Soha Ali Khan’s podcast, All About Her, doesn’t fall into the typical ‘by woman, for women’ trope but goes beyond it, with conversations that come both as a breath of fresh air and a scent of meaningfulness. With eight episodes so far, it primarily focuses on women’s wellness, and takes a nuanced approach on sexism, gender stereotypes, inequality, and feminism. Along with bringing interesting personalities across industries—be it health, cinema, or politics—the podcast also invites experts suitable to each conversation and creates a space to discuss “all about her”. The conversations don’t just scratch the surface, but delve deeper into the challenges, joy, and dilemmas women experience everyday in their lives.
From an episode with Smriti Irani busting myths about Indian politics and another with Kusha Kapila on menstruation, taboos attached to it, and PCOD, the series serves a taste of everything. In her most recent episode with Kareena Kapoor Khan on positive parenting, she discusses parenting styles and internet exposure. The conversation is candid yet driven by a purpose. It also delves into Kareena’s experiences of raising her children amidst the paparazzi culture. In another conversation with journalists Faye D’Souza and Palki Sharma, Soha doesn’t stick to typical questions asked to working women on work-life balance and managing motherhood and careers, but discusses the media industry at large, including serious topics such as news, opinions, press freedom in India, coverage of sensitive issues, and workplace harassment.
Along with asking thoughtful questions, the host not only takes the conversation forward but enriches it with her own insights and anecdotes. Her skill of moulding a usual topic and bending it into a new theme prevents the podcast from feeling like a regular question-answer series. The co-presence of a public figure and an expert helps the series strike the balance between knowledge and information on one hand and experience and insight on the other.
The podcast is about women, but not just for women. Soha also says in an introductory Instagram reel, “It’s about her but it’s also for him, because we walk this planet together.” Even people who are not regular podcast listeners can be easily glued. However, despite the host’s finesse for asking intriguing questions, the podcast could benefit from reversing the perspective, exploring the role of men and how they can create a space for women as they continue to navigate male-dominated fields and break gender stereotypes.
