Srinagar, June 1 (Ians) In the breathtaking valley of Kashmir, a new generation of ambitious women is breaking barriers and creating their own paths.
From small-scale businesses to startups, acting, modelling and entrepreneurship, these women are seizing the opportunities and making a mark in a rapidly-changing landscape.
In the wake of the abrogation of Article 370, which granted a special status to the region, Kashmiri women are venturing into Mumbai, the heart of the Hindi film industry, known as Bollywood, to try their luck in acting.
Bollywood has long been associated with nepotism and familial connections, according to insiders. However, Mateena Rajput, a resident of North Kashmir, is poised to make her mark with the highly-anticipated release of her debut Bollywood film ‘Welcome to Kashmir’.
Having already worked in the Tamil, Telugu and Marathi film industries, Mateena is ready to make her Bollywood debut.
The budding actress revealed that in the film,...
From small-scale businesses to startups, acting, modelling and entrepreneurship, these women are seizing the opportunities and making a mark in a rapidly-changing landscape.
In the wake of the abrogation of Article 370, which granted a special status to the region, Kashmiri women are venturing into Mumbai, the heart of the Hindi film industry, known as Bollywood, to try their luck in acting.
Bollywood has long been associated with nepotism and familial connections, according to insiders. However, Mateena Rajput, a resident of North Kashmir, is poised to make her mark with the highly-anticipated release of her debut Bollywood film ‘Welcome to Kashmir’.
Having already worked in the Tamil, Telugu and Marathi film industries, Mateena is ready to make her Bollywood debut.
The budding actress revealed that in the film,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Artesia is a small city in Los Angeles County in California, possibly home to an artesian well, but definitely home to Vinny (Venk Potula), an underachieving wannabe rapper. Vinny feels that his creativity and confidence have been stifled after being dumped by his girlfriend Rina (Summer Bashil) three years earlier. Everyone who knows Vinny points out that he probably should have found a way to move on by now. Vinny now channels his rapper skills into sales pitches for sarees in the shop he works in. When he discovers Rina is getting married, and to Sanjay (Karan Soni), whom he considers an idiot, Vinny is jolted out of his state of inaction to finally do something. Along with the help of his friends Zak (Nirvan Patnaik), who works at the local Chaat House restaurant, Anjali (Sharmita Bhattacharya), the perky creator and writer of the Great Little India Times, and Paru...
- 11/28/2022
- by Katherine Matthews
- Bollyspice
Mosaic has signed multi-hyphenate actor, director, and writer Sujata Day for representation in all areas.
Day’s directorial debut “Definition Please” was recently acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array and is currently streaming on Netflix. The indie film earned multiple awards on its festival circuit including the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at San Francisco Caam Fest, Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, and Outstanding Directorial Debut Award at the South Asian Film Festival of America. Day also received the Special Jury Award for Fresh Narrative Voice at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. For her work illuminating race and mental illness on film, Day was additionally profiled for NBCUniversal News Group’s Inspiring America series.
“Definition Please” follows Monica (Day), a former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion in the U.S. who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother.
Day’s directorial debut “Definition Please” was recently acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array and is currently streaming on Netflix. The indie film earned multiple awards on its festival circuit including the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at San Francisco Caam Fest, Best Feature Film at Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati, and Outstanding Directorial Debut Award at the South Asian Film Festival of America. Day also received the Special Jury Award for Fresh Narrative Voice at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. For her work illuminating race and mental illness on film, Day was additionally profiled for NBCUniversal News Group’s Inspiring America series.
“Definition Please” follows Monica (Day), a former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion in the U.S. who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother.
- 2/17/2022
- by Sharareh Drury
- Variety Film + TV
Monica Chowdry (Sujata Day) was everything her Indian immigrant parents could have hoped from a child. Not only did she win the national Scribbs Spelling Bee, but she also became somewhat of a young intellectual celebrity courtesy of the victory tour with photographic keepsakes alongside Oprah Winfrey and fellow Pittsburgh-area native M. Night Shyamalan as well as an episode of television with host LeVar Burton that her mother (Anna Khaja’s Jaya) still watches to this day almost twenty years later. The sky was the limit and expectations were astronomical, yet here she is still living at home and working as a tutor for new, hopeful spelling champions. Not even confirmation of a research job in Cleveland can light a fire. Maybe this quiet life is all she wanted.
It’s a relatable and familiar dynamic wherein unwanted attention and external pressures have just as much of a chance to...
It’s a relatable and familiar dynamic wherein unwanted attention and external pressures have just as much of a chance to...
- 1/18/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing has acquired award-winning feature films “Definition Please” and “Donkeyhead” and will debut them on Netflix.
Array has acquired distribution rights to both films in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand, with the additional territory of Canada for “Definition Please,” and will debut them on Jan. 21 on Netflix.
Both films are by South Asian origin female actor-filmmakers making their feature directorial debuts and who also star in them. “Definition Please” is by Sujata Day, whose acting credits include HBO’s “Insecure” and she directed and starred in short “Cowboy and Indian,” which is now being developed as a series.
The film follows Monica (Day), a former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion in the U.S. who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother. The film also features Ritesh Rajan (“Russian Doll”), Anna Khaja (“The Walking Dead: World Beyond...
Array has acquired distribution rights to both films in the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand, with the additional territory of Canada for “Definition Please,” and will debut them on Jan. 21 on Netflix.
Both films are by South Asian origin female actor-filmmakers making their feature directorial debuts and who also star in them. “Definition Please” is by Sujata Day, whose acting credits include HBO’s “Insecure” and she directed and starred in short “Cowboy and Indian,” which is now being developed as a series.
The film follows Monica (Day), a former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion in the U.S. who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother. The film also features Ritesh Rajan (“Russian Doll”), Anna Khaja (“The Walking Dead: World Beyond...
- 1/10/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Array Releasing has acquired two new feature films from emerging South Asian female directors: Agam Darshi’s Donkeyhead, and Sujata Day’s Definition Please. The company has acquired distribution rights to both films in the U.S., UK, Australia and New Zealand, with the additional territory of Canada for Definition Please. Both films will debut January 21 on Netflix.
“Array Releasing is proud to distribute the work of Sujata Day and Agam Darshi, two promising South Asian women filmmakers who both wrote, directed and star in their directorial debuts,” Array president Tilane Jones said. “Definition Please and Donkeyhead beautifully showcase the dynamic talent of their creators while sharing the oftentimes humorous dynamics of tradition and culture that film lovers of all kinds can relate to, appreciate and celebrate.”
Definition Please follows Monica (Day), a former Scripps spelling bee champion who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home...
“Array Releasing is proud to distribute the work of Sujata Day and Agam Darshi, two promising South Asian women filmmakers who both wrote, directed and star in their directorial debuts,” Array president Tilane Jones said. “Definition Please and Donkeyhead beautifully showcase the dynamic talent of their creators while sharing the oftentimes humorous dynamics of tradition and culture that film lovers of all kinds can relate to, appreciate and celebrate.”
Definition Please follows Monica (Day), a former Scripps spelling bee champion who must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home...
- 1/10/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
2020 certainly presents a year of firsts, –including the first mostly online presentation (save for select drive-in screenings!) for the world’s largest showcase of Asian American film, Caamfest Forward. This has also been our first time visiting the festival, albeit virtually. After seeing the festival wrap up in the last week, we have listed below the awards alongside their jury statements.
Narrative Award
Jury Members: Hanna Huang, Melanie Elvena, Valerie Soe
Winner: Defnition Please, Dir. Sujata Day
Jury Statement: Sujata Day’s Definition Please is a captivating story of family, friendship, vocabulary, expectations, and not allowing oneself to be defined by a singular moment. With standout performances by Day, Lalaine, Ritesh Rajan, Anna Khaja, and Maya Kapoor, each brings depth and humor to their well-written, fully unfolding characters.
Jury Mention: Chosen Fam, Dirs. Natalie Tsui and Lindsay Sunada
Jury Statement: Lindsay Sunada Natalie Tsui’s web series Chosen Fam is a kicky,...
Narrative Award
Jury Members: Hanna Huang, Melanie Elvena, Valerie Soe
Winner: Defnition Please, Dir. Sujata Day
Jury Statement: Sujata Day’s Definition Please is a captivating story of family, friendship, vocabulary, expectations, and not allowing oneself to be defined by a singular moment. With standout performances by Day, Lalaine, Ritesh Rajan, Anna Khaja, and Maya Kapoor, each brings depth and humor to their well-written, fully unfolding characters.
Jury Mention: Chosen Fam, Dirs. Natalie Tsui and Lindsay Sunada
Jury Statement: Lindsay Sunada Natalie Tsui’s web series Chosen Fam is a kicky,...
- 10/27/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Sujata Day from HBO’s Insecure is set to make her directorial debut with Definition Please which will star Ritesh Rajan and Jake Choi. Day wrote the script and will produce alongside Cameron Fife of June Street Productions. Gook and Ms. Purple‘s Justin Chon and Alex Chi will serve as consulting producers. Executive producers are Ahmad Cory Jubran and Hiren C. Surti.
Definition Please, which is written by Day, follows a Scripps Spelling Bee champion that must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother. “Definition Please is loosely based on my relationship with my family and growing up Indian-American in my hometown of Greensburg, Pennsylvania,” Day told Deadline. “Instead of waiting for the powers that be to greenlight my film, I greenlit it myself.
Definition Please, which is written by Day, follows a Scripps Spelling Bee champion that must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother. “Definition Please is loosely based on my relationship with my family and growing up Indian-American in my hometown of Greensburg, Pennsylvania,” Day told Deadline. “Instead of waiting for the powers that be to greenlight my film, I greenlit it myself.
- 5/30/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
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