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For decades, Karnataka’s old Mysuru belt remained out of the BJP’s reach, shaped instead by Vokkaliga-led caste equations and JD(S) dominance. But that’s changing fast. From Maddur’s clashes to the propaganda of fictitious characters Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, Hindutva politics is entering Karnataka’s heartland.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down how the BJP–JD(S) alliance is transforming old Mysuru into a new political and communal battleground, and what it means for Karnataka politics.
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Pooja Prasanna, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, graphics by Vignesh Manickam, Camera by Ajay R
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VC Sajjanar, the IPS officer who led the 2019 “Disha encounter,” is now Hyderabad’s new Police Commissioner. In this episode of Let Me Explain, @PoojaPrasanna68 looks at what his rise says about India’s dangerous glorification of encounter killings — and how cinema, media, and public adulation have helped turn cops who kill into heroes.
From the Warangal acid attack case in 2008 to the Disha case in 2019, Sajjanar has come to symbolise “instant justice.” But when a man accused of extra-judicial killings is rewarded, what does that say about our justice system?
This is not just one man’s story. It’s about a country that celebrates vengeance as justice, and the growing impunity of those in uniform.
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, script by Lakshmi Priya, research by Anjana Meenakshi, camera by Ajay R
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Suresh Gopi — the angry cop on screen, the fiery journalist, the man whose monologues once shook theatres. Now, he’s Kerala’s first BJP MP.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna unpacks how Suresh Gopi took his mass-hero energy from the movie set to Parliament. From his image as a generous philanthropist who built homes and funded surgeries, to his temper with journalists and theatrics in political life — this is the story of an actor who never really left the screen.
Why did Kerala, a state known for its strong secular politics, vote for the BJP? How did Suresh Gopi’s emotional connect and celebrity appeal achieve what decades of political strategy couldn’t? And what happens when the line between reel and real starts to blur?
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, script & research by Lakshmi Priya, camera by Ajay R
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At least 23 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have died after consuming cough syrup contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic industrial chemical used in brake fluid.
In Madhya Pradesh, doctors raised warnings weeks before tests confirmed contamination in the drug ‘Coldrif’, but state and central regulators cleared the drug as safe. Tamil Nadu’s lab later found nearly 50% DEG.
This isn’t India’s first such tragedy — similar cough syrup deaths have occurred since 1972. In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna explains how repeated negligence, weak regulation, and political influence continue to let poisonous medicines reach patients.
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, research by Maria Teresa Raju, script by Lakshmi Priya, Edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, graphics by Vignesh Manickam, camera by Ajay R
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What was supposed to be a show of strength at Vijay’s TVK rally in Karur turned into chaos, panic, and death. Fans waited for hours, permissions were ignored, and a preventable tragedy unfolded.
But Karur is not an isolated accident. From RCB’s victory parade in Bengaluru to Pushpa 2 promotions in Hyderabad, to temple festivals to the Mahakumbh Mela—India’s obsession with massive crowds keeps ending in stampedes.
Why do organisers and leaders chase head-counts while neglecting safety? Why are guidelines ignored despite decades of repeated disasters? And why does accountability vanish the moment lives are lost?
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the anatomy of a stampede: What went wrong at Vijay’s rally, how India repeatedly fails at crowd safety, and what it will take to prevent the next disaster.
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2019’s “Howdy, Modi” promised a new chapter in India-U.S. friendship. But in 2025, the bond looks shaky. Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods and a $100,000 H-1B visa fee are biting hard.
In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna dives into why India’s over-reliance on Trump’s personal rapport backfired, how high tariffs are affecting Indian exports, and why Indian IT companies and workers face a double whammy with new outsourcing taxes on the horizon. This is not just about diplomacy, it’s about jobs, livelihoods, and the global future of India’s workforce.
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Why has the BJP failed to make real inroads in Tamil Nadu, even as it dominates much of India? From Dravidian politics and Tamil identity to Murugan yatras and cultural strategies, Pooja Prasanna unpacks why the state resists BJP’s playbook in this episode of Let Me Explain; the history, the ideological clash, and BJP’s current game plan as Tamil Nadu heads to the polls.
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Producer: Megha Mukundan
Script: Lakshmi Priya, Pooja Prasanna
Camera: Ajay R
Editor: Nikhil Sekhar ET, Dharini Prabharan
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The Karnataka government’s choice of inviting Kannada writer and Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara celebrations this year has stirred a controversy. It has ignited a public debate on whether the festival should reflect Karnataka’s inclusive cultural identity or remain a strictly religious event.
Critics argue that her identity and past remarks make her unfit for the role, while supporters see it as a step toward inclusivity. But at its core, this controversy raises deep questions about religion, culture, and identity in Karnataka.
From historical clashes to modern political posturing, Pooja Prasanna unpacks the complexities surrounding Mysuru’s most iconic event, in this week’s Let Me Explain.
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, script by Lakshmi Priya and Pooja Prasanna, camera by Ajay R, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, graphics by Dharini Prabharan.
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Hate speech has found a new home.
From X Spaces where Malayali right-wing voices urge Hindus to “arm themselves,” to YouTube’s Hindutva Pop songs with lyrics that glorify violence and rack up millions of monetised views, hate is being amplified, monetised, and often slipping past platform checks.
Unchecked sexist tirades, conspiracy theories, and calls for violence spill out from these spaces into the real world, amplified by media outlets, legitimised by repetition, and turned into political currency.
This week on Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna unpacks how hate spreads from chatrooms to streets, the role of platforms in fuelling and profiting from it, and what the law and the Supreme Court have said about the threat it poses to India’s secular fabric.
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Produced by Bhuvan Malik, script by Lakshmi Priya, camera by Ajay R, edited by Dharini Prabhaharan ET, graphics by Vignesh Manickam.
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Bollywood’s record on portraying south Indians has been one of stereotypes, missteps, and mockery.
From Padosan (1968) to Shah Rukh Khan’s “curd noodles” in Ra.One, and now Janhvi Kapoor’s “Thekkapetta Sundari” which literally means “dumped beauty” in Param Sundari, the tropes remain the same.
Loud voices, broken Hindi, exaggerated accents, and token visuals of jasmine and coconuts are passed off as representation. This week on Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna unpacks Bollywood’s long history of stereotyping, the cultural hierarchy it reflects, and the few times Hindi cinema got it right — when characters were written and performed with context and care.
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Produced by Megha Mukundan, script by Lakshmi Priya, camera by Ajay R, edited by Nikhil Sekhar ET, graphics by Vignesh Manickam.
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Bengaluru is infamous for traffic. Deputy CM DK Shivakumar has pitched a 190-km tunnel road as the solution and recently invited global tenders for its construction.
But can underground car-only corridors really solve congestion? Critics warn it could drain ₹85,000 crore, worsen the city’s ecology, and undermine public transport investments. From flooding risks to environmental concerns, and from hefty tolls to Metro ridership losses, the plan has drawn sharp opposition.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, @poojaprasanna68 examines the red flags, the alternatives, and why Bengaluru’s real fix may lie in buses, Metro, and suburban rail—not tunnels.
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Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote chori’ allegation has put Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura in the spotlight. But fake voters and duplicate IDs are being found far beyond Karnataka.
This week on Let Me Explain, we hit the ground in Mahadevapura, and Kerala’s Thrissur, uncovering fake voters in a single address and duplicate EPIC IDs across states. From a brewery with 68 voters to IDs active in three states, the rot runs deep.
If the rolls are flawed, the game is rigged before the first vote is cast.
How did these anomalies go unchecked by the Election Commission? What does it mean for our democracy? Pooja Prasanna brings you the full picture from the ground in this week’s Let Me Explain.
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At a state backed film conclave in Kerala, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a legendary director, criticised the state’s decision to fund SC/ST and women filmmakers. He said it would lead to corruption and SC/ST filmmakers should be given “intense training”.
His remarks are not an isolated misstep, and it is not the first time he has landed in controversy. It comes from a long pattern of exclusion in Malayalam cinema - right from its first heroine Rosy being outcasted for her caste.
In this week’s Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna examines the caste lines in Malayalam and Tamil cinema, traces the history and breaks down the moments when the industries challenged caste norms.
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On July 31, 2025, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) uncovered partial human remains from a site near the Nethravathi river in Dharmasthala. This location was among 13 identified by a former sanitation worker who alleged he had buried unidentified bodies there between 1995 and 2014.
How many sites are being examined? What do official records show about unidentified deaths in the area? What have local authorities said about burial practices?
In this episode of Let Me Explain, TNM’s Pooja Prasanna and Shivani Kava report on the confirmed findings, official statements, and next steps in the investigation.
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Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation as Vice President leaves behind a polarising legacy.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down Dhankhar’s dramatic exit and how he turned what was supposed to be a neutral constitutional role into a highly polarising one.
From defending the RSS and attacking the judiciary to shutting down Opposition demands, we look at his controversial tenure and the questions his resignation raises.
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Producer: Megha Mukundan
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GFX: Vignesh Manickam
Camera: Ajay R
Script: Lakshmi Priya
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This week on Let Me Explain, we’re in Dharmasthala—inside the chilling claims of mass burials, and missing women.
This isn’t the first controversy involving the temple. In 2012, a teenager named Sowjanya was raped and murdered in Ujire, a village in Dakshina Kannada district. But each time media houses and activists raised their voices, they were silenced using gag orders and ex parte injunctions.
In this special episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna and Shivani Kava travel to Dharmasthala to break down the new allegations, speak to families of the missing, and examine how legal restrictions have stifled media coverage and public discourse over the years.
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A former sanitation worker at Dharmasthala Manjunatha Swamy Temple in Karnataka, has alleged that he was forced to bury victims of rape and murder over nearly two decades. This isn’t the first controversy against the temple. In 2012, a teenager named Soujanya was raped and murdered in Ujire, a village in Dakshina Kannada district. Her family allege that one of the murderers worked for the temple. But each time media houses and activists raised their voice against this, they were silenced using gag orders and Ex parte injunctions.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna breaks down the new allegations and explains how the media and activists have been restrained by courts over the years.
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The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) halted the release of Malayalam film Janaki vs State of Kerala, insisting the character’s name be changed. Why? Because Janaki is another name for the Hindu goddess Sita and a survivor shouldn’t carry a divine name according to the board.
But this is not an isolated incident. From Punjab 95, to Santosh, Nasir, and Sitaare Zameen Par, a disturbing pattern is emerging: films that challenge caste, state power, or religious ideas are being stalled or sliced up.
In this episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna looks at how the Central Board of Film Certification is quietly censoring the truth. It’s not just films under the knife — it’s freedom of expression.
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In this special episode of Let Me Explain, Pooja Prasanna travels to the Keezhadi excavation site near Madurai — a place that’s rewriting what we thought we knew about the origins of urban life in India. According to archaeologists, with artefacts dating back to the 6th century BCE, Keezhadi offers archaeological backing to the Sangam era, a period celebrated in Tamil literature but long denied material proof.
But the excavation has also been caught in a political storm. Lead archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna has faced multiple transfers, including one just weeks after he refused to revise his report. So what’s at stake here? Why are findings from a 6-metre-deep trench in Tamil Nadu making headlines?
Here is the full episode to understand why this dig could change the way we see Indian history.
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