Vibhu Kashyap: From Asur to Dial 1975 — Cinema, Mental Health & the Power of Storytelling

What happens when cinema meets psychology—and a story becomes more than entertainment?

In this episode of The Listening Commons, filmmaker, writer, creative strategist and entertainment executive Vibhu Kashyap joins psychiatrist Dr. Aninda Sidhana and journalist Scott Douglas Jacobsen for a conversation about the extraordinary power—and responsibility—of storytelling.

With a career spanning film, television, advertising, streaming and digital media, and more than 150 commercials alongside projects including Asur, Dor, Iqbal, NRI Wives, Dial 1975 and Watering the Grassroots, Kashyap reflects on his journey from Allahabad to Mumbai and what years inside the entertainment industry have taught him about creativity, resilience, character and human behaviour.

The conversation goes behind the frame to explore how stories enter the mind: why audiences identify with certain characters, how cinema can challenge—or reinforce—mental-health stigma, and where creative freedom meets responsible representation. It also examines the pressures behind the glamour of the entertainment industry, people management, the influence of media on young audiences, and the challenge of portraying individuals and communities without reducing them to stereotypes.

At its heart lies a larger question:

Can a story change the way we see another human being?

From Asur to Dial 1975, this is a conversation about the stories we create, the stories we consume—and the stories that quietly shape who we become.

Featuring: Vibhu Kashyap

Hosts: Dr. Aninda Sidhana & Scott Douglas Jacobsen

The Listening Commons

Global Conversations. Deeper Listening. Shared Humanity.