Explainer: Decoding the tradition of roundtables in Hollywood and Bollywood
What's the story
Each year, December becomes the month when actors, singers, directors, etc, assemble for nuanced and in-depth discussions/roundtables anchored by entertainment journalists and film critics.
These roundtables offer an astute analysis of the cinematic year gone by and are a way to catch up with the most acclaimed films of the year.
How did they begin and which ones are worth watching?
Find out.
Hollywood
'The Hollywood Reporter' hosts famous discussions
In Hollywood, entertainment giant The Hollywood Reporter is considered to be the pioneer of roundtables and is the frontrunner in the global film community through their talk show Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter.
It has spawned seven seasons with 91 episodes and featured guests such as Zach Braff, Peter Morgan, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gary Oldman, Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Zendaya, and Andy Samberg, etc.
Timing
Major categories of roundtables
THR's roundtables include categories such as Drama Actresses, Comedy Actresses, Comedy Actors, Reality Stars, Drama Actors, Showrunners, Directors, Actors and Producers, Writers, TV Comedy, TV Drama Actor and Actresses, Songwriters, Cinematographers, and Studio Executives.
In India, however, the roundtables are usually limited to Best Actors (male and female) and directors, with spotlight on mostly Hindi but sometimes also regional (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam) cinema.
Indian roundtables
Rajeev Masand is the trailblazer of Indian roundtables
In India, the credit for introducing this concept largely goes to former film critic Rajeev Masand, who now works for Karan Johar's Dharma Cornerstone Agency.
Some of his past guests include Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, and Sushant Singh Rajput.
Last year, he conducted roundtables for Netflix India and hosted actors who headlined Netflix's leading titles in 2023.
Other examples
Some other popular roundtables of 2023
Apart from the ones hosted by Masand, some other meticulous film and music roundtables that dominated the Indian cinematic space this year were by Anupama Chopra (Film Companion), Baradwaj Rangan (Galatta Plus), Rohit Khilnani (Bollywood Hungama), Atika Farooqui (CNN-News 18), and Vishal Chatkara (CNN-News 18).
Leading entertainment portals often host roundtables that encapsulate the best projects in both the film and the streaming world.
Insights
Why roundtables are so exhilarating to watch
Roundtables are interesting to watch because they often allow actors to share the process that went behind the making of a film/the development of a character and it's also an opportunity for artists to discover each other's work.
The viewers receive viewing recommendations, and these discussions often are the home of several never-heard-before stories about shows and films.
We love them, don't you?