The Aarushi Talwar murder case has been one of the biggest examples of a ‘media trial‘ in India. The case, which is still a sub judice matter has inspired endless columns, books and two recognized Bollywood adaptations will now be presented as a podcast, a lot on the lines of the worldwide phenomena, Serial. Titled – Trial By Error: The Aarushi Files, the makers of this podcast have been working on this since November 2015 and in a statement to Buzzfeed News, the podcast’s producer Ayesha Sood elaborated –
When we were first approached by Arré Digital to do this last year, we said the timeline was too tight. Ankur Tewari, Arré’s creative consultant, turned to us and said, well you’ve had eight years. In a way it’s true. I’ve been obsessed with this since 2008. We have recorded two episodes so far, interviews open up as and when people feel comfortable or are available. So it feels like it’s pretty live – which is exciting and scary.
The podcast will be eight episodes long and will be hosted by journalist Nishita Jha, who has been following the story since news of the murders first broke. Avirook Sen‘s book Aarushi (which also inspired Meghna Gulzar‘s Talvar) has been credited as the backbone of their research.
Popular music streaming app Saavn has partnered with with the digital brand Arré to produce this series and its first episode will be aired on May 1st. Needless to say, this is a big deal for fans of true crime stories in India.
Apart from this, Saavn is presenting an impressive collection of original, long-form audio programs for its worldwide user base. The slate of shows includes Trial By Error: The Aarushi Files, and two shows by renowned journalist and radio icon Neelesh Misra – Qisson Ka Kona (airing on May 1st) and Time Machine (premiering mid-June), a show covering mythology. In addition to these new original shows, Saavn Originals will debut with popular programs from Indus Vox Media. These include Maed in India, featuring interviews and performances by top indie musicians, and Cyrus Says, an irreverent, comedy talk show discussing current events.
The initiative will also introduce Saavn’s Artist-in-Residence program, a creative platform highlighting the best new musicians and bands. The first Artist-in-Residence is Nucleya, the popular and iconic Indian indie electronic artist.
Really looking forward to this!