S1 E9: "Look Ma, I made it" - Representation in Hollywood

In this episode we discuss the Golden Age of South Asian content that we seem to be enjoying in America. Shabnum and Khan talk to Sujata Day, (as seen on Insecure and Awkward Black Girl)  who tells us about her latest venture writing/directing/producing Definition Please, and by Rajiv Menon, a producer that's had a windy path to a job in entertainment but loves to bridge the gap between South Asian and North American content. We talk about what kind of content inspired us all growing up to do what we do now, and how the small pieces of South Asian focused content that see the light of day have to carry the unfair burden of representing all of us. There's space for all of us in this industry, so when are we going to see the South Asian Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, Christopher Nolan? 

We talk about the troubles of playing an Indian character in America, and how it would be difficult to get cast if you "didn't look Indian enough," and yet struggled to get cast in anything mainstream. However, the tide is definitely turning, and we explore what role streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu have played. We really hope you join us on this journey, as we covered the gamut of South Asian content having its heyday today.  

Host: Shabnum Gulati 
Guests: Sujata Day, Rajiv Menon, Khan Asghar 
Illustration: Hanifa Abdul Hameed 
Music: AnAkkiN on SoundCloud