U.S.-based Rasa Film Group is launching a film collective at the Sundance Film Festival.
The collective is actively exploring projects featuring strong female protagonists, narratives centered around social justice and stories that portray Muslim characters in positive and empowering roles. Rasa is in talks for future projects involving Muslim or Pakistani women talent such as Aizzah Fatima (“Americanish”), Mehreen Jabbar (“Farar”), Afia Nathaniel (“Dukhtar”), Mahnoor Euceph (“Eid Mubarak”) and Rehana Lew Mirza (“Wishtree”).
Rasa is the brainchild of four partners of South Asian origin. Asad Butt is the founder and CEO of Rifelion Media, a film and podcast studio elevating diverse voices. He is the executive producer of the forthcoming “Ramadan America” film anthology and the “King of the World” podcast series. Butt is also a startup advisor and investor, primarily working with pet care and education founders and accelerator programs.
Sujit Chawla was a producer on the groundbreaking independent film “American Desi,...
The collective is actively exploring projects featuring strong female protagonists, narratives centered around social justice and stories that portray Muslim characters in positive and empowering roles. Rasa is in talks for future projects involving Muslim or Pakistani women talent such as Aizzah Fatima (“Americanish”), Mehreen Jabbar (“Farar”), Afia Nathaniel (“Dukhtar”), Mahnoor Euceph (“Eid Mubarak”) and Rehana Lew Mirza (“Wishtree”).
Rasa is the brainchild of four partners of South Asian origin. Asad Butt is the founder and CEO of Rifelion Media, a film and podcast studio elevating diverse voices. He is the executive producer of the forthcoming “Ramadan America” film anthology and the “King of the World” podcast series. Butt is also a startup advisor and investor, primarily working with pet care and education founders and accelerator programs.
Sujit Chawla was a producer on the groundbreaking independent film “American Desi,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” Francie Nolan sat on her fire escape, ate peppermint wafers, spied on her neighbors, and read books. In Aurora, I sat on my roof, ate pretzels, spied on my neighbors, and read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” I felt seen by Francie Nolan and it surprised me when people were surprised by the fact that I related to her. At a certain point, I understood that people assumed I’d have more in common with the slum kids in “City of Joy” than Francie. No matter what came out of my mouth, my skin had already spoken for me.
I grew up with films, books, art and music from all over the world and felt kinship with so many people who didn’t necessarily share my heritage. But I became a filmmaker because I wanted to be a part of the movement I saw...
I grew up with films, books, art and music from all over the world and felt kinship with so many people who didn’t necessarily share my heritage. But I became a filmmaker because I wanted to be a part of the movement I saw...
- 5/30/2022
- by Geeta Malik
- Variety Film + TV
American Desis is the fresh, funny, and vulnerable new podcast from actor Arjun Gupta and comedian Akaash Singh. Employing banter and a chemistry that is sure to make you smile, Akaash and Arjun explore what it means to be South Asian in America today through interviews and discussions. The interview guests range from young professional South Asians in diverse and new age fields, to established veterans of the traditional paths. From members of the severely underrepresented South Asian gay community, to an elder Grandma from India struggling to adjust to new surroundings. Some notable guests on the American Desi Podcast are, Gotham Chopra, DJ Rekha, Dr. Varun Soni, D’ Loco Kid, and Actor Omi Vaidya.
Akaash Singh is a stand up comedian based in NYC, with his comedy deeply rooted in the experiences he had as an Indian who grew up in Texas. After working his way up through the New York City comedy circuit,...
Akaash Singh is a stand up comedian based in NYC, with his comedy deeply rooted in the experiences he had as an Indian who grew up in Texas. After working his way up through the New York City comedy circuit,...
- 4/23/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Canadian actor Vinay Virmani is once again bringing a unique tale to the big screen with the heartwarming comedy Dr Cabbie. The film tells the tale about a young Indian doctor who immigrates to Canada and faces roadblocks in his efforts to heal others in the land of opportunity, but discovers his true purpose and true love along the way.
Not only is it Salman Khan’s first international production for his Being Human Films, the film is unique because it is a Canadian/Indian production that features actors from Canada, India and the Us. Directed by Jean-Francois Poulliot, the comedy stars Vinay Virmani, Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory, Lilette Dubey, Adrianne Palicki, Mircea Monroe, Rizwan Manji, Chris Diamantopoulos and Isabelle Kaif.
Vinay recently sat down to answer our questions about everything Dr Cabbie! Check it out!
What made you decide to take this role and do this film?...
Not only is it Salman Khan’s first international production for his Being Human Films, the film is unique because it is a Canadian/Indian production that features actors from Canada, India and the Us. Directed by Jean-Francois Poulliot, the comedy stars Vinay Virmani, Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory, Lilette Dubey, Adrianne Palicki, Mircea Monroe, Rizwan Manji, Chris Diamantopoulos and Isabelle Kaif.
Vinay recently sat down to answer our questions about everything Dr Cabbie! Check it out!
What made you decide to take this role and do this film?...
- 11/25/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
What do you get when you bring together a group of fabulous singers who do it a cappella style and mix it with Bollywood? You get Penn Masala of course! The University of Pennsylvania’s South Asian a cappella group has had a huge fan following for their unique take on a cappella music with covers of Bollywood songs, plus their wicked mash-up mixes of South Asian and Western tracks. Recently their fan base went through the roof with their ode to Bollywood, Evolution of Bollywood. Starting from the 1940s era of Hindi film songs, the boys sang their way through the iconic and classic tracks of each decade till today. It went absolutely viral when they released the killer video and it now has over 1 million hits on YouTube. After hearing and seeing the song and then going through their catalog of music I had to find out more!
- 5/10/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
It is week 12 already! Jhalak Dikhhlaa Ja had the contestants working twice as hard for their performances, literally! The challenge this week was such that all the contestants had to perform on both days of the week, with the first day being DJ mixes by the infamous DJ Suketu, who chose the songs and mixed them for each pair. So how far did the contestants succeed in making their fans happy and fulfil the judges’ expectations? Read on to find out!
The danger zone went a step ahead with 4 jodis i-e Mukti and Shashank, Siddharth Mohena, Shaan and Marischia and Sana and Tushar with the lowest votes. Mukti and Siddharth were the final ones for Jaan Ke Liye Dance, and Siddharth Shukla was eliminated.
Drashti and Salman kick started Saturday with a freestyle performance to a track packed with beats. While their choreography and co-ordination was great, the duo lacked...
The danger zone went a step ahead with 4 jodis i-e Mukti and Shashank, Siddharth Mohena, Shaan and Marischia and Sana and Tushar with the lowest votes. Mukti and Siddharth were the final ones for Jaan Ke Liye Dance, and Siddharth Shukla was eliminated.
Drashti and Salman kick started Saturday with a freestyle performance to a track packed with beats. While their choreography and co-ordination was great, the duo lacked...
- 8/22/2013
- by Samreen Tungekar
- Bollyspice
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna Dk have been trailblazers for quite a while on the film scene. Widening the scope of the crossover market with their debut Flavours, to their sleeper hit with Shor in the City, the duo are now taking up the zombie film and their most genre-oriented film to date with Go Goa Gone. Following three slackers on their journey for the best party in Goa, and throwing zombies and the gun-toting Boris into the mix, Go Goa Gone looks to be a hilarious ride. The film is produced by Saif Ali Khan’s Illuminati Films and stars Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari, Puja Gupta, and Khan as the wacky Russian, Boris. We caught up with Raj, who took the time out from editing, and promotions to chat about his and Dk’s creative process, the zombie genre, and the music.
What made you and Dk come up with the zombie idea?...
What made you and Dk come up with the zombie idea?...
- 5/5/2013
- by Rumnique Nannar
- Bollyspice
The masala-flavored sitcom "Outsourced," which was just picked up for a full season, has quickly become an important part of the NBC Thursday night line-up. The show takes place in India at a call center for an American company and is the first major American television show to feature a primarily South Asian cast. Rizwan Manji, who plays assistant manager Rajiv on the show says, "It's definitely an amazing experience. The first time that I got to really do anything with a primarily South Asian cast was a film that I did about almost a decade ago - 'American Desi'. As you know on TV we were lucky if there is one South Asian person in the show, so this experience is quite amazing; everyone is wonderful."
But just because he has hit it big in Hollywood, doesn't mean that he hasn't heard the siren song of Bollywood.
But just because he has hit it big in Hollywood, doesn't mean that he hasn't heard the siren song of Bollywood.
- 10/29/2010
- Bollyspice
Releasing this Friday is Rehana Mizra's directorial debut Hiding Divya. The film is the story of Divya, her estranged daughter Linny and Linny's 16-year-old daughter Jia, and the effect Divya's bipolar disorder has on all their lives. Hiding Divya tells a story of denial, shame, guilt and, most of all, love. For the cast of the film Rehana brought together an eclectic mix of stage and movie actors to create the characters in her film. To play Ravi, a childhood friend of Linny, Rehana cast theater and film actor Deep Katdare, who also is one of the executive producers of the film. About casting him, director Rehana said, " Deep Katdare came on early in the process, and I did write the role for him as well. I'd seen his work in American Desi and Bombay Dreams with Madhur Jaffrey, and thought he'd be perfect for the comedic part." The actor...
- 8/20/2010
- Bollyspice
Shot in New York City and New Jersey, Hiding Divya tells the story of three generations of women and the taboos created in the South Asian American community from mental illness in the family. Inspired by true stories, the English-language drama is the debut feature from sister filmmakers Rehana Mirza (writer/director) and Rohi Mirza Pandya (producer) and stars Pooja Kumar (Bollywood Hero, Sita Sings the Blues), Deep Katdare (American Desi), and veteran actress Madhur Jaffrey (Cotton Mary, Shakespeare-Wallah) as Divya. Hiding Divya opens in limited release in selected markets across the U.S. on August 20 and will open in New York at Big Cinemas Manhattan.
Synopsis:
Filmmaker Rehana Mirza tackles the taboo of mental illness in the South Asian American community in her writing and directorial feature debut. Hiding Divya provides a rare, realistic and poignant glimpse into the lives of three generations of women - Divya Shah (Madhur Jaffrey...
Synopsis:
Filmmaker Rehana Mirza tackles the taboo of mental illness in the South Asian American community in her writing and directorial feature debut. Hiding Divya provides a rare, realistic and poignant glimpse into the lives of three generations of women - Divya Shah (Madhur Jaffrey...
- 7/25/2010
- Bollyspice
04/08/2009:
Indian American actor Kal Penn is heading to the White House as the associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison. Kal will be working in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the West Wing and housing most of the White House staff. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Kal Penn has acted in major Hollywood and Bollywood movies and has been part of TV shows. He acted in movies like Mira Nair's The Namesake (2007) , played a terrorist in a recurring role on TV 24, Dr. Lawrence Kutner on Fox network's House (2007 to 2009), American Desi, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and many others.
Indian American actor Kal Penn is heading to the White House as the associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison. Kal will be working in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located next to the West Wing and housing most of the White House staff. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Kal Penn has acted in major Hollywood and Bollywood movies and has been part of TV shows. He acted in movies like Mira Nair's The Namesake (2007) , played a terrorist in a recurring role on TV 24, Dr. Lawrence Kutner on Fox network's House (2007 to 2009), American Desi, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, and many others.
- 4/9/2009
- by buyallgifts
- Bollywood Movie News
Anthony Anderson is reuniting with his Malibu's Most Wanted co-star Kal Penn. Penn has been tapped to co-star on Anderson's upcoming comedy series for the WB Network, All About the Andersons. Meanwhile, Anderson will make an appearance in Penn's upcoming starring feature vehicle, "Harold and Kumar Go to the White Castle," in which Penn plays a medical school candidate. On Warner Bros. TV's All About the Andersons, about an unemployed actor (Anderson) who moves back in with his parents, Penn will play a doctor who rents a room from the family. The role has been recast. Penn's upcoming features also include Love Don't Cost a Thing, an urban remake of the '80s comedy Can't Buy Me Love, as well as the indies The Arrangement and American Made. His credits also include National Lampoon's Van Wilder and American Desi. Penn is repped by Gold/Liedtke and Evolution Entertainment.
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