In India’s scroll-first internet culture, celebrity interviews don’t stay confined to their original airtime. A single quote, a playful exchange, or even a manipulated snippet can resurface years later and dominate timelines again. From long-form podcasts to throwback TV promos, here are six interview moments that went viral—and what made people hit share.
1) Vijay Mallya’s 4-Hour Podcast With Raj Shamani
In early June 2025, podcaster Raj Shamani released a four-hour-plus conversation with Vijay Mallya—one of Mallya’s most extensive media appearances in years. The episode quickly racked up massive views, with coverage noting it crossed 20+ million views within days, triggering a fresh wave of debate about accountability, public memory, and “hearing the other side.”
Why it blew up: long-form + high-curiosity guest + direct-to-audience format without traditional TV framing.
2) Naseeruddin Shah’s Blunt Take on Bollywood Stars (Resurfaced)
A clip from an older interview with Naseeruddin Shah began trending again in October 2025 after he was seen calling Shah Rukh Khan “boring” (as an actor) while praising Akshay Kumar’s “self-made” journey and growth. The resurfacing sparked a predictable internet civil war: fandom vs craft debates, “context” arguments, and reaction content across platforms.
Why it blew up: rare celebrity candour + polarising comparison + nostalgia collision with today’s fandom ecosystem.
3) Mrunal Thakur’s “Better Than Bipasha Basu” Clip
In August 2025, an older clip featuring Mrunal Thakur resurfaced where she’s heard joking that she is “far better” than Bipasha Basu. Even with the “banter” framing, the line was clipped into a headline-style soundbite and spread rapidly, inviting both criticism and defence—plus broader commentary on celebrity rivalry, confidence, and respect.
Why it blew up: one “rivalry-coded” sentence + short-video outrage dynamics + algorithmic preference for conflict.
4) Shah Rukh Khan’s “Why the hell are you like this?” Banter With Akshaye Khanna
A throwback promotional clip of Shah Rukh Khan joking with Akshaye Khanna—where SRK says, “Why the hell are you like this?”—went viral again in late 2025, linked to renewed interest around Akshaye and related pop-culture chatter. Multiple outlets traced it to older promotions and amplified it as a meme-friendly moment.
Why it blew up: quotable line + affectionate roasting + “this perfectly describes him” meme energy.
5) Mallika Sherawat’s Women’s Rights Exchange (Throwback Revival)
A vintage Mallika Sherawat clip about India being “regressive for women” resurfaced again during renewed conversations on women’s safety, with fact-checkers also clarifying the time and original context of the video. The moment re-circulated because it sits at the intersection of celebrity commentary and a recurring national debate that periodically flares up online.
Why it blew up: social issue + celebrity voice + “ahead of her time” framing + renewed relevance whenever the topic trends.
6) Ranveer Singh’s Manipulated Political Clip (Deepfake/Edited Audio)
Not every “viral interview” moment is organic. During the 2024 election season, an altered video claiming Ranveer Singh criticised the Prime Minister and/or pushed a political message went viral—before multiple fact-checks identified it as manipulated/deepfake content (edited audio/AI voice clone). The episode became a case study in how easily celebrity clips can be weaponised.
Why it blew up: elections + celebrity credibility + shock-value framing + rapid forwarding before verification.
Why These Moments Go Viral
Across these examples, the “viral triggers” repeat:
- High-curiosity guests + long-form confession energy (podcasts)
- Blunt opinions that generate instant camps (for/against)
- Old clips resurfacing at the perfect cultural moment
- One-line soundbites that travel better than full context
- Issue-based relevance (gender/society/politics)
- Manipulation risk: edits, deepfakes, and misleading captions
Celebrity talk isn’t just entertainment anymore—it’s evergreen social media fuel. And in a clip-driven internet, every interview (even a decade old) can return as “breaking news” the moment it aligns with what people are already arguing about.
By – Sonali