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.
Dec 31, 2022 18:22 IST
Whether or not the film revolutionises the genre, it marks out Rajamouli as a director with a...
Thu, Jan 05, 2023
Dec 24, 2022 04:13 IST
Without doubt, Tarantino’s critical perspective is wider and more generous in its scope than...
Sat, Dec 24, 2022
Nov 26, 2022 05:33 IST
The answer to the question posed by the book Women, Gender and Religious Nationalism — why women...
Sat, Nov 26, 2022
Nov 02, 2022 17:38 IST
In a career full of risks and reinventions, Khan’s latest gamble is becoming an action movie star...
Wed, Nov 02, 2022
Oct 31, 2022 19:46 IST
The ordinariness of what is on view is a comment on the threat an intrusive camera poses to anyone...
Mon, Oct 31, 2022
Oct 08, 2022 18:47 IST
From Marilyn Monroe’s iconic white bias-cut dress to Kashmiri shawls and jodhpurs, the book...
Mon, Oct 10, 2022
Oct 08, 2022 04:05 IST
Over the centuries, the seat in India has taken many forms, shapes and styles. It begins with the...
Sat, Oct 08, 2022
Oct 02, 2022 12:42 IST
While it claims to be more, the Netflix film reduces the Hollywood legend to a sexual and...
Wed, Oct 05, 2022
Sep 14, 2022 12:48 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: The moral of the story from this year's Emmy winners: The great, big...
Thu, Sep 15, 2022
Sep 02, 2022 16:45 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: The idea of family has expanded to include live-in relationships and other...
Fri, Sep 02, 2022
Aug 24, 2022 18:27 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's comment comparing agitating farmers to...
Wed, Aug 24, 2022
Aug 13, 2022 04:58 IST
The story of Nilanjana Bhowmick’s mother aptly captures the burden that the author has undertaken...
Sat, Aug 13, 2022
Jul 22, 2022 19:44 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: Demanding that a mainstream entertainer also be historically accurate is a...
Thu, Jan 05, 2023
Jul 17, 2022 14:45 IST
Whether in Mylapore, Chennai or Matunga, Mumbai, the fragrance of freshly-roasted beans, with their...
Tue, Jul 19, 2022
Jul 16, 2022 04:00 IST
As Ruth Vanita demonstrates in her new book, The Dharma of Justice in the Sanskrit Epics: Debates...
Thu, Jul 28, 2022
Jun 18, 2022 12:00 IST
At the centre of Jose’s debut novel is a narrator who tries to make sense of a world that changes...
Sat, Jun 18, 2022
May 27, 2022 17:12 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: At 50, while making an action film would be enough of a challenge to give...
Mon, May 30, 2022
May 21, 2022 14:00 IST
In 'Sumitra and Anees: Tales and Recipes from a Khichdi Family', interfaith romances, shared dreams...
Sat, May 21, 2022
Apr 23, 2022 16:30 IST
The biography of the late Anthony Bourdain explores the legacy of the popular chef through the...
Sat, Apr 23, 2022
Apr 07, 2022 04:01 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: As recent events show, ideas about who belongs and who doesn’t often come...
Thu, Apr 07, 2022
Mar 19, 2022 11:00 IST
Translated from the Malayalam by Nisha Susan, the novella offers a glimpse of the sense of...
Thu, Mar 17, 2022
Jan 16, 2022 03:50 IST
🔴 Personally, I believe women shouldn’t even attempt to explain. What we choose to do with our...
Sun, Jan 16, 2022
Jan 11, 2022 06:57 IST
Are insects the future of food? Entomophagy could be an essential element of global food security...
Thu, Jan 13, 2022
Nov 07, 2021 03:50 IST
To those of us who think of the bindi as an optional accessory, rather than an indispensable part...
Mon, Nov 08, 2021
Jul 14, 2021 03:05 IST
Pooja Pillai writes: The humble rice gruel from Bengal, Panta Bhat, on Masterchef Australia is a...
Wed, Jul 14, 2021