Making friends in your 30s isn’t easy, and neither is standing out in India’s crowded content space. That tension sits at the heart of the new season of Simple Ken, Kenneth Sebastian’s podcast that has become a mirror to the lives of India’s most relevant creators, comedians, and lifestyle voices. From candid reflections on friendships and career moves to sharp detours into pop culture and parenthood, the second season feels like a collection of unfiltered conversations stitched together by Sebastian’s easy, understated style.
If you are yet to tune in to this podcast, start with Kusha Kapila’s episode, where she opens up about navigating friendships as an adult, her stint as host in Comicstaan, Delhi’s food, and moving to Mumbai. Thriving in her 30s, Kusha has found her footing as an actor and entrepreneur with her shapewear business. As Sebastian asks her about her acting career, she says she enjoys being onscreen even though she may not find conventional success, but nothing is stopping her from making her own projects. “Being on set has taught me to be a resilient, unaffected, unbothered person who has gone there to do their job,” she reveals.
The episode is candid, easy to watch, and Sebastian manages to capture Kapila’s journey with a tinge of humour. In this podcast, he brings social media’s most relevant sensations—Yashraj Mukhate, Kanan Gill, Ankur Warikoo, and more.
The episode with his wife, Tracy Viegas Sebastian, is an insightful experience on parenthood, navigating relationships, and having a girl child. “We come first and then the child,” says Tracy on prioritising their relationship over parenthood.
In an episode with singer and composer Yashraj Mukhate, known for his catchy tracks of reels, he discusses his struggles in Mumbai, which involved chasing musicians. Mukhate reveals how aspiring artists struggle for years for projects, and giving up early is not even an option. They discuss whether creators are born entertainers or put on a show on camera.
Conversations lean on nostalgia with comedian Rohan Joshi. The episode is all about ‘character assassination’ as they discuss pop culture’s favourite characters – Mojo Jojo, Powerpuff Girls, Mogambo, Spiderman, Venom, and more. He calls India’s iconic villain, Mogambo, the first supervillain that actually terrified him.
Perhaps what is most binge-worthy are the episodes with special focus on comics and comedy, zooming into the life and personal struggles of content creators, revealing their personalities beyond the likes. It would be great to watch more Indian comics make their way to the hot seat with Kenny, the likes of Zakir Khan, or even Danish Sait, who find occasional mentions on the show. Their stories of making it big in the content economy are likely to inspire many.