The ParrotHouse Podcast

Life is Tough, Even When You Are Dead | EP09

Let this peculiar folktale from one of the many temple towns of Tamil Nadu carry you across the veil of time, from murmurs of the living to the wispy whispers of the dead and long forgotten. Contemplate upon remnants of life that linger in death, as we reflect on how the dead breathe through the living.CreditsDirector: Nikhita SinghWriter: Aashika PrabhakarCast: Aditya Kashyap, Chanakya Mukherjee, Kartik Gopalkrishnan, Madhumoy Satpathy, Satyam Sai, Shivna Mishra, Shreya Sharma, Swara Vaishnav Sound Designer & Editor: hashparker Music Composer: Hasan BaldiwalaMusic Producer: Aman ArakhExecutive Producer: Divyansh ThadaRecording Studio: Space Cat Studio Poster & Social Media Design: Sanika KannawarSocial Media Planning: Jasmin Thakar & Ranjana SarkarCCF Support Team: Aashika Prabhakar, Ashmeen Bains, Archie Joshi, Ranjana SarkarIndian Sign Language (ISL): Video Production: Vivid SutraISL Casting & Direction: Payal Bose ISL Expert (Deaf): Sameer YadavISL Interpreter: Stuti KumariISL Cinematography & Editing: Mayank KumarCommissioning Producer: Dheeraj DubeyA CCF x Parwana ProductionHave a story to share? Email us at contact@centreforcontemporaryfolklore.orgCheck out our website for moreSupport our work- Donate here

Sohni Mahiwal | EP10

In this episode of Parrot House (तोता घर), the timeless Punjabi folktale of Sohni and Mahiwal — a tale of forbidden love, longing, and fate is revived to life. Sohni, a gifted potter’s daughter, falls for Izzat Baig, a trader from Bukhara. Bound in an unwanted marriage, she secretly crosses the Chenab each night to meet him, defying her family and village. But betrayal shatters their escape, and the river that once carried their love claims their lives. Told through poetic narration, haunting music, and a chorus, this episode captures how their love transcended death to live on in song and memory.Director: Nikhita SinghWriter: , Archie JoshiCast: Divya Sundrani, Kartik Gopalkrishnan, Jasmin Thakar, Madhumoy Satpathy, Nikhita Singh, Shivna Mishra, Shreya Sharma, Swara Vaishnav Sound Designer & Editor: hashparker Music Composer: Hasan BaldiwalaMusic Producer: Aman ArakhExecutive Producer: Divyansh ThadaRecording Studio: Space Cat Studio Poster & Social Media Design:  Sanika KannawarSocial Media Planning: Jasmin Thakar & Ranjana SarkarCCF Support Team: , Aashika Prabhakar, Ashmeen Bains, Archie Joshi, Ranjana SarkarIndian Sign Language (ISL): Video Production:  Vivid SutraISL Casting & Direction: Payal Bose ISL Expert (Deaf):  Sameer YadavISL Interpreter: Stuti KumariISL Cinematography & Editing:  Mayank KumarCommissioning Producer: Dheeraj DubeyA CCF x Parwana ProductionHave a story to share? Email us at contact@centreforcontemporaryfolklore.orgCheck out our website for moreSupport our work- Donate here

Say It To The Trees | EP08

Is there any way a secret can stay within its boundary of listeners? In this story, the King’s hidden truth reveals itself and finds a voice, questioning the dynamics between power and silence. Narrated through the eyes of nature (a tree), this tale makes you wonder if a secret or the truth is ever safe. CreditsDirector: Nikhita SinghWriter: Jasmin Thakar Cast: Ananya Ramchandran, Chanakya Mukherjee, Jasmin Thakar, Satyam Sai, Shivam Khurana, Shreya SharmaSound Designer & Editor: hashparker Music Composer: Hasan BaldiwalaMusic Producer: Aman ArakhExecutive Producer: Divyansh ThadaRecording Studio: Space Cat Studio Poster & Social Media Design: Sanika KannawarSocial Media Planning: Jasmin Thakar & Ranjana SarkarCCF Support Team: Aashika Prabhakar, Ashmeen Bains, Archie Joshi, Ranjana SarkarIndian Sign Language (ISL): Video Production: Vivid SutraISL Casting & Direction: Payal Bose ISL Expert (Deaf): Sameer YadavISL Interpreter: Stuti KumariISL Cinematography & Editing: Mayank KumarCommissioning Producer: Dheeraj DubeyA CCF x Parwana ProductionHave a story to share? Email us at contact@centreforcontemporaryfolklore.orgCheck out our website for moreSupport our work- Donate here

Queen Who Became the Dung Beetle | EP07

In this retelling of the folktale, a spoilt, grief-stricken King refuses to move on with his life after the passing of his vain, beautiful Queen. But when the Boddhisatta turns his curious eye towards the head-scratching Kingdom in abrupt standstill, the Boddhisatta makes the grieving King meet his Queen once again. Although now, she is in her latest form as a dung beetle. Would you love your soulmate if it were a dung-rolling, stink-collecting beetle? But more importantly, would it love you back, human? CreditsDirector: Nikhita SinghWriter: Ashmeen BainsCast: Aditya Kashyap, Divya Sundrani, Kartik Gopalkrishnan, Madhumoy Satpathy, Shivam Khurana, Shivna Mishra, Shreya Sharma, Swara Vaishnav Sound Designer & Editor: hashparker Music Composer: Hasan BaldiwalaMusic Producer: Aman ArakhExecutive Producer: Divyansh ThadaRecording Studio: Space Cat Studio Poster & Social Media Design: Sanika KannawarSocial Media Planning: Jasmin Thakar & Ranjana SarkarCCF Support Team: Aashika Prabhakar, Ashmeen Bains, Archie Joshi, Ranjana SarkarIndian Sign Language (ISL): Video Production: Vivid SutraISL Casting & Direction: Payal Bose ISL Expert (Deaf): Sameer YadavISL Interpreter: Stuti KumariISL Cinematography & Editing: Mayank KumarCommissioning Producer: Dheeraj DubeyA CCF x Parwana ProductionHave a story to share? Email us at contact@centreforcontemporaryfolklore.orgCheck out our website for moreSupport our work- Donate here

Khargosh Ki Zubaani | EP06

On the nights when the moon is shining in the sky with all its light, a shadow rabbit appears within it. The tale is one of true altruism, of finding unanticipated eternity in the grandest of places by the smallest of creatures. What begins as an attempt to keep a promise unravels the story of how moonlight, as one knows it today, has carried the memory of kindness and legacy forever. CreditsDirector: Nikhita SinghWriter: Ranjana SarkarCast: Aditya Kashyap, Chanakya Mukherjee, Kartik Gopalkrishnan, Madhumoy Satpathy, Satyam Sai, Shivam Khurana, Shivna MishraSound Designer & Editor: hashparker Music Composer: Hasan BaldiwalaMusic Producer: Aman ArakhExecutive Producer: Divyansh ThadaRecording Studio: Space Cat Studio Poster & Social Media Design: Sanika KannawarSocial Media Planning: Jasmin Thakar & Ranjana SarkarCCF Support Team: Aashika Prabhakar, Ashmeen Bains, Archie Joshi, Ranjana SarkarIndian Sign Language (ISL): Video Production: Vivid SutraISL Casting & Direction: Payal Bose ISL Expert (Deaf): Sameer YadavISL Interpreter: Stuti KumariISL Cinematography & Editing: Mayank KumarCommissioning Producer: Dheeraj DubeyA CCF x Parwana ProductionHave a story to share? Email us at contact@centreforcontemporaryfolklore.orgCheck out our website for more Support our work- Donate here