Cyrus Says

In this episode of Cyrus Says Cock & Bull, Cyrus Broacha hangs out with non-fiction storyteller Balaram Vishwakumar and promptly loses control of the conversation.

They jump from Bollywood name lore and growing up in a Mumbai slum to ADHD careers, therapy schedules, Zomato-level logistics, traffic rage, and why Mumbai infrastructure feels personally hostile.

It’s chaotic, honest, slightly unhinged, and makes absolutely no effort to stay on track which is exactly the point.
If you’re looking for balance, nuance, or polite conversation, this is not it.
If you enjoy chaos, questionable takes, and laughing at things you probably shouldn’t, welcome home.
And to our regular listeners, welcome back home!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British filmmaker and writer Patrick Graham joins Cyrus Says for an unfiltered conversation about building a career in Indian film and OTT.
Patrick talks about moving to India with no connections, studying at London Film School, directing ads, and eventually creating some of India’s most talked-about horror series — including Ghoul and Betal for Netflix. He breaks down how OTT platforms changed after early controversies, the impact of censorship, why bold storytelling became risky, and how creative freedom slowly narrowed.
The episode also dives into Patrick’s work on true-crime documentaries like Dancing on the Grave and The Dupatta Murders, the ethics of telling real crime stories, criticism vs audience response, and what it’s really like to be a foreign filmmaker working in India.
Funny, sharp, and brutally honest, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at OTT platforms, filmmaking realities, and creative survival in today’s media landscape.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Cyrus Broacha sits down with chef, author, restaurateur, and all-round force of nature Romy Gill MBE for a conversation that jumps effortlessly from food to culture to absolute nonsense.

Romy talks about growing up in a steel-plant town in Bengal in a Punjabi family, navigating identity through food, and why she feels more Bengali than Punjabi. She opens up about opening her restaurant in the UK without investors, facing gender bias from banks, selling her jewelry to fund her dream, and how the BBC showed up just in time.

There’s deep food talk, Himalayan cuisine, Kashmiri saffron, game meat, papad politics, and why Indian customers want onions and chillies for free. Romy also breaks down what makes great hospitality, why staff should always come first, and how tips were shared across the entire team from chefs to kitchen porters.
Along the way, Cyrus does what he does best: derail the conversation with cricket, Bhojpuri and Bengali impressions, postmen food testing, alcohol debates, and questions no serious interview would ever ask.

Expect stories, laughs, strong opinions, and zero structure!

If you love food, culture, chaos, and conversations that go everywhere and nowhere at once this one’s for you.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Cyrus Says / Cock & Bull, Cyrus Broacha is joined by comedian and professional chaos-enjoyer Shamik Chakrabarti for a conversation that goes exactly nowhere and everywhere.
They talk about KRK firing guns (allegedly), Vande Bharat reels nobody asked for, cancel culture that cancels itself, internet outrage that lasts 48 hours, and why Indians secretly thrive on mess. There are bad opinions, worse jokes, and absolutely no attempt to be responsible.
If you’re looking for balance, nuance, or polite conversation this is not it.
If you enjoy chaos, questionable takes, and laughing at things you probably shouldn’t welcome home. And to our regular listeners, welcome back home!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode of Cyrus Says, writer and editor Sharmishtha Mukherjee is joined by her father, Air Commodore (Retd.) Bonney Mukherjee, for a conversation that moves effortlessly between nostalgia, history, humour, and survival.
The episode begins with Sharmishtha’s book Pudding: The Memory Keepers of Bandra — a loving portrait of a neighbourhood, its people, streets, food, aunties, trees, clubs, churches, and disappearing culture. Together with Cyrus, she reflects on what it means to grow roots, belong to a place, and preserve everyday stories before they vanish.
In the second half, her father shares extraordinary first-hand accounts of life as an Indian Air Force fighter pilot, including being shot during the 1971 war, flying combat missions, surviving injuries, and the quiet resilience required to return home and carry on.
The conversation also touches on Sharmishtha’s experience as a cancer survivor, family strength, humour as a coping mechanism, and the strange, beautiful ways people endure.
Gentle, funny, emotional, and deeply Indian — this is an episode about memory, courage, and the lives behind history.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.