The Awful & Awesome Entertainment Wrap

It's a special episode this week, with author and columnist Chetan Bhagat. Bhagat joins Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen to talk about his new novel, One Indian Girl. This is the first time Bhagat's protagonist is a woman and he's written it in first person. Find out what Bhagat did to get in the average Indian woman's mind (hint: it includes hot wax). Also, dear listeners, you might want to hear this one on headphones because Bhagat talks about delicate issues like fellatio and cunnilingus. Plus, Bhagat gives you his vichaar on whether Pakistani artists should work in India (he wants to offer them asylum) and Tannishtha Chatterjee’s response to Comedy Nights Bachao and a lot more. Listen up!

What an eventful week! Bridget Jones’s Baby, the sequel to Bridget Jones’s Diary, is out. Leena Yadav’s film Parched released. Netflix’s documentary on Amanda Knox’s controversial murder charges comes out on October 1 and in celebration of the Presidential Debates in America, Audi has a brand new ad that has Rajyasree Sen and Deepanjana Pal in a tizzy. Plus Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’s trailer launched to an explosive reaction: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have said they will not let ADHM release because of…Fawad Khan. Pal and Sen ponder on why Bollywood must be the only one to bear the brunt of breaking ties with Pakistan. Oh, and you have to hear what Sen thinks of the “Brangelina” divorce. Up your pop culture game with a little help from these two critics. And as always, there's a question at the end of the podcast. Send us your answers and comments to contact@newslaundry.com. For reference link visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/09/28/the-…rap-episode-12/

The Emmys were historic this year, and ​Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen watched ​have some highlights for you. Katrina Kaif ​won the Smita Patil Memorial Award,​ and as far as Sen is concerned, it's not worth outraging over. Find out why. ​ ​The documentary ​Bachelor Girls​ tells ​us ​how difficult it is for single women to find a house in Mumbai​. In more exotic news,​ Ellen Page ​and Ian Daniel​'s​ ​recent ​visit ​to ​India ​makes up the new episode of Gaycation​. Approach with caution — contains​ Baba Ramdev, who claims to have a cure for homosexuality. Up your pop culture game with a little help from these two critics. And as always, there's a question at the end of the podcast. Send us your answers and comments to contact@newslaundry.com. For reference visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/09/21/the-…rap-episode-11/

This week, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen leapfrog from critically-acclaimed documentary, Placebo, to the pulpy Freaky Ali. There's little agreement between the two of them on the film front, but when it comes to the new music released this week, there's complete consensus. Find out what they have to say about the "Bolo Har Har" from Shivaay and the first new release from Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga. And then there were the advertisements. Sen and Pal have a lot to say about the Mia, Adidas Odds and Amazon's #MomBeAGirlAgain campaigns. As always, there's a question at the end of the show. Listen up, and send us your comments and answers to contact@newslaundry.com. For references visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/09/14/the-…rap-episode-10/

Is "unauthorised" basically leave to speculate? Seems that way from Yasser Usman, who has written Rekha - The Untold Story, a gossipy, breezy read. Amitabh Bachchan's letter to his granddaughters on Teacher’s Day raises a number of questions. Is it just a PR stint to promote his upcoming movie, Pink? Speaking of Pink, we've found the best part of the film: Qurat-ul-Ain Baloch's beautiful rendition of the song "Kaari Kaari". There's a lot of beautiful music in this episode, and there's MSG - Sherdil. Listen up as Deepanjana Pal & Rajyasree Sen help you up your pop culture game. And as always, there's a question at the end of the podcast. Send us your answers and comments to contact@newslaundry.com. For references please visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/09/08/the-…wrap-episode-9/

From arty films on urban life to lesbians in Indian cinema and Karan Johar's new film, there's a lot that Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen have on their minds this week. Listen up as Pal offers an explanation for why Aishwarya Rai Bachchan chose Jazbaa (and not ADHM) as her comeback film. Sen takes you through two new web series, The 'Other' Love Story and Tripling. There's also their review of Island City by Ruchika Oberoi, which won an award and acclaim at last year's Venice Film Festival and is releasing this Friday. And you know you want to hear what they've got to say about Anthony Weiner's sexting scandal. Up your pop culture game with a little help from these two critics. And as always, there's a question at the end of the podcast. Send us your answers and comments to contact@newslaundry.com. For reference links, visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/08/31/the-…wrap-episode-8/

In this week’s episode, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen discuss Chetan Bhagat’s #BeatPeBooty dance, his new novel, One Indian Girl & we even read out some parts from the book. Rohit Shetty directed Return of Ranveer Ching ad & Anouk’s Bold is Beautiful ad both leave us with one question - what on earth was going on? Spending so much money on celebrities and production value and still not making any sense? We tell you how ad campaigns by beauty products are getting the basic idea of feminism wrong, and look! Indian Indie singer Nischay Parikh is on Billboard. Oh also, there’s a quiz question at the end to help you keep up your pop culture game. Write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments.

Did your last week go by watching uber patriotic videos that made your chest swell up to 56-inch with pride and nationalism and drove you out on the streets to celebrate the Independence Day? No, right? It went pretty much the same for Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen. In this episode, listen to them talk about the videos which did the rounds on the internet giving the occasion of Independence Day their own zing- the funny Kangana Ranaut starring 'Love Your Country' music video, a colonially hungover sketch by All India Bakchod and how can we forego Kangana playing Goddess Lakshmi in a Swachh Bharat campaign video. They also discuss Akshay Kumar-starrer Rustom, the trailer of the upcoming Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Pink, the rubber crocodile in Mohenjo Daro and the new snazzy trailer Ranveer Ching Returns among other things. And oh, we have a cool quiz for you in the end as well. Do write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments. For reference links, visit: www.newslaundry.com/2016/08/17/the-…wrap-episode-6/

In this week’s episode, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen jump on the bandwagon to discuss what the world cannot stop talking about- Olympics! Dipa Karmakar wins hearts and prayers while American athletes set camp on a ship. Freaky Ali promises to educate Bollywood about golf while The Great Indian Penis Survey hits below the belt (see what we did there?) with enlightening and amusing results. Oh also, there’s a quiz question at the end to help you keep up your pop culture game. Write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments. Produced by Kartik Nijhawan

It's the only podcast that goes fearlessly from arty Death in the Gunj to pulpy Mamta Kulkarni. Listen up as Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen talk about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the newly-launched TV channel FYI, cheer for the new Ghostbusters, salute Mamta Kulkarni, analyse the furore over Melania Trump’s photos in New York Post. Plus, there’s a quiz question at the end. Write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments. For reference links visit www.newslaundry.com

Did you miss Comic-Con in America? Don’t worry, we have it covered for you. What is right or perhaps wrong with Tata Salt’s campaign #NamakKeWaastey? In this week’s episode, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen review Kabali, Wonder Woman’s new trailer, Sherlock Holmes Season 4 & a lot more. Plus, there’s a quiz question at the end. Write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments. For reference links visit www.newslaundry.com Produced by Kartik Nijhawan

Have you wondered what Pokemon Go is doing to the way you see the world? Why does Qandeel Baloch deserve serious respect from all of us? In this week's episode, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen contemplate these questions, sex objects, Tam-Brahm boys, and more. Plus, there's a quiz question at the end. Write to us at contact@newslaundry.com with your answers and comments. For reference links visit www.newslaundry.com Produced by Kartik Nijhawan

Who tames the Indian male? Can Sid Mallya act his pants off? Is there an ad that you should watch? From films, books, ads, magazines, to YouTube videos, Deepanjana Pal and Rajyasree Sen bring you their picks from the world of culture in The Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap. Sen is a consulting editor at Scoopwhoop and a longstanding member of the Newslaundry family. Pal is our managing editor. You've read them both on Newslaundry and now, you can hear them too. In the first episode, Pal and Sen sink their claws into Sultan, cheer for the new Nike ad and tell you the truth about Bollywood award shows. Plus, there's a quiz for you at the end of the podcast. If you know the answer, mail us at contact@newslaundry.com. Visit www.newslaundry.com for reference links. Produced by Kartik Nijhawan