Zoya Hussain made her acting debut with Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz (2018). Her performance in the movie was appreciated a lot by the critics as well as the audiences.
This year, she made her digital debut with the web series Grahan which started streaming on Disney+ Hotstar on 24th June 2021. We recently interacted with Zoya and spoke to her about the series and a lot more.
When asked what response she has received for Grahan, the actress told us, “Honestly, it’s been really overwhelming. Obviously, when we set out to make this show, we wanted it to be well received. But, the reception is been really warm and positive, and really encouraging. So, it feels nice; I think we (team) all feel very humbled and just filled with gratitude because it was a tough shoot, it was a tough project, and given the pandemic, it has been an up and down year, so when something finally comes out and does way beyond your expectations, it’s a nice feeling.”
Earlier this year, Zoya made her debut down South with a trilingual film. The movie was titled Kaadan in Tamil, Aranya in Telugu and Haathi Mere Saathi in Hindi.
The Tamil and Telugu versions were released on 26th March 2021. So, when we asked Zoya about what response she received for her South debut, she said, “Very positive! Kaadan we shot a while back and it was held up because of the pandemic, they wanted it to be a theatrical release as it was intended to be viewed like that, and it was a very large scale film.”
“I always wanted to do a South film; actually I want to do films in all languages because I feel you shouldn’t confine yourself to just one. Now, everything is getting mixed anyway, and there’s so much amazing cinema in all parts of our country. So, yes, I really wanted to do a South film, and it came my way and I did it without thinking much because I liked the script, I liked the part and I really wanted to work with Prabhu (Solomon) sir as well,” the actress added.
While Kaadan and Aranya were released in March, the release date of Haathi Mere Saathi was postponed due to the second wave of Covid-19.
When we asked Zoya about an update on the release date of the Hindi version, the actress said, “Not as yet, but I hope that it does come out soon. Cinemas are not open right now and we must be careful. So, of course, it’s bitter-sweet again that it came out in Tamil and Telugu and it has not come out in Hindi. But, I hope it comes out soon.”
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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