Tag: Desi

Interview, Movies

Shekhar Kapur on Directing ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’

Swara Salih

Shekhar Kapur is an acclaimed Indian filmmaker whose credits range from directing The Bandit Queen to the Elizabeth films starring Cate Blanchett. He is now finally directing a rom-com, What’s Love Got to Do With It, starring Shazad Latif, Lily James, Shabana Azmi, Jeff Mirza, Asim Chaudry, Emma Thompson, and more in a heartwarming funny time that highlights Pakistani and Muslim culture in a refreshing way for western audiences.

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Interview, Movies

Nida Manzoor on ‘Polite Society’ and Breaking Barriers for South Asian and Muslim Women

Swara Salih

In anticipation of Nida Manzoor’s thrilling masterpiece Polite Society, premiering this weekend, we speak with the writer/director herself about her career and the messages she aims to convey with her debut feature film.

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Interview, Movies

Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya on Leading Nida Manzoor’s ‘Polite Society’

Swara Salih

In anticipation of Nida Manzoor’s thrilling masterpiece Polite Society premiering in theaters, we spoke with stars of the film Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya on taking the lead roles of the Khan sisters.

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Movies, Reviews19 Comments

‘Polite Society’ is an Action-Packed and Poignant Masterpiece

Swara Salih

The Pakistani-British Khan sisters, Ria (Priya Kansara) and Lena (Ritu Arya) have dreams that deviate from what their community and family expect from them, namely to work in STEM and marry well to guarantee socioeconomic security. But Ria and Lena have dreams to work in the arts, whether that be stunt choreography for Ria or painting for Lena.

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Comics, Interview, Marvel

Samira Ahmed Talks about Writing ‘Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit’

Swara Salih

Ms. Marvel has a new comic series out! In the five-issue Beyond the Limit, Kamala must deal with unexpected multiverse shenanigans as she visits her cousin Razia in Chicago. Writing her in this series is author Samira Ahmed, who is the first Desi Muslim to write Ms. Marvel!

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Interview, Movies, Streaming

Janina Gavankar Talks About Her New Film, ‘Encounter’

Keith Chow

After four years since the last time she stopped by, Janina Gavankar returns to the NOC to catch up on the last few years. She and I discuss the projects she’s completed in that time, including the new film starring Riz Ahmed, Encounter, now available to stream on Prime Video.

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Sports, Streaming, Television8 Comments

How ‘Ted Lasso’ Failed Nate as a Character

Swara Salih

Ted Lasso has taken our pop culture by storm. From its trademark humor to the soccer (AKA football) matches, to the great performances, and an often stunning exploration of mental health (at least for most of its main cast), it’s a show that inspires through showcasing the difficulties that the members of Richmond Football Club endure, and how they ultimately uplift each other through it all.

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Podcasts

Southern Fried Asian: The Carolina Desi

Southern Fried Asian

Back in May, Apple Podcasts curated a bunch of AAPI-themed podcasts together, and we were lucky enough to be featured alongside The Carolina Desi podcast. Naturally, we had to invite the hosts, Gurtej Singh and Rashmili Vemula, to join Southern Fried Asian!

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Streaming, Television1 Comment

‘Never Have I Ever’ Charms as it Deals with Grief and Growing Up

Laura Sirikul

Never Have I Ever returns this week for its sophomore season, and it seems like our protagonist, Indian American teenager Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), has not learned her lesson from last season on how to be a better person. As shown in the trailers, the second season starts with Devi having to deal with two romantic suitors — Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) and Ben Gross (Jared Lewison) — and attempting to juggle them both. Of course we know it will lead to heartbreak for the trio and leaves Devi in a really difficult place trying to make things right. There were many times I felt aggravated watching Devi make mistake after mistake and felt like she was never really growing as a person. The thing is, nobody is perfect and as annoying as Devi is when mistakes are made, Never Have I Ever still finds a way to make it as charming and relatable as possible. 

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Movies, Music

Get Ready to Meet the Family in The Disney Channel Original Movie ‘Spin’

Laura Sirikul

Get ready to fall in love with the next best DJ in The Disney Channel’s Original Movie Spin.

Directed by Manjari Makijany, the film follows Indian American teen Rhea who lives a pretty normal life that revolves around her eclectic group of friends, Molly, Watson and Ginger, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant, and her tight-knit, multi-generational family, which includes her father Arvind, younger brother Rohan and her grandmother Asha.

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Animation, Interview, Television1 Comment

Freida Pinto is Ready to be Queen in Disney Junior’s ‘Mira, Royal Detective’

Laura Sirikul

It’s extremely hard to look directly into the eyes of Freida Pinto without blushing.

When I first entered the press room where Pinto was prepping for the premiere of Disney Junior’s latest animated series, Mira, Royal Detective, I couldn’t help but compliment her on her beauty, successful career, and her work for empowering women. Named by Vanity Fair as one of the most beautiful women in the world, Pinto humbly laughed off the compliments aimed at her and got serious when we began talking about her role as Disney royalty in the new series.

“I keep forgetting it’s a Disney Queen,” laughs Pinto. “It’s not just a Disney character.”

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Animation, Interview, Television1 Comment

Utkarsh Ambudkar Hopes Disney’s ‘Mira, Royal Detective’ Normalizes Brown People

Laura Sirikul

It’s press day for Disney Junior’s upcoming animated series Mira, Royal Detective, the first animation based on the cultures and customs of India for children. Set in the fictional land of Jalpur, the series follows Mira (Leea Ladnier), a commoner who is appointed to the role of royal detective by the Queen (Freida Pinto). Mira solves mysteries with help from her friends, thus proving she is indeed one of the best detectives in the land. 

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Hard N.O.C. Life, Star Wars, Video Games

Janina Gavankar: How a Nerd of Color Became the Face of Star Wars

Hard NOC Media

Since the NOC launched in 2013, actress Janina Gavankar has been one of the community’s biggest celebrity boosters. Now, finally, Janina is able to join us on Hard NOC Life! In the intervening years, she has racked up the nerd bona fides by starring in Arrow, True Blood, and Sleepy Hollow. But now, she is part of the biggest nerd franchise of them all: as Iden Versio in the blockbuster game franchise Star Wars: Battlefront II.

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