There’s a certain calm in Raj Shamani’s demeanour, eyes fixated on the person opposite him, as if reading his guest in silence. His podcast room is put together minimally, a table with speakers on both ends and a few book shelves on the dark painted walls, to keep the focus on the conversations. Shamani sits across casually, as if in for an informal conversation over coffee, no matter who the guest is. Perhaps that is why when he dropped the ‘podcast of the decade’ he remained unflinched even as India’s most wanted personality—Vijay Mallya—sat in front of him, answering questions that have remained unanswered for years. The podcast garnered 26 million views and is one of the longest podcasts stretching to four hours. Shamani manages to do what Indian media and even the government couldn’t do in more than a decade—get Mallya to talk about his side of the story. This episode becomes a turning point not only in Shamani’s career but also in the overflooding podcast genre where everyone is a podcaster and content is being supplied more than it is being demanded.
In a world where content creators are churning out content minus quality and relevance, Shamani’s YouTube channel has the biggest leaders in the industry sharing their stories and discussing facts rather than fluff—the reason why the likes of Bill Gates, Martin Garrix, entrepreneur Viraj Bahl, Anupam Kher, Aamir Khan did not hesitate for a bit to sit down over long conversations with Shamani. In seven years, he has managed to churn out relevant episodes with hundreds of guests week after week, strengthening his following among the audiences.
In his much talked about episode with Karan Johar where he opens up in a rare event on his insecurities and weight loss, Shamani discusses nepotism, identity crisis and childhood memories. With actor Ananya Panday, he discusses modern relationships and commitment, he takes one back in time with Anupam Kher’s life story and his tryst with loneliness, with Kangana Ranaut, he discusses her rebellious childhood and her political turn. For the young, he brings out investment advises in the episode with BnW’s Ankur Aggarwal, he also brings Union minister Nitin Gadkari to his podcast. Shamani has something to offer for all sets of audiences. What he masters is his ability to listen and intervene minimally with questions, allowing the guests to talk their heart out.
His podcast is wholesome, informative and inspiring and now as Shamani’s on a roll (after Vijay Mallya’s podcast) greater and more interesting content can be expected from the channel in months to come.