Tanza Talks enters documentary storytelling with ‘Journey of Legacy’ on JioHotstar

MUMBAI: From podcasts and celebrity chats to the big streaming screen. Tanza Talks, the storytelling and media platform founded by Manish KR, is expanding into long-form documentary storytelling with ‘Journey of Legacy’, hosted by Pooja A Gor and set to stream on JioHotstar.

The series is the first OTT documentary venture for Tanza Talks, which showcases the journeys and ideas of successful people. It follows the platform’s work across celebrity conversations, podcasts and on-ground events. Tanza Talks was founded by Manish KR under Tanza Ventures India Pvt Ltd.

‘Journey of Legacy’ explores the people, decisions, challenges and defining moments behind some of India’s leading educational universities. Created and produced by Manish KR, founder and chief executive officer of Tanza Talks, it has been conceived as a collection of documentaries. Its premise is that universities and other educational institutions are built not simply through campuses, academic programmes and infrastructure, but through the people, decisions, struggles and turning points that shape their identities over time.

The first season has been filmed across several educational universities, including DIT University, Dehradun; Bennett University, Greater Noida; SAGE University, Bhopal; LNCT, Bhopal; Quantum University, Roorkee; and VGU, Jaipur, among others.

From celebrity conversations to long-form storytelling

‘Journey of Legacy’ represents the next phase in Tanza Talks’ evolution from interviews, celebrity conversations and podcasts to premium long-form documentary content. Tanza Talks has built its platform around conversations with entrepreneurs, celebrities, the Indian Army, educators, artists, athletes and other personalities. More than 200 personalities from across India and globally have featured on it, sharing their journeys and experiences.

With the series, Tanza Talks is extending this people-first approach beyond individual personalities to explore the stories and journeys behind universities and other educational institutions.

“We often know an institution by its name, campus or achievements, but we rarely know the people and decisions behind its journey. The most interesting stories are usually found in the difficult years, the turning points and the people who continued building when success was still uncertain,” said Manish KR.

He added, “Audiences increasingly value authenticity over conventional advertising. Our attempt with Journey of Legacy is to document institutions through human stories rather than simply describe what they have achieved. When people understand why something was built and who built it, the story becomes far more meaningful.”

Pooja A Gor to host the series

For Pooja A Gor, ‘Journey of Legacy’ marks a move into a non-fiction hosting format. Known for her work across television and OTT, she will guide viewers through the stories of the institutions while interacting with founders, education leaders, students, faculty members and others who have contributed to their journeys.

Rather than following the format of a conventional university profile, each episode combines leadership conversations, historical context, institutional milestones and cinematic campus visuals to explore how an institution develops its culture and legacy.

Documenting the stories behind institutions

The series also seeks to create a visual record of educational institutions whose histories often remain scattered across archives, individual memories and organisational records. The idea reflects Tanza Talks’ broader approach to storytelling, moving beyond what an individual or organisation has achieved to understand the journey behind it. According to Manish KR, the archival aspect is an important part of the project.

“Social media is extremely good at telling us what is happening now. Documentary storytelling can preserve why something mattered. Twenty years from today, we want these stories to still have relevance,” he said.

Through its first season, ‘Journey of Legacy’ explores themes ranging from entrepreneurship and university-building to education, leadership, resilience, student aspirations and the changing role of universities and educational institutions in India.

The series comes at a time when digital audiences are consuming content across formats, from highly compressed short-form videos to deeper, long-form storytelling. Tanza Talks sees an opportunity for documentary-led narratives that give audiences more time to understand the people and ideas behind organisations. With filming for the first season completed, ‘Journey of Legacy’ is preparing for its rollout on JioHotstar.

The logic of the move is easy to read. Short video is crowded and fast, and a platform that wants to be remembered needs something with more weight. Universities are a smart subject: they are big, aspirational brands with founders, setbacks and turning points that rarely reach the public. A documentary that tells those stories gives institutions a record, and gives viewers a reason to stay. Pairing a familiar television and OTT face with a streaming home and a founder-producer who has already spoken to more than 200 personalities is a confident way to step up from conversation to cinema. If audiences do value authenticity over advertising, as Manish KR argues, ‘Journey of Legacy’ is well placed to prove it.

About Tanza Talks

Tanza Talks is a storytelling and media platform founded by Manish KR under Tanza Ventures India Pvt Ltd. It showcases the journeys and ideas of successful people through interviews, conversations, creator-led content and documentary storytelling, bringing forward the stories of entrepreneurs, educators, celebrities, athletes and other personalities.

Manish KR began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 22 while pursuing a B.Tech in computer science and engineering at Lovely Professional University, where he started organising student communities and events. Those early experiences gradually evolved into Tanza Talks, which has since developed into a storytelling platform featuring more than 200 personalities from across India.

‘Journey of Legacy’ marks Tanza Talks’ first OTT documentary venture and its expansion into long-form cinematic storytelling.