Throughout April, three editions of Talk Asia hear from some of the most cutting-edge cultural icons from across the continent.

BEHIND THE SMILE - CHINA'S BEST KNOWN CONTEMPORARY PAINTER YUE MINJUN

Airtimes:   
Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei
Saturday, April 10 at 1900
Sunday, April 11 at 0330 & 1630

Bangkok and Jakarta
Saturday, April 10 at 1800
Sunday, April 11 at 0230 & 1530

"It's a question every Chinese is thinking about today. I also ask why after China experienced so many changes and so much progress we're still so immature politically?...I have a feeling that ours is the most politically immature nation."

Yue famously depicts himself in his works, with a toothy grin and wearing only underwear. The Daqing-born painter explains why and also shares with host Anjali Rao his experiences growing up during the Cultural Revolution and what China's rapid development means to him and his work.

ACTRESS NANCY KWAN ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF "THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG"

Airtimes:
Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei
Wednesday, April 14 at 2030
Thursday, April 15 at 1130
Saturday, April 17 at 1900
Sunday, April 18 at 0330 & 1630

Bangkok and Jakarta
Wednesday, April 14 at 1930
Thursday, April 15 at 1030
Saturday, April 17 at 1800
Sunday, April 18 at 0230 & 1530

 Nancy Kwan was young and confident with dreams of hitting the big time, even when she was still an unknown 19-year-old ballet dancer. That all changed when she snared the leading role in the iconic 1960's movie "The World of Suzie Wong" after her first ever audition, eventually co-starring with Oscar-winner William Holden. On the 50th anniversary of the iconic film's release, CNN catches up with Kwan on a visit home to Hong Kong as she discusses the movie's longevity and the stereotype of Chinese women in Hollywood.

Off screen, she also opens up on the heartbreaking death of her son Bernhard Pock from AIDS. "Well I guess you have two choices. Either you just lie down and die, or you make up your mind you want to go on living. And that's it, you know, you face it, you have to go on with your life. Bernie will always be in my heart."

STORMING THE CHARTS AT HOME AND ABROAD - EPIK HIGH'S SOUTH KOREAN HIP-HOP

Airtimes:
Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei
Wednesday, April 21 at 2030
Thursday, April 22 at 1130
Saturday, April 24 at 1900
Sunday, April 25 at 0330 & 1630

Bangkok and Jakarta
Wednesday, April 21 at 1930
Thursday, April 22 at 1030
Saturday, April 24 at 1800
Sunday, April 25 at 0230 & 1530

Hip Hop does not automatically spring to mind when one thinks of South Korean music, but the genre is gaining a firm following in recent years since the international emergence of Epik High. Known for their soulful and insightful lyrics, the three members avoid sugary sweet k-pop to address serious social issues such as religion, war and discrimination. Anjali Rao joins them in the studio for a wide-ranging discussion as they reveal why they're grateful for government censorship and how they are coping with the "Epik hiatus" status with member DJ Tukutz away on compulsory military service.

 "To me, it's just I'm writing on a piece of paper these lyrics. It's just natural to me. When the government censors me or when they put a comment on it, it only makes me more special. So I am very grateful."

The creative force behind the band is Tablo, a graduate of Stanford University. The 30-year-old singer-songwriter recalls how he overcame two years of hardship, struggling to make ends meet, before he found chart success.

"I got screwed over by somebody that I trusted. He ran off with our studio recording money after we recorded it. So the debt fell on me...I struggled for about two years to get my album out so that I could have some company pay for the cost of that album...those two years were like hell."

Tablo also discusses his high-profile marriage to one of South Korea's most famous actress Kang Hye-jung: "For some reasons when I first met her, she didn't appeal to me like a celebrity, I didn't look at her and think she's the actress. She just came into my heart as a very good person."

As to whether he wants his soon-to-be-born baby to follow his footsteps in the world of hip hop: "I would definitely want him or her to love hip hop. This is what I do and I want my kid to love what I do. I think that's a part of him or her loving me. Of course I'm gonna make sure that he or she listens to hip hop but at the same time I just want all the arts to be loved by my child."

The full program of TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

Airtimes are subject to change

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