Review Conversations with Legends: The Story of Guftagoo television series
Review Conversations with Legends: The Story of Guftagoo television series
Guftagu (originally Guftagoo) is a celebrated, uninterrupted celebrity interview show on Indian television, originally broadcast on Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) and later syndicated on Doordarshan (specifically DD Urdu).
Hosted by journalist and anchor Syed Mohd Irfan, the show dives deep into the personal philosophies, creative journeys, and off-screen lives of actors, writers, and artists.
Guftagoo” was a long-running Doordarshan interview series (2011 onwards) hosted by Irfan, featuring in-depth conversations with actors, directors, musicians, and cultural icons.
It became one of DD’s most respected talk shows
Timeline & PlatformsAugust 2011: The show premiered on Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV).
2011–2020: Enjoyed an uninterrupted, decade-long run on RSTV.
2021–Present: The show transitioned to digital formats, hosted on the Rekhta Foundation, and continued to air episodes on DD Urdu
Timeline & Background -
Launch Year: 2011 on DD National.
Format: Weekly interview/talk show.
Anchor: Irfan (journalist and cultural commentator).
Duration: Each episode ~30 minutes.
Run: Over 300 episodes
Concept & Story Behind the Guftagu Show -
The idea was to create a serious cultural platform on Doordarshan, unlike typical entertainment chat shows.
Focused on personal journeys, struggles, and creative processes of artists.
Guests ranged from film stars, theatre personalities, musicians, writers, and painters.
The show highlighted behind-the-scenes stories and gave viewers insight into India’s creative industries
Unlike flashy, commercial talk shows with restricted PR environments, Guftagoo was designed as a "heart-to-heart" explorative conversation.
The core concept was to give artists an uninterrupted hour to drop their glamorous personas and reflect on their social surroundings, passions, and struggles.
Anchor Syed Mohd Irfan’s interviewing style often focused on the human elements of the guests rather than just their immediate commercial projects
Interesting FactsRecord-Breaking Run:
It is widely considered the longest-running, uninterrupted personality-based chat show on Indian television, surpassing iconic shows like Tabassum's Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan and Simi Garewal's Rendezvous in continuous episode counts.
No Teleprompters or Scripts:
The show famously relies on long-form, unscripted dialogues interspersed with archival visuals, poetry recitals, and personal anecdotes.
Bollywood Actors Interviewed -
Irrfan Khan – reflections on cinema and theatre.
Jaya Bachchan – career and personal journey.
Naseeruddin Shah – theatre and film insights.
Ramesh Sippy – director of Sholay.
Pavan Malhotra – versatile actor in films and TV.
Rajeshwari Sachdev – actress and singer.
Ranjeet – veteran Bollywood villain.
Subrat Dutta – actor known for character roles.
Shweta Tripathi – actress (Masaan, Mirzapur).
Nawazuddin Siddiqui – candid talk on acting struggles.
Amol Parashar – actor in OTT and Bollywood.
Sameera Reddy – actress sharing personal experiences.
Musicians & Singers Interviewed -
Anurag Saikia – music composer.
Dolly Ahluwalia – costume designer and singer.
Tahira Kashyap (with Ayushmann Khurrana’s references) – writer, connected to Bollywood music.
Ghazal Alagh – entrepreneur, but episodes often touched on music/art.
Other episodes featured playback singers and classical musicians (archived in Sansad TV playlist).
Gulzar:
Discussed his evolution as a lyricist and his journey in cinema.
Imtiaz Ali: Explored his philosophy on storytelling and filmmaking.
Rajendra Gupta (Ep. 104): A look into his vast contributions to theatre and supporting character roles in Bollywood.
Akhilendra Mishra: Shared his background in theatre and iconic roles like 'Kroor Singh' in the Chandrakanta serial
Social Workers & Activists Interviewed -
Mallika Sarabhai – classical dancer and social activist.
Madhu Mansuri Hasmukh – tribal activist and folk singer.
Lipika Singh Darai – filmmaker highlighting social issues.
Oscar Pujol – Indologist and cultural scholar.
Robin Kumar Das – activist and social worker.
Namita Gokhale – author and cultural activist.
Pradip Krishen – environmentalist and filmmaker.
Politicians & Public Figures Interviewed -
Jaya Bachchan – actress and politician.
Ebrahim Alkazi – theatre personality with political/cultural influence.
Syed Haider Raza – painter, often discussing cultural policy.
Ramesh Sippy – filmmaker, but also spoke on policy aspects of cinema.
Other Sansad TV episodes included parliamentarians and policy influencers, reflecting the channel’s mandate.
Saeed Akhtar Mirza:
The parallel cinema pioneer behind iconic social-satire films and TV shows like Nukkad.
He used his episode to dive into the deep relationship between cinema, personal politics, and social activism.
Namita Gokhale:
A prominent writer, social worker, and cultural activist. She is co-founder and director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, using her platform to drive massive grass-roots literacy and artistic awareness
Girish Karnad:
A towering playwright, director, and fiercely vocal social activist who frequently stood at the forefront of anti-establishment, constitutional, and human rights movements in India.
Harivansh Narayan Singh:
A veteran journalist, editor, and politician who went on to become the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
His episode detailed his transition from literature and journalism to active parliamentary leadership
Muzaffar Ali:
The legendary filmmaker behind Umrao Jaan.
He is also a prominent political figure and social activist who contested Lok Sabha elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket and works closely with Sufi-centric cultural preservation.
Shabana Azmi:
An acclaimed actress who served as a nominated Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha.
Her episode highlights her dual life as a lawmaker and a fiery activist fighting for slum dwellers' rights and social justice.
Justice Markandey Katju:
Former Supreme Court Judge and former Chairman of the Press Council of India.
He appeared on the show to discuss judicial philosophy, social reforms, and his vocal stances on Indian politics
All 300 plus episodes are available on youtube Sansand tv
Playlist link -
Watch episode Guftagoo with Gulzar - sansand tv
One hour special episode of Guftagoo with renowned lyricist Gulzar. Born in Deena (Now in Pakistan) on 18th August, 1934, Gulzar came to Delhi after the partition. He thereafter began his film career as an assistant to Bimal Roy. He also worked with Hrishikesh Mukherjee in the beginning of his career. He started writing songs for films with Bimal Da's Bandini. Mora Gora Ang Layee Le is supposed to be his first song. Although his first film to be released was Kabuli Wala, which also had some all time greats like Ganga aaye kahan se. Bandini and Kabuliwala were followed by Sannata, Biwi aur Makan, Do Dooni Chaar and most notable of all Khamoshi and various others during 60's.
After getting recognition as a sensitive lyricist, he started writing scripts and stories for films. Then with Mere Apne in 1971, he turned Director. Since then he has given us lots of beautiful, serious and funny moments through his movies. He has written stories for around 60 films and directed 17 movies, each one a masterpiece.
Gulzar has won 5 National Awards and 19 Filmfare awards.
Gulzar has also been awarded with the coveted Oscar for Best Song with Music Director A R Rahman for the song Jai Ho! of Slumdog Millionaire.
