A Conversation With Kaustav Narayan Niyogi

A chest cut open, a heart repaired, and a bottle left behind. Does a taste of death ignite a passion for life? In this episode Pooja sits across Kaustav Narayan Niyogi, a man who lived the fast-paced life of an advertising "alchemist" before life forced him to slow down. From becoming India’s youngest creative director at age 29 to becoming one of its "oldest debutant" film directors at 50 with Cabaret, Kaustav’s path has been anything but linear. Beyond the director’s chair, Kaustav possesses a rare, haunting gift for song writing, crafting lyrics and melodies that served as the pulse of Cabaret. Life has knocked on his door twice: first with a battle with the bottle that he conquered to finish his debut film, Cabaret, and later with a hammer-blow to his physical heart. Having stood at the threshold where his chest was literally cut open for repair, he now answers the starkest of questions: will this brush with mortality hurl him into the spring of his life where he finally blooms? Or will he continue to seek out the exit points?   Join us for a raw, profound conversation about recovery, the weight of the "almost," and the delicate art of surviving oneself.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.