Pooja Pillai is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, working with the National Editorial and Opinion section. Her work frequently explores the intersection of society, culture and technology....Read More
Pooja Pillai is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, working with the National Editorial and Opinion section. Her work frequently explores the intersection of society, culture and technology.
Editorial Focus & Expertise
Pooja’s writing spans several key domains, often blending analytical commentary with cultural critique.
Art & Culture: She writes extensively on cinema, books, and the evolving landscape of arts and entertainment.
Technology & Society: Her work examines the human impact of the gig economy, the rise of AI in creative fields, and the cultural shifts driven by digital platforms.
Food & Lifestyle: She often uses food as a lens to explore history and politics, covering everything from the origins of pantry essentials to the impact of nutrition policy.
Politics: She closely tracks political developments in South and West India and provides commentary on international political transitions, including the shifting landscape of American politics.
Multimedia & Podcasting
Pooja is a prominent voice in the Indian Express’s digital ecosystem. She is the host of 'DeshKaal with Yogendra Yadav', weekly video podcast where she facilitates deep-dive conversations on Indian democracy, social movements, and current political affairs.
Notable Recent Works
Cinema & Identity: “SRK@60: Why Shah Rukh Khan is Bollywood's last, and only, superstar” – an analysis of stardom and the changing face of Indian identity
Global Politics: Commentary on the Trump administration’s misguided “war on woke culture” via typography and analysis of the visual semiotics of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attire during successive visits to the White House.
Art & AI: “An unequal music: AI is lowering barriers at the cost of music itself” – a critique of how technology is redefining artistic value.
Professional Presence
Pooja is active on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, where she shares her latest columns and editorial insights.
Her full archive and latest updates can be found on her Indian Express Author Profile.
Feb 14, 2018 00:30 IST
In the video of Manikya Malaraya Poovi, set against the background of a school function, we see a...
Wed, Feb 14, 2018
Jan 28, 2018 00:00 IST
It’s soon going to be India Art Fair season — reason enough to go scouring for books on art and...
Sun, Jan 28, 2018
Jan 26, 2018 00:39 IST
A virtual exhibition by Google Arts and Culture celebrates ordinary citizens who overcame great...
Fri, Jan 26, 2018
Jan 21, 2018 00:00 IST
Inside one of Mumbai’s favourite ice cream...
Sun, Jan 21, 2018
Jan 16, 2018 05:08 IST
"I get interested in strange things. I read a lot, and along the way, I read about this. About 10...
Tue, Jan 16, 2018
Jan 12, 2018 00:19 IST
A film festival at a Mumbai museum shows changes in Indian cinema...
Fri, Jan 12, 2018
Jan 10, 2018 00:00 IST
Separation and trauma are the twin strands that run through Andrew Voogel’s second solo in...
Wed, Jan 10, 2018
Jan 03, 2018 00:03 IST
Anne Morris’s sculptures and Idris Khan’s stamped texts seem to share a similar DNA of...
Wed, Jan 03, 2018
Jan 02, 2018 00:43 IST
‘Homecoming’ is at DAG Modern, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, till January 25....
Tue, Jan 02, 2018
Jan 01, 2018 00:25 IST
Pop-up restaurants and supper clubs making space for culinary experiments; Mumbai gets set to...
Mon, Jan 01, 2018
Dec 30, 2017 03:38 IST
Jeet Thayil’s latest novel is an ambitious, polyphonic work that veers into cultural history,...
Sat, Dec 30, 2017
Dec 24, 2017 06:00 IST
Malayalam superstar Manju Warrier on her second coming, growing up with dance and why, despite the...
Sun, Dec 24, 2017
Dec 21, 2017 00:44 IST
Presented by the NGMA in association with Sakshi Gallery, the show highlights the various ways —...
Thu, Dec 21, 2017
Dec 10, 2017 00:02 IST
Cherrapunji of today is gradually becoming less and less like the Cherrapunji of the record books,...
Sun, Dec 10, 2017
Dec 03, 2017 00:15 IST
And here's why they continue to work despite the meagre...
Sun, Dec 03, 2017
Nov 26, 2017 00:00 IST
As a Leonardo Da Vinci painting breaks auction records, a look at other works that have been...
Sun, Nov 26, 2017
Nov 21, 2017 06:31 IST
“There have been periodic exhibitions and people are familiar with Sakti’s work, but I wanted...
Tue, Nov 21, 2017
Nov 19, 2017 02:58 IST
In a phone interview to Indian Express , Prose spoke about the divisions that are driving Americans...
Sun, Nov 19, 2017
Nov 19, 2017 00:03 IST
In India to attend the Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest, writer Gary Shteyngart on the joy...
Sun, Nov 19, 2017
Nov 19, 2017 00:00 IST
The Britannia restaurant was set up in 1923 by Rashid Kohinoor. His son remembers the good old...
Sun, Nov 19, 2017
Nov 18, 2017 23:59 IST
Qarib Qarib Singlle actor Parvathy on 11 years of being an actor, the confidence to say no, and her...
Sat, Nov 18, 2017
Nov 18, 2017 01:47 IST
Writer Mark Kurlansky on how he finds the remarkable histories of unremarkable...
Sat, Nov 18, 2017
Nov 13, 2017 01:32 IST
Mumbai-based Tejaswini Apte-Rahm on why the short story is an important literary form what it...
Thu, Nov 16, 2017
Nov 11, 2017 03:51 IST
Event a collaboration between CSMVS, National Museum and British Museum....
Sat, Nov 11, 2017
Nov 10, 2017 00:00 IST
The Story Of Space, a festival in Goa, invites its audience to celebrate the concept of ‘space’...
Fri, Nov 10, 2017