Nikhil KamathEp. #19 | WTF is “Making it” in an Offbeat Career? Nikhil Kamath Ft. Kriti Sanon, Badshah & KL Rahul
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Defining “making it” across acting, cricket, music, and business realities
- Nikhil Kamath hosts Kriti Sanon, KL Rahul, and Badshah to unpack how outsiders break into highly aspirational fields and what actually separates those who “make it.” Kriti describes a childhood shaped by academic pressure, perfectionism, and stage fright—then explains how repeated exposure, curiosity, and asking questions built her confidence and craft. Rahul traces a sports-first upbringing, argues for innate athletic talent (especially hand-eye coordination), and explains how mindset management, spirituality, and reducing social media consumption helped him handle pressure and trolling.
- Badshah shares his path from writing as self-expression to producing music with minimal resources, his early collaboration with Honey Singh, and why originality, conviction, and patience matter more than chasing fame. Across industries, the group debates the limits of “data-driven” creativity, the need to adapt faster than the times, and how career shelf-life drives anxiety and planning—especially for athletes.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasConfidence is often trained, not discovered.
Kriti describes stage fright and early breakdowns after her first ramp show and photo shoot, but says repeated exposure to scary situations built real confidence. The shift came from “doing” under pressure until fear became manageable.
Ask “too many” questions—curiosity compounds into craft.
Kriti credits her growth to being willing to look “stupid” on set and ask constant questions about character and scene approach. She notes the double standard: when women ask, they’re labeled difficult; later, the same behavior is praised as professionalism.
In sport, some ceilings are biological—but training still matters.
Rahul strongly believes innate traits (especially hand-eye coordination and visual judgment) differentiate those who reach elite levels, though practice can improve performance. His view: you can get better, but not everyone can reach the same ceiling.
Play more matches (or do more reps) than your competition.
Rahul emphasizes the value of volume and variety of competitive exposure: school/academy structures that offer more games accelerate learning, error-correction, and resilience. More opposition variety teaches adaptability faster than isolated practice.
Pressure management is a performance skill, not a personality trait.
Rahul says his best performances come when he’s not chasing outcomes; trying to “jump from 5 to 10” makes him fall to “0.” He treats calm focus as something he must repeatedly re-enter, especially after poor games.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotes“I gained confidence with work, while working.”
— Kriti Sanon
“Scary and exciting is the same emotion… Work-wise.”
— Kriti Sanon
“There are some abilities that you’re gifted with—that can’t be taught.”
— KL Rahul
“I got trolled if I sat, I got trolled if I stood… that interview scarred me massively.”
— KL Rahul
“Wo beauty jo hai na, wo quantize nahi ho sakti.”
— Badshah
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
Get more out of YouTube videos.
High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.
Add to Chrome