Upcoming talk show 'Be A Man, Yaar', hosted by Nikhil Taneja, is all about getting Indian men to talk about things they have never done before

Sheetal

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There are many talk shows, but only some that initiate a dialogue. If Karan Johar is the master of the former format, he is the guest on the other! We are talking of an upcoming show, Be A Man, Yaar, whose trailer has already created quite a buzz. Hosted by writer-producer and entrepreneur Nikhil Taneja, the show will deal with diverse topics and answer questions that have never been answered before!

Nikhil has been actively involved in addressing issues that youngsters face and provides a platform on social media called Yuvaa, which produces content to educate, motivate and address millennials. In June, the social media platform as well as their YouTube Channel completed five years. While he has always been vocal about mental health, feminism and LGBTQIA+ community rights, with this show, Nikhil attempts to create a safe space for self-expression, and dismantling stereotypes through fun and engrossing episodes. He shares, “We were doing Yuvaa road show before Covid outbreak in 2019-2020 and visited many colleges. I had observed that while many people came forward to share their experiences and problems, it took an effort to get boys to talk. I started sharing my experiences and it helped them open up. The most common thing that we had found was men don’t talk about their problems, they don’t have a shoulder to cry upon! Many were never hugged or told that they matter. That’s when I thought if I could use my contacts and get men that Indians look up to talk and share their experiences. It would inspire and create a ripple effect of change that we all need.”

OTT route

Nikhil plans to tie up with an OTT platform after this season. While he had no qualms in turning host, thanks to his years of experience in journalism, he did feel getting comfortable with the camera comes with time. While the debut episode will be that of actor Vicky Kaushal, he has an interesting line-up of celebs like Karan Johar, Nakuul Mehta, Naseeruddin Shah, Zakir Khan, Naveen Kasturia, Amol Parashar, Vishnu Kaushal, Govind Kaushal and Sushant Divgikr.

Nikhil informs, “There would be bonus episode(s) where women will also be the guests, but we will keep it as a surprise till the end. Each one-hour episode will be power-packed. I was amazed at how each guest was able to showcase their vulnerable side and also open up. All of the guests this time were people I knew personally and there was no breaking the ice moment needed to get candid with them.”

Nikhil hopes to put together more than 10 seasons in the coming years and wishes the show creates a benchmark, a legacy for others to follow. He adds, “We aim at a fun, candid, unfiltered, raw and real conversation on modern day masculinity. And, for me personally, I would someday wish to have Shah Rukh Khan on the sets.”

The show is supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, with Amazon Music India as audio partner. It will stream exclusively from September 4 on Yuvaa’s official YouTube channel. One episode will be dropped each week. From Karan Johar pretending to love a girl in school days to Vicky Kaushal being called a biba munda, Nikhil says some answers even left him surprised as a host!