The next life of Uday Shankar

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Editor's note: Uday Shankar looks like he has aged a lifetime. His face is that of a man who has had a long day—puffy eyes and a five o’clock shadow. It is late at night in California, but he is still awake, juggling at least three different time zones and somehow fitting this interview into his schedule. It’s Friday afternoon for me, Thursday night for him. He is on my laptop screen, dressed in a violet tee, tan brown pants and a white Apple watch. Almost unrecognizable without his signature formal outfits of muted tones. There is an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds. “You look really tired,” I venture. “It happens when you have multiple things to do, but no job,” he says, jokingly. It was almost this time last year when Shankar called it a day on what was possibly the most successful career in the history of Indian television. The 59-year-old media executive had stepped down as Disney’s Asia-Pacific president and chairman of Star and Disney India in October 2020. Shankar’s exit was perceived as the end of an …