R&R with RTZ: Recent Episodes
Rahib Zaman
A behind-the-scenes look into the world of dance and video production as shown on RTZ Productions and anime/comic hobby culture as shown on RTZ Builds. Rest and Relax with us while we Rant and Ramble!
In this spine-chilling episode, hosts Rahib, Areeba, Tuhin, and Prithvi dive deep into The Conjuring universe after watching the latest sequel — The Conjuring 4. 💀 From jump scares to cursed artifacts, they break down the franchise’s best (and creepiest) moments, its sprawling horror universe, and why it still haunts audiences today. Plus, they share their takes on horror as a genre, Halloween traditions, and even their own supernatural encounters. Perfect for horror buffs and Halloween lovers alike — tune in if you dare. 👻🎬
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This week, Rahib, Areeba, and Tuhin dive into Netflix’s latest sensation Kpop Demon Hunters! 🎬✨ From the wild synopsis to unforgettable characters, we break down the film’s highs, lows, and everything in between. As both movie buffs and K-pop fans, we explore its cultural impact and ask the big question: does it really capture the world of K-pop, or just dance around it? Tune in for a fun, thoughtful, and entertaining review you won’t want to miss!
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In this episode, Rahib and Areeba sit down with the incredibly talented Gabby Nu, an anime cosplay artist who’s turned her passion into an artform. 🎭✨ From her very first convention to handcrafting her own elaborate costumes, Gabby shares the journey that brought her into the world of cosplay. We dive into the highs and lows of anime conventions, swap stories about the best (and the not-so-great) con experiences, and uncover what it really takes to bring your favorite characters to life. Whether you’re a longtime cosplayer, a casual fan of anime, or just curious about the vibrant cosplay community, this episode is packed with fun, insight, and plenty of behind-the-scenes laughs.
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In this special mid-season finale episode, your favorite chaotic quartet — Rahib, Areeba, Tuhin, and Prithvi — take a look back at everything we've tackled so far this year. From hot takes to heartfelt convos, we’re recapping the chaos, the laughs, and the moments that made us stop and go, “Wait… are we actually getting good at this?” 👀
We’re also digging into our all-time favorite topics from past seasons, sharing the episodes that still live rent-free in our heads, and maybe spilling a little tea along the way. ☕👀 And of course, it wouldn’t be a finale without a peek at the future — what’s next for the pod, what we’re dreaming up, and how we’re leveling up.
Think of this as the pod version of a group hug: warm, slightly unhinged, and 100% us. ❤️ Don’t miss it — and hey, catch up while we’re on break. We’ll be back before you know it. 😉
MidSeasonFinale #PodcastLife #StayTuned
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This week on the pod, Rahib, Tuhin, and Prithvi (with a shoutout to our out-sick co-host Areeba 💐) dive deep into Ryan Coogler’s latest cinematic powerhouse: Sinners. Expect a spoiler-full breakdown — from the film’s unforgettable characters and bold themes to the moments that hit hard… and a few that didn’t quite land.
The crew gets real about their personal takeaways, the film’s cultural weight, and how Sinners might just reshape the industry. Whether you’ve seen it or not (but really, watch it first!), this episode is packed with hot takes, sharp insights, and genuine reactions.
🎧 Hit play — this is one conversation you don’t want to miss.
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In this episode, the gang finally tackle one of the best dinner conversations since baked bread - religion. With Ramadan, Eid, Lent, Easter, and Holi all happening within in the last few months, it seemed like a good time for the group to discuss their religious views and upbringing especially through the lens of adulthood. They discuss Islam and Hinduism mean to them specifically and respectively as well as the effect of religion on communities both local and global. Please note that the opinions shared in this episode are just that - opinions. They should not be taken as fact or advice for a religion. This podcast and their hosts do not condone bigotry in the slightest towards both religious and non-religious people.
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On today's episode hosts Rahib and Areeba interview Nina Kay - the founder and director of ZIND Performing Arts Academy. ZIND is a dance school that specializes in teaching and performing South Asian dance styles such as Bollywood and Indian Classical in the Maryland area. The group discuss the hurdles and challenges in starting your own dance school, keeping it open and successful during a pandemic, and connecting with students of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.
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It's Valentine's season and so the gang discuss everything about the season of love! Is it overrated? Is it only for couples? How should one celebrate it? Tune in and see how we rant and ramble about the very easy subject of LOVE.
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In the season 4 premiere of the R&R with RTZ podcast, the gang discuss the recent inauguration of 47th U.S. President Donald Trump. The gang go into detail about Rahib's experience working the inauguration as a street photographer for DailyWire as well as a production assistant with Univision. From then on, they discuss the general political climate ranging from Trump's flurry of Executive Orders, MAGA personality, and differences between his election in 2016 vs 2025.
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In the Season 3 Finale of R&R with RTZ, the gang look back on their accomplishments from the past year. From creating their own theme song to teaching dance workshops to producing bigger and better dance visuals to finally getting paid from Youtube, 2024 was a busy year for RTZ. Of course, none of this would've been possible without the support of friends, fans, and family. Thank you all for listening to the gang Rant and Ramble. Cheers to the end of a busy 2024 and to an even more successful 2025!!!
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On today's episode (which was technically filmed during Thanksgiving season), the gang discuss the return of the alternative rock band Linkin Park. LP was a major cornerstone of the rock and metal community in the early 2000s but after the tragic loss of their lead singer - Chester Bennington - in 2017, the band went on a hiatus. 7 years later, the band announced a comeback with a lineup, new album, and new concert tour. As avid fans of LP, Rahib and Tuhin vividly discuss how this band affected their formative years.
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Rahib, Areeba, and Tuhin talk more about the P. Diddy scandal, Areeba's dive into the history of Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., as well as some AM I THE ASSHOLE stories from Reddit regarding work wife/husband relationships, boundaries between family members, and who to invite and not invite to weddings.
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On today's episode, the gang talks about the most current of current events. From the US Presidential election to celebrity criminal investigations, hosts Rahib, Areeba, and Prithvi discuss it all - more or less coherently. They also discuss the rising debate on paying artists - specifically dancers - for performances especially in response to the recent situation surrounding artist Diljit Dosanjh's world tour. Grab some hot cocoa and tune in!
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In this episode, we talk about all the ups and downs that come with capturing weddings for a living. For about 2 years now we've been shooting weddings, both photo and video, and we've had our fair share of fun couples and memorable events. From messy couples to unorganized schedules, we discuss what its like being a vendor and a guest at weddings of various cultures and traditions.
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The month of May was crazy for the hip-hop world. Drake and Kendrick Lamar had a very public confrontation with each other in the form of several diss tracks and hosts Rahib, Prithvi, and special guest Anmol just had to weigh in on it. Tune in as they discuss all the public songs, the private songs, the accusations each party threw at each other, and what this means for each artists' career going forward.
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We're back on another Anime episode!!! At the time of this recording, the RTZ gang had just posted their Live Action Anime OP video while also dealing with the passing of world-renown mangaka Akira Toriyama. The group - now with an additional host, Prithvi Vijayanand, discuss the influence of classic animes like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Naruto on all types of media and how all that helped shape their most creative project yet. Tune in for this heated discussion of anime favs!
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On this episode, we finally dive deep into the world of Korean pop music. From the Hallyu-wave legends like Big Bang and Girl's Generation to iconic names like BlackPink and BTS, hosts Rahib and Areeba discuss it all. Joining them in their love-hate relationship with the culture and genre are their friends and fellow K-pop aficionados, Moon and Valerie.
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26 episodes later, hosts Rahib and Areeba sit back down with one of their first guests, Pranay (now rebranded as Pranay SG)! The group discusses Pranay's recent endeavors such as modeling, winning a beauty pageant, performing at New York Fashion Week, and having his image displayed on Times Square all while balancing a college workload and a budding love life. Tune in to hear about Pranay and his musical career.
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On this episode, the R&R gang (Rahib, Tuhin, and Areeba) interview the Roaring Emcee: Rohit Ray and talk about how he got into the business, how he dealt with maintaining his unconventional career path among the South Asian community, and the ups-and-downs of the entertainment industry.
Follow Rohit 'MC Riju' Ray on Instagram @rohitraylive
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Starting the new year and Season 3 strong with an amazing podcast! We were lucky enough to sit down with an old high-school friend of Rahib's: Omar Zaki. After discovering his passion for parkour and filming, Omar moved to LA to pursue his dreams in Hollywood. He is now a well-established stunt actor and Youtuber with videos amassing millions of views. You can catch him (or not really) stunt doubling on shows like DAVE, Ahsoka, and even a little bit of Spider-Man No Way Home. Check out his socials below:
https://www.youtube.com/@UChtYObeyfTXMM1Ij8V1wmvw
https://www.instagram.com/omarzaki0/
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In this episode, we have guest and aspiring stand-up comedian Ratib Zaman come on and discuss his thoughts on all the controversy surrounding comedian Hasan Minhaj and his New Yorker exposé. We get into detail on the apparent "lies" spread by Hasan bhai and whether or not it could be considered lying. Should comedians be held to such a high degree of scrutiny? Did the New Yorker come into this situation with an agenda? Should Areeba stop being a devil's advocate? Tune in to find out.
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Happy Halloween everyone! Today we're talking about one of our favorite videos of all time: the Purge. As always we have the choreographers present in the discussion, Prithvi and Rahib, and we talk about how this project came to be, how we felt with the results and how this tied in to the actual Purge movie franchise.
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On this episode we discuss one of our biggest projects ever: CURSED! This was a Halloween-themed short film we made in 2020. Shot over multiple days with multiple actors and dancers, this was a crazy project with many moving parts. We go into detail on how we put this together in such a stressful time.
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On this episode, we bring on the owner of Kahini Books, Ryanna Quazi, and talk all about how she started the business, what south-asian literature means to her, and her goals with this one-of-a-kind south-asian book store.
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On this episode, we review a dance video directed by Rahib himself, PEACHES! This video was special in that it was the first time that we used smoke bombs as a prop. That combined with some cool cars, a drone, and 100+ degree weather, made for a very unique video shoot experience. Let's listen to hosts Areeba, Tuhin, and Rahib try to stay on topic and discuss all the particulars of this video.
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On this episode, we review one of the creations out of Areeba's mind(s), SWEETEST PIE! In that video, Areeba plays both Dua Lipa and Meg Thee Stallion so we go in-depth on how she came up with the concept and choreography and how filming all of that went.
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Hosts Rahib, Areeba, and Tuhin discuss the dance concept video they made to BUTTER by BTS. From choreography to location scouting to shoot day, they give an insight look into how this concept video was made. Tune in to find out all the ups and downs that come in the world of video production.
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Continuing on with our review of past videos, hosts Rahib, Areeba, and Tuhin grab their jackets and hot chocolate to discuss the SHIVERS concept video. This video was set to Shivers by Ed Sheeran and featured performances and choreography from Rahib and Areeba and was filmed by Tuhin. Let's see if this special 2022 Valentine's Day video still gives us the shivers!
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In this new segment of the R&R with RTZ Podcast, hosts Rahib, Areeba, and Tuhin, the secondary videographer of RTZ, get together to review RTZ's most popular and sometimes most controversial videos. This episode focuses on RTZ's most viewed and liked video: FIRST CLASS. Let's see how it fares after 3 years.
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Continuing on with their critiques and commentaries of modern sitcoms, hosts Rahib and Areeba tackle the show: NEW GIRL. Spoiler alert: it's an amazing show.
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Rahib and Areeba just finished watching Season 1 of Abbot Elementary - the latest mockumentary comedy series. As an elementary school teacher herself, Areeba puts in her opinion on the accuracy of Abbot Elementary. Is it worth it? Let's talk about it.
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We watched the Super Mario Bros. movie recently and honestly it was pretty great. Here's our review of the movie while we play some chess in the background.
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On this episode we talk about the South Asian Performing Arts Network or SAPAN for short which is a non-profit group that has lead the south asian arts movement in the DMV area since 2007. To represent SAPAN, we had the 2 programming directors, Ranita Ghosh and Kavin Sanghavi join us and talk about SAPAN's mission, their latest production, and what it means to represent the culture of such a vast and diverse community.
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Hosts Rahib and Areeba talk about one of the most iconic sitcoms of modern television: FRIENDS! Areeba loves the show while Rahib is 'meh' about it. Was it really that good? Was it a piece of actual genius? Were Ross and Rachael on a break? They try to answer these questions while also playing some chess in the background.
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On the 1st episode of Season 2 of the R&R podcast, we have our guest and old friend Kaavya Rao walk us through her dance life. From enrolling in an Indian classical dance school as a child to joining a bollywood fusion dance team in college to forming her own dance company as an adult, Kaavya has done it all. Come listen in on how she put it all together!
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On this episode we have 2 local musical artists, Blake G and Trankquility as well as their manager, Shayan, come on and talk about their musical background, their music label, and their latest single, MOVE ON.
Check out their music on all streaming platforms!
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On this episode, we have our friends Anika and Anmol come on the show and discuss their opinions on astrology and horoscopes as well as their experiences in modern dating.
Catch the unedited raw version of this podcast on our Patreon!
www.patreon.com/rtzproductions56
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Host's Rahib and Areeba talk true crime, the latest Dahmer documentaries, and the weird obsession people have these dark stories with their friends Anika and Prithvi...or they at least try before getting sidetracked with random topics.
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On this episode, Rahib and Areeba hang out with some old friends of theirs, Shamim and Farzana, and discuss cooking stories, the similarities and differences between cats vs dogs, and some paranormal activity that they've experienced that we just can't seem to explain...
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Rahib and Areeba sit down and play a little game where they have to read off vague descriptions of popular anime's and the other person has to guess which one it is. Loser has to eat some bitter melon, and if you have never had bitter melon...pray that you never have to. They also introduce a new pet into the family, Timmy Turtle!
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On this episode we have our dear friends Prithvi and Moon sit down and discuss all their recent experiences attending various South-Asian weddings as well as being a part of the bridal party at several of these events. We discuss all the similarities and differences between these cultural events as well as all the things we love and sometimes hate about them. And then for some reason, we transition into talking about the most important thing a person can ever purchase for themselves, a bidet.
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On this episode, hosts Rahib and Areeba talk about their experience at Otakon 2022, the biggest japanese pop culture convention in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. Tune in to hear their thoughts on the anime and comic book conventions, cosplaying, convention organization, and just general tomfoolery!
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It's a family special! On this episode we have two of Rahib's younger brothers here to talk about their 'unconventional' careers. Ratib 'Shishir' Zaman is an aspiring comedian doing open mics at local venues in NoVA and Nasib 'Robi' Zaman is a local barber celebrating 2 years of cutting, shaving, and overall styling the youth of today. From the struggles of making it 'big' to the influence of Bengali Muslim culture on career choices, we discuss it all. Listen in to hear how Ratib's philosophy on making comedy in this day and age as well as Nasib's experience cutting Hasan Minhaj's hair!
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On today's episode we have local musical artists, Pranay and Azraf (stage name: Jynx). Both artists are singers, rappers, and songwriters originating from the Northern Virginia area. Throughout the episode, we discuss the trials and tribulations with making music in this era, what inspires us to create content, and what we have in store for the future. Pranay has his debut album coming out June 10th called Lovers High and Azraf/Jynx has a new song coming out soon titled Swinging. Check out both artists on your favorite music streaming platform!
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In the premiere episode of R&R, co-hosts Rahib and Areeba engage with guests, Prithvi and Alex, two long-time friends and dance team members, about their dance experience during and after college, how different cultures view dance, and how dance circuits differ from one another, all while hilariously interrupting each other with random tidbits and odd stories of their day-to-day lives.
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