Hacking Bollywood
By Sidharth Jain
Categories: TV & Film
Hacking Bollywood is Sidharth Jain's book, read aloud chapter by chapter. Sid is a producer with over twenty-five years in films, and this is his field guide to building a career in India's film industry and staying in it. Each episode covers one survival rule: separating useful self-belief from the kind that traps you, becoming someone people can rely on, selling your own work, learning the business, and running your career like a one-person company. It's practical, honest, and written for anyone heading to Mumbai with a big dream and a nervous meeting coming up.
13 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- 12. Deposit & Withdraw
Every working relationship is like a bank account: you make deposits, you make withdrawals, and you never see the balance. Sid explains why people remember withdrawals more than deposits, and why asking a senior person for help before you've given anything back is such a costly mistake.From the…
- 11. The Business
Art and commerce aren't separate, and creative people who refuse to learn the business usually lose to the people who did. Sid explains how the money side of the industry works and walks through key deal terms, including options, minimum guarantees and backend.From the book Hacking Bollywood by…
- 10. Less Is More
Bollywood's default is to add more: more songs, more plot, more posts, more opinions. Sid explains why the industry is built that way and why restraint is such a rare skill. He covers cutting your work, choosing which opinions are worth sharing, and being selective about relationships and…
- 9. Head of Sales & Marketing
Many creative people believe good work should sell itself. Sid explains why that belief has ended more careers than a lack of talent. You're your own sales department. He covers how to stay visible steadily over time without turning into noise.From the book Hacking Bollywood by Sidharth Jain.
- 8. The General
Sooner or later, surviving in Bollywood means leading other people, and that's where many great soldiers stall. Sid explains why leadership needs a different mindset, not just a promotion. A general decides what the mission is, takes the blame in public, gives the team the credit, and has to say…
- 7. Audience to Creator
Most people come into the industry as fans who quote dialogue and have opinions about every release. Sid explains the hard mental shift from reacting to other people's work to building and releasing your own, and why every project you put out shows the world your taste.From the book Hacking…
- 6. Useless to Useful
Bollywood is full of people with potential who never get hired. Sid explains why delightful conversations and brilliant pitches aren't enough when the follow-through is uncertain. He also explains how to stop being merely pleasant to have around and become someone the production would genuinely…
- 5. Struggle Capital
There's no such thing as an overnight success. Most breakthroughs come after eight to fifteen years of work that nobody saw. Sid shows how those years can build lasting value instead of being written off as wasted. He also covers the practical side of getting through the struggle in Mumbai.From…
- 4. The 3 P’s
Three unglamorous qualities separate the people who last from the people who burn out: patience, persistence and perspective. Sid explains why things move on their own timeline in Bollywood, why being inconsistent hurts you more than failing does, and how to keep working on the next project while…
- 3. Fandom
Big breaks look sudden from the outside. Behind them is usually a small group of people who started rooting for you years earlier. Sid argues that real networking isn't about business cards or selfies. It's about how people felt when you were in the room, and how word about you spreads through the…
- 2. The Soldier
On every film set, when something goes wrong, people turn to the person they trust to fix it. Sid describes a production as an army that quietly judges everyone on reliability under pressure. He explains the difference between a tourist and a soldier, and why your reputation is built long before…
- 1. Delusion
Almost everyone arrives in Bollywood believing two things: that they're more talented than average, and that the industry will notice. Sid explains why talent only gets you in the door, why the industry is rarely fair, and how to keep the self-belief that drives you while backing it with…
- 0. About this Book
Sid explains what this book is and what it isn't. It's not a filmmaking textbook and it's not motivational fluff. It's a short handbook for the one skill the industry actually rewards: survival. He also explains how the chapters are arranged, so you can read straight through or jump to the one…
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