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South Central Ep 7: Allu Arjun controversy, crackdown in Cubbon Park
The podcast that delves into the stories shaping southern India.
In episode seven, hosts Dhanya Rajendran and Pooja Prasanna are joined by author Sowmya Rajendran, lawyer and activist Vinay Srinivasa, and journalist Rajeshwari Kalyanam.
On the controversy surrounding Allu Arjun and the tragic stampede, Rajeshwari reflects on the shift in public sentiment: "Initially, there was a lot of sympathy for Allu Arjun, but that died down after the whole spectacle once he came out on bail.” Sowmya adds, “If he goes to a theatre, he knew very well what would happen. He knew that there would be a tsunami of people.”
Sowmya also highlights the obsession with first-week box office collections: “Producers bank on strong word-of-mouth during this period. The desperation to draw crowds is evident in the aggressive marketing and sky-high ticket prices.”
Pooja notes that Revanth Reddy has made a political choice to project himself as a tough man who takes on even the most popular faces.
As the conversation shifts to Bengaluru’s public spaces and how they are regulated, Vinay points to the overregulation of parks: “Parks are commons. There should be no entry barriers, but there’s too much state control.” Dhanya adds, “We have very few public spaces that people can access. And when they can access them, there are all kinds of bizarre ad hoc rules.”
This and more. Dive into South Central for an engaging and insightful discussion. You won’t want to miss it!
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Audio timecodes
00:00:00:00 - Introductions
00:02:48:00 - Announcements
00:03:40:00- Headlines
00:10:00:00 - Allu Arjun controversy
00:40:09:00 - Public spaces
01:04:47:02 - Recommendations
References
The Werther Effect or Copycat Suicides
Tollywood's first families: The kings and queens who rule the Telugu film industry
Online promo frenzy: How dependent is the Tamil film industry on social media?
Raja Singh hate speech case no conviction- footage
Cubbon Reads, study trips or design meet-ups, Cubbon Park officials spare none
No anti-clockwise walking’ reads park sign board. Netizens react hilariously
Recommendations
Sowmya Rajendran
Vinay Srinivasa
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Rajeshwari Kalyanam
The Golden Road : How Ancient India Transformed the World
Pooja Prasanna
Dhanya Rajendran
New York Times’ Articles on the Blake Lively and Baldoni controversy
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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, edited by Jaseem Ali.
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