Feminism to film analysis, the Tamil podcast scene is exploding

Podcasts are becoming a medium for Tamil youth to discuss, educate, build a community, and much more.
Mayo and Kalachara Kannis podcast
Mayo and Kalachara Kannis podcast

When Yogesh began the Mayo podcast in August 2020, he was looking for a space to talk about the body shaming and the discrimination he had experienced. “In the beginning, about five people listened to my podcast but when I began creating content regularly, I got more listeners, and now there are nearly 45,000 listeners," he says.

Tamil netizens must be aware of the scores of meme pages that have cropped up over the years. These pages not only provide humour but also critical insights into state politics, cinema, and other current affairs. Along with these meme pages, there is yet another medium that is becoming popular among Tamil youth and is used to discuss a wide range of issues that may not be welcomed by the mainstream media. Streaming podcasts on platforms like Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Anchor involve no costs and require nothing but an enthusiastic host who is aware of what they are talking about and a guest or two, if necessary.

The topics discussed on Tamil podcasts form a broad spectrum and range from anything as controversial as caste-based reservation and sex education to mental health and detailed movie analyses. A common thread that runs through most Tamil podcasts is the discussion on feminism and the problematic portrayal of women in Kollywood. Kalachara Kannis, a podcast hosted by Kimi, dedicated entire episodes to the online harassment of women and how they are expected to be the torchbearers of ‘culture’ while such impositions are hardly made on men. “I consciously choose to have such conversations in my podcast and pick topics that are still not discussed openly by the majority,” the host says. She adds that her podcast is aimed at people across age groups who hold on to conservative values that restrict women’s advancement in society.

However, not all Tamil podcasts deal with serious themes. Loudugobal, for instance, had a light-hearted conversation on online dating, exploring the current dating scene, and the hosts and the guests interspersed the episode with humorous personal anecdotes. The Book Show, Va Mame Podcast, Vada Poche Podcast, and Yours Positively are some podcasts that discuss book reviews, mental health, and other subjects in an entertaining manner.

The growing popularity of Tamil podcasts can be attributed to Schummy Vanna Kaviyangal (SVK), a team of three young men who were one of the first few to stream podcasts in Tamil before the trend caught on. Their podcast discussed a variety of issues including caste-based discrimination, Dravidian politics, and cinema but it was shut down towards the end of 2020 after it was allegedly hacked. Newer podcasts like Cheems Rajah and Loudugobal believe that it was SVK which paved the way for aspiring podcasters to channelise the medium to discuss a wide range of issues, and form a community with like-minded people.

Podcasters like Kimi prefer this medium over YouTube because of privacy. “Podcasts give you the advantage of conversing about your favourite topics without revealing your identity. This idea worked with memes to some extent, but podcasts provide a larger space to discuss complex issues,” she adds.

Yogesh says Tamil YouTube has reached a saturation point and has become a medium for ‘family entertainment’ and might not be a suitable place to discuss ‘controversial’ subjects. “The younger generation is always on the lookout for newer content and platforms and since our target audience falls under this category, podcasters prefer this medium over YouTube channels,” he says.

Another possible reason for Tamil content creators to prefer making podcasts instead of YouTube videos is the lack of censorship on podcast streaming platforms. Since the Tamil podcasts are largely in a conversational manner, the host and the guests might use profanities which might lead to their content being reported on platforms like YouTube and other social media sites.

However, podcasts are not without their limitations. Since there are a significant number of people using this medium, there is a chance of topics becoming repetitive. Further, podcasts like those streamed by SVK discuss controversial subjects in a forthright manner and that can make the hosts targets of vitriolic online trolling. Yogesh believes that there is little censorship which offers podcasters greater freedom to use profanities and make fun of controversial issues like casteism, the romanticisation of stalking in Tamil cinema and so on. “But there are some creators who are subtle and use lesser profanities just to remain safe. This might also become a limitation because they might be censoring themselves to avoid trouble,” he says.

The growing popularity of podcasts, Tamil or otherwise, can be attributed to people’s inherent ability and need to multitask. People tend to listen to podcasts while they are driving, going for a walk, or while finishing up their chores. Listening to podcasts during such activities does not just reduce the monotony of it but helps people save time and learn new things while getting the errands done. Most Tamil podcasts hold discussions on problematic issues that may not have been perceived that way earlier, and their audience also seems to resonate with such content. The idea that Tamil podcasts are an ‘alternative’ source of information/entertainment is still prevalent, but a significant number of people are finding the content relatable which provides an impetus for more creators to choose this platform.

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