Podlovers Asia: All about Asian Podcasting

Indian Noir's Nikesh Murali shares how to write critically acclaimed fiction and capture India's Crime and Horror podcasting scene

May 08, 2020 Norman Chella Season 2 Episode 29
Podlovers Asia: All about Asian Podcasting
Indian Noir's Nikesh Murali shares how to write critically acclaimed fiction and capture India's Crime and Horror podcasting scene
Show Notes
In this episode, we are having a chat with the host of Indian Noir, Nikesh Murali!
Nikesh is a critically acclaimed crime and horror writer, as well as a globally acclaimed spoken word artist, the creator and voice behind India's number one storytelling podcast, Indian Noir. He is a Commonwealth short story prize winner and DWL story prize winning writer also received the honorable mentions for the Katha short story prize twice.
He's also the author of a multi award-winning Amazon bestselling short story collection, the Killing Fields and novel His Night Begins is adapted to an audio version for his podcast. Nearing the end of the storyline, I reached out to Nikesh to talk to him about the origins of Indian Noir and his take on creating such an amazing show.
We talked about:
  • Nikesh's origin story, how he went from spending decades writing novels, doing spoken word to diving into the world of podcasting
  • His writing process: Using TV and screenwriting techniques to create fast binge-worthy episodes
  • The unique structure behind Indian Noir and its multiple shows
  • Nikesh's take on the creative podcasting scene and how to tap into it as a budding podcaster/creative
Enjoy!

Timestamps
  • 4:57 Writing in a dying publishing industry: Nikesh's origin story
  • 8:18 Poetry and the beauty of recitation
  • 11:15 "I've always had a very dim view of the world" Focusing on crime, and the start of His Night Begins
  • 14:11 "What about our stories?" The void of Indian crime and horror stories
  • 18:43 Indian Noir's audiences span the globe because stories transcend cultural contexts
  • 20:31 Spikes in listenership from overseas (US, Middle East, Australia), and Horror in Asia
  • 22:46 A billion people and multiple languages: The sheer potential of translating Indian Noir
  • 24:46 Indian Noir's multi-show structure: Indian Noir X, One Shots, FearFM and Desi Crime
  • 29:09 "I do not think of Indian Noir as a podcast" Nikesh compares running his show to HBO
  • 29:56 "Television is the most superior, supreme form of storytelling, full-stop."
  • 32:37 The release schedule for Indian Noir, the podcast run like a TV channel
  • 36:44 My own fiction show, Tempered Fables, the lore and continuity behind it
  • 40:38 The beauty of oral storytelling
  • 41:50 Oral storytelling has always been the oldest form of storytelling
  • 43:58 How Nikesh feels about ending His Night Begins
  • 45:37 "I get complaints if there isn't an episode" The fierce loyalty of His Night Begins fans
  • 46:18 The pressure of ending a show, and writing a satisfying ending
  • 49:48 Nikesh Murali will be the sole actor of Indian Noir, and why
  • 53:10 The challenges of being a single voice actor
  • 55:12 Indian Noir as a duty, novel adaptations, and the satisfaction of making a podcast
  • 58:33 Invest in your craft, invest in your skillset
  • 1:03:59 The learner's mindset
  • 1:05:20 What Nikesh would like to see more of in the Asian podcasting scene - critical analysis of the scene itself
  • 1:11:13 EXTRA: More on fiction, backgrounds and accents!

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