupalli and Mihika Gottimukkala. The three forged a cinephilic friendship after Ankita's...
Episode #1
<p>Happy New Year! Ankita introduces season two "Before the Collapse" as she recovers from acute bronchitis (welp!)</p> <p>But there's more...she shares her thoughts on Dhurandhar, arguably, India's biggest blockbuster...
<p>For October, Ankita and Azhar delve deep into the phenomenon, the legend, and the alleged last star of Bollywood – Shah Rukh Khan, also known as SRK. Why not a film? Because both have discussed their fascination and...
<p>Ankita and Azhar take you to Bihar this time–the richest Indian region before colonialism–plundered by many invading forces, including the British Raj and East India Company. Damul is a film about bonded labor and...
<p>Our co-host Ankita was invited on the The Socialist Shelf podcast, along with her husband, Jason, the co-host of the Cold War Cinema, a podcast about movies made during the first few decades of the Cold War...
<p>They say, save the best for last! We end our special series with an episode on myriad meanings and observations on Bollywood with Ankita's former students: Kandarp Vadia, Parth Parikh, Sai Lalith Kanumuri, and...
<p>May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you...
<p>May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you...
<p>Bougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya...
<p >Ankita and Azhar continue their love for Ketan Mehta and Smita Patil by discussing Mehta's Gujarati language debut film Bhavni Bhavai (1980). The film depicts the caste atrocities of India through the lives of...
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