My top 10 Podcasts of 2022

I think of myself as a podcasting connoisseur, following over 250 shows, and listening to 30 – 40 episodes on average per week, recommending my top 5 episodes to listen to every week (in my weekly The Last 7 Days post). But, as I listen to my favorite ones, listening to some for fun, and learning in-depth with some, also experimenting with the new ones… I have got a varied taste, so there’s no one genre that I only listen to. The point being, I think I have a few good podcasts that I can recommend, considering this is the end of 2022, would love to share a few that caught my eye this year.

Here’s the list –

1. Huberman Lab

Hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body controls our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health.

Check it out here.

2. Lex Fridman Podcast

Conversations about science, technology, history, philosophy and the nature of intelligence, consciousness, love, and power. Lex is an AI researcher at MIT and beyond.

Check it out on Spotify here.

3. WorkLife with Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to discover the keys to a better work life.

Check it out here.

4. The Colin and Samir Show

Colin and Samir, YouTube creators and podcasters that break down the latest news in the creator economy from a creator’s perspective.

Find it on Spotify here.

5. Business Breakdowns

Discover how companies work from the people who know them best. For each company, we break down their history, business model, financial statements, secret sauce, and bull/bear case.

Listen to it here.

6. My First Million

A podcast where Sam Parr and Shaan Puri brainstorm new business ideas based on trends & opportunities we see in the market.

Check it out here.

7. The Great Creators with Guy Raz

Every week, Guy Raz (creator of How I Built This) leads a deep dive conversation with someone at the top of their game.

Find it on Spotify here.

8. Aarthi and Sriram’s Good Time Show

A show on optimistic conversations with people building and creating new products and technologies, hosted by veteran technologists Aarthi Ramamurthy and Sriram Krishnan.

Check it out here.

9. Business Wars

Business Wars with David Brown tells the unauthorized, real story of what drives companies and their executives to untold riches – or to ruin.

Check it out here.

10. A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek

Every week, Simon Sinek talks with people that inspire me, about love, life, leadership, and silver linings.

Check it out here.

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Honorary Mentions –

(those that I’ve been listening to for a while now and are just excellent even after such a long time)

– TBOY (The Best One Yet)
– The Daily Stoic
– Cyrus Says
– Our Last Week
– The Ranveer Show
– SmartLess
– Happy Sad Confused

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My Top Songs/ Movies/ Shows and more of 2021

As 2021 comes to an end and having watched a ton of movies and shows, plus listening to music and podcasts, this is a list of, according to me, my top songs, movies, shows, podcasts of 2021.

Here we go…

Top 5 Malayalam Films of 2021 –

1. Drishyam 2
2. Joji
3. Nayattu
4. Kurup
5. Malik

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Top 5 Tamil Films of 2021 –

1. Master
2. Maara
3. Jai Bhim
4. Karnan
5. Sarpatta Parambarai

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Top 5 Hindi Films of 2021 –

1. Shershaah
2. Sardar Udham
3. Sherni
4. Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar
5. Sooryavanshi

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Top 5 Telugu Films of 2021 –

1. Most Eligible Bachelor
2. Love Story
3. CinemaBandi
4. Thimmarusu
5. Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020)

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Top 10 English Films of 2021 –

1. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
2. The Mauritanian
3. Pig
4. The Harder they Fall
5. CODA
6. King Richard
7. Don’t Look Up
8. tick, tick… BOOM
9. Belfast
10. Spiderman: No Way Home

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Top 10 Indian Songs of 2021 –

1. Kutti Story [Master] (Tamil)
2. Lagan Laagi Re [Songs of Love – Amit Trivedi] (Hindi)
3. Raataan Lambiyan [Shershaah] (Hindi)
4. Leharaayi [Most Eligible Bachelor] (Telugu)
5. Nenjame [Doctor] (Tamil)
6. Saranga Dariya [Love Story] (Telugu)
7. Rang Lageya (Hindi)
8. Lut Gaye (Hindi)
9. Aashiqui Aa Gayi [Radhe Shyam] (Hindi version)
10. Theerame [Malik] (Malayalam)

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Top 10 International Songs of 2021 –

1. Amaraya (Lucky Ali x Botzer)
2. The World We Left Behind (KSHMR x Karra)
3. Astronaut in the Ocean (Masked Wolf)
4. Anita (Armin van Buuren x Timmy Trumpet)
5. Gone Are The Days (Kygo x James Gillespie)
6. Cadillac (Morgenshtern x Eldzhey)
7. Sorry (Alan Walker x ISAK)
8. Follow You (Imagine Dragons)
9. On The Way (Russ)
10. Sideways (Illenium x Valerie Broussard x Nurko)

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Soundtrack Album of the Year – Zack Snyder’s Justice League

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Top 5 Indian TV Shows of 2021 –

1. TVF’s Aspirants
2. Ray
3. Aarya 2
4. Potluck
5. Jeet ki Zid

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Top 10 International Shows of 2021 –

1. Schitt’s Creek
2. Cobra Kai
3. Only Murders in the Building
4. Succession S3
5. Mare of Easttown
6. Dave
7. The White Lotus
8. Down to Earth with Zac Efron
9. Midnight Mass
10. What We Do in the Shadows

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Top 10 Podcasts of 2021 –

1. My First Million
2. Sway/ Pivot
3. Armchair Expert
4. HBO’s Succession Podcast
5. Naan Curry
6. Renegades: Born in the USA
7. The Ranveer Show
8. Cyrus Says
9. Variety Awards Circuit
10. The Big Shots – Dosa King

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Top 5 Performances of the Year –

1. Fahadh Faasil (Joji/ Malik)
2. Sushmita Sen (Aarya 2)
3. Andrew Garfield (tick, tick… BOOM)
4. Vicky Kaushal (Sardar Udham)
5. Nicolas Cage (Pig)

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Podcasts that caught my eye in 2021

The thing about podcasts is not everyone has an ear for them. That’s understandable. Some like to read, some like to listen, some like to watch, some are interested in all three formats. There are over 2.5 million podcasts globally, and maybe more, some hit the charts, some have a niche audience, and some are still building. Moreover, there are all kinds of podcasts – educational, entertainment, sports, music, interviews, business; there are short-form formats as well as some that go really long – but I don’t think there’s not a podcast in any category you can possibly think of.

I think of myself as a podcasting connoisseur, following over 250 shows, and listening to 30 – 40 episodes on average per week, recommending my top 5 episodes to listen to every week (in my weekly The Last 7 Days post). But, as I listen to my favorite ones, listening to some for fun, and learning in-depth with some, also experimenting with the new ones… I have got a varied taste, so there’s no one genre that I only listen to. The point being, I think I have a few good podcasts that I can recommend, considering this is the end of 2021, would love to share a few that caught my eye this year.

Here’s the list –

A. My First Million

A podcast where the hosts, Shaan Puri & Sam Parr brainstorm new business ideas based on trends & opportunities we see in the market. Sometimes we have famous guests, and they do it with us.

Check it out here and here’s their Spotify link.

B. Pivot

Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU Professor Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no other.

Check it out on Spotify here.

C. Huberman Lab

Hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body controls our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health.

Check it out here.

D. Armchair Expert

Armchair Expert is a weekly podcast hosted by American actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. Each podcast features Shepard and Padman interviewing celebrities, journalists, and academics about “the messiness of being human”.

Find it on Spotify here.

E. HBO’s Succession Podcast

The official podcast about the HBO Original series Succession. Each week journalist and host Kara Swisher unpacks real world events that echo the saga unfolding on screen. Guests include top journalists, writers, psychologists, as well as some of the people involved in making the TV show.

Listen to it here.

F. Life Kit

Everyone needs a little help being a human. From sleep to saving money to parenting and more, they talk to the experts to get the best advice out there.

Check it out here.

G. Renegades: Born in the USA

Renegades: Born in the USA is a series of conversations between President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen about their lives, music, and enduring love of America—despite all its challenges.

Find it on Spotify here.

H. The Big Shots – Dosa King

An epic drama about the exponential rise of P Rajagopal, the founder of Saravana Bhavan, and the shocking scandal that led to his fall.

Check it out here.

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Honorary Mentions –

(those that I’ve been listening to for a while now and are just excellent even after such a long time)

• The GaryVee Audio Experience
• The Daily Stoic
• Cyrus Says
• The School of Greatness
• SmartLess
• Snacks Daily

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My favourite podcasts of 2020

Podcasting is on the rise, so much so, that there are over two million podcasts on a platform, let’s say Spotify.

With its own advantages and disadvantages, when compared to text and video, one cannot deny that podcasts are just something else, with the type of content that can be heard, or the amount of depth it allows, or even the guests that speak, podcasting allowed all of that.

As of writing this post, I have heard over 17,000 minutes of podcast episodes in 2020 and with count, I’m now following a 103 podcasts on my primary listening platform, Spotify.

Having heard in this depth and discovering the podcasts, new and old, experimenting with some and getting addicted with some, I thought why not share, my top 5 podcasts of 2020.

These podcasts are not focused on value addition alone, but a mixture of everything – fun, entertaining, educational, insightful – every podcast is its own.

A. Our Last Week with Anuvab and Kunaal

– Hosted by Anuvab Pal and Kunaal Roy Kapur, there is no right or wrong way to describe this podcast, but its one of the funniest things you can listen to.

Check it out here.

B. SmartLess

– “SmartLess” with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind.

Check it out here.

C. Sway

– “Sway” is a new interview show hosted by Kara Swisher, “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well liked journalist.” Now taking on Washington, Hollywood and the world, Kara investigates power: who has it, who’s been denied it, and who dares to defy it.

Check it out here.

D. On Purpose with Jay Shetty

– On Purpose podcast brings fascinating conversations with some of the most insightful people in the world.

Check it out here.

E. Advertising is Dead

– Each week, host Varun Duggirala discusses the changes and developments in the business of advertising, branding, content, media and a whole range of issues that exist within the industry.

Check it out here.

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*Special Mentions*

– Snacks Daily

– Happy Sad Confused

– Cyrus Says

– The Tim Ferriss Show

– Bill Gates and Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions

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Back to checking out more podcasts and listening to them. If you’ve got a suggestion, do drop them in the comments below.

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