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.
Apr 01, 2025 19:35 IST
When is a pasta not a pasta? And how a 'habit' of nuns made its way into global cuisine, including...
Tue, Apr 01, 2025
Mar 02, 2025 17:21 IST
It is not uncommon, even today, to see large groups commandeering vast stretches of Goa’s most...
Mon, Mar 03, 2025
Feb 21, 2025 18:06 IST
When it comes to food, there is no such thing as an origin story. Perhaps, that’s what accounts...
Thu, Feb 27, 2025
Feb 14, 2025 20:45 IST
Photo-op featuring Elon Musk and his children with PM Modi tells many...
Mon, Feb 17, 2025
Jan 31, 2025 18:05 IST
If once there was outright condemnation of those who dared to imagine love and companionship beyond...
Fri, Jan 31, 2025
Jan 24, 2025 19:28 IST
But the Academy has to make these nominations count. These stories of struggle and celebration,...
Fri, Jan 24, 2025
Jan 17, 2025 18:04 IST
He upended genre expectations even while working within a genre. What Lynch was really showcasing...
Fri, Jan 17, 2025
Jan 15, 2025 19:15 IST
A report in Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal has called for an overhaul of our...
Sat, Jan 18, 2025
Jan 11, 2025 07:30 IST
MT had a hold on the ordinary Malayali’s imagination that has few parallels, having moulded it...
Sat, Jan 11, 2025
Dec 28, 2024 08:00 IST
Now that it’s been established that audiobooks are, in fact, 'real' books, why not take advantage...
Sat, Dec 28, 2024
Dec 06, 2024 18:58 IST
From earphones to clothes, everything seems to have deteriorated in quality to encourage more and...
Fri, Dec 06, 2024
Nov 07, 2024 17:01 IST
Fact is that Kamala Harris ran for president at a time when there is great anxiety about new forces...
Sun, Nov 10, 2024
Oct 25, 2024 13:54 IST
What does it say about us as creators and consumers that we are so invested in figuring out exactly...
Mon, Oct 28, 2024
Oct 12, 2024 17:12 IST
The problem with Joker: Folie à Deux, from the perspective of those who loved the first film, is...
Sat, Oct 12, 2024
Oct 02, 2024 16:26 IST
Despite past differences, the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate have one thing...
Wed, Oct 02, 2024
Sep 11, 2024 11:47 IST
It is arguable whether Kamala Harris has anything more to offer on many of the issues that were...
Wed, Sep 11, 2024
Sep 04, 2024 14:00 IST
Those in dogged pursuit of things to outrage over have little truck with facts, no matter how...
Thu, Sep 05, 2024
Jun 15, 2024 11:46 IST
The story of the Vadodara woman whose right to live where she wants to is sought to be rescinded...
Sat, Jun 15, 2024
Jun 01, 2024 22:49 IST
Turns out, the exit polls on June 1 were the trailer for a film that never...
Tue, Jun 04, 2024
May 24, 2024 16:23 IST
Indian Express' Paromita Chakrabarti and Pooja Pillai debate Bhansali's cinema and his feminism....
Fri, May 24, 2024
May 24, 2024 07:10 IST
Bhansali’s ‘feminised’ films, where women’s egos, desires and traumas are prioritised,...
Sun, May 26, 2024
May 19, 2024 22:16 IST
For expanding our palates, a tip of the toque to Raghunandan Kamath, founder of Natural, and others...
Mon, May 20, 2024
Apr 27, 2024 15:16 IST
Written in crisp journalistic prose, it draws from the author's love for the...
Sat, Apr 27, 2024
Apr 10, 2024 19:16 IST
There is cinema from the state that depicts its best stories:The many, everyday moments of love and...
Thu, Apr 11, 2024
Mar 14, 2024 19:04 IST
Don’t get too comfortable, the film 'The Zone of Interest', warns us, because this isn’t about...
Thu, Mar 14, 2024