Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar

By: Ami Thakkar Raval: Podcaster and Writer
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  • Summary

  • A podcast interviewing South Asian trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices around the world with special episodes talking to trailblazers from all backgrounds. We discuss the messiness of growing up brown, have honest conversations about personal and professional journeys, talk about projects that currently fulfill our souls, and discuss topics we could never talk about in front of those aunties we grew up with. Uncle jokes included. New special episodes will also highlight trailblazers from all backgrounds. Because let's face it, being Tuckered Out is universal.
    AmiTuckeredOut 2020
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Episodes
  • Rianjali Is Mild Mannered And Timid

    Rianjali Is Mild Mannered And Timid
    Aug 1 2024
    Rianjali is an award-winning, NYC-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter/composer. Previously working as a former domestic violence and teacher, Rianjali found her “pinch me moment” when Oscar award-winning musician A.R. Rahman invited her to work with him And she hasn’t looked back. From composing music for hit shows on Amazon Prime and Netflix to collaborating legends such as U2, Bishop Briggs, and Shawn Mendes, Rianjali’s big mission in life is to change the perspectives of South Asian musicians’ perspective in the diaspora and to encourage women to explore careers within music and film, and she does this with humor and heart through her Mild Mannered and Timid Podcast, which Rianjali co-hosts and produces, sharing her no-holds-barred views on the society, music, and culture of the South Asian diaspora. Rianjali’s production company is Mild Mannered Timid whose short films include Seeing God, which won Best Documentary at the South Asian Film Festival of America, and Saltwater, which was officially selected for the Wisconsin Film Festival and Chicago South Asian Film Festival of America. This drive to break barriers and defy traditional expectations and stereotypes defines every aspect of her life from her marriage to her music to her films. She is a true trailblazer and and yes, now my soul sister Rinajali shares her crazy ride and lets us into her darkest moments, the challenges she faced taking care of her parents and South Asian expectations, and her decision to follow AR Rahman to Chennai. She reveals how AR Rahman became her personal Mr Miyagi and what he’s like up close and personal. We talk about how her marriage to Kunal by a queer Hindu priestess inspired her first doc; how her latest short film,Saltwater, explores communication in South Asian families; and how her film work helped her connect with her own family.The Mild Mannered and Timid Podcast: Challenging the stereotype of South Asian women + using humor to deal with pain +wanting to support South Asian community + the freedom to be honest about South Asian culture + fear of being shamed five years from now (04:48)Breaking the Film Barrier: Making debut movie with $800 + getting married + the tattooed, weed-smoking queer Hindu priestess + Saltwater and how Indian fathers communicate + having your film used in film classes (12:42)Rianjali and Kunal - How the Crazies Found Each Other: Rianjali details her husband’s talents as an attorney and musical creative + how she and Kunal connected through music + how their parents thought they were crazy + how Kunal supports and complements her. (20:11)Rianjali’s Dark Journey: Rianjali’s early love of singing and how her teacher pushed her to musical high school + Giving up singing for college and being diagnosed with depression + Getting polyps on vocal cords and fighting back + Getting a “realistic” job and the stress of helping battered women. (24:44)Enter AR Rahman: Rianjali tells how a singing clip on Facebook led to her meeting AR + how she had to care for her sick parents + Singing for AR while he videoed her like a dad + the offer of a lifetime to go to India + Deciding to go and the guilt of “abandoning” her parents. (30:12) Rianjali’s Journey Begins: Joining AR Rahman in Chennai as a purple-haired girl in a traditional Indian community + the intensity of being mentored by AR and learning on the fly + how AR took care of her like a father + her first triumphs with Amazon and Netflix and Bollywood (41:34)Returning to Earth: Rianjali talks about finding her musical voice, being South Asian but wanting to do her own thing + the joy she took in becoming a full-time teacher + how the pandemic forced her to switch from gigging to writing music + advising people on the hard realities of the music business + the South Asian impulse to be realistic about career choices and how it clashes with following your dream. (50:32)Rianjali and U2: Rianjali recalls her jamming session with Bono, the Edge, and AR Rahman. (59:01)Current and Future Projects: The excitement of making documentaries with Academy Award-Winning Vanessa Roth + plans to showcase traditional South Asian recipes and moving beyond South Asian food + having her dad star in a pilot episode, how he shared his life story with her on camera, and her love-hate relationship with him + the clash of generational attitudes towards family and ambition in South Asian culture (01:01:16) What Now for Rianjali? Rianjali reflects on her changing goals in life and work + her desire to be known as just a female composer + the importance of getting more women into making music and film + the pleasure of helping people on their own music journeys.Connect with Rianjali:Rianjali's Official WebsiteInstagramMild Mannered and Timid Podcast Let’s talk Connect:InstagramThis podcast is produced by Ginni Media
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Bill Teck On The Trail Of Stevie Van Zandt

    Bill Teck On The Trail Of Stevie Van Zandt
    Jul 2 2024

    Welcome to the first special episode where I will be interviewing trailblazers from all backgrounds. Because let's face it, being Tuckered Out is universal.

    Bill Teck is a writer, producer, director, and the founder of the Generation ñ Media brand. His films include One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film (2014). A Cuban-American who grew up in Miami, Bill has been named by Newsweek Magazine as One of 20 Latinos to Watch and by Hispanic Business Magazine as One of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America.

    His amazing new HBO documentary, Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Chronicling the legendary Stevie Van Zandt, it features a wealth of never-before-seen footage that traces Van Zandt's career as a producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, and a whole lot more. For those who know Stevie best as consigliere to Bruce Springsteen and Tony Soprano, Bill beautifully captures the story of a true Renaissance man and amazing human being.

    In this episode, Bill recalls his Miami days as an out-of-place rock and roll fan in a disco town, and we bond over our love of British invasion music. Bill dives deep into the making of the documentary, revealing the challenges of keeping up with a man who never stops creating and the thrill of finding lost footage that even Stevie didn’t know he had. Bill describes how Stevie’s driving force is his passion for rock ‘n’ roll as a force for social change. Finally, he shares what observing up close Stevie’s musical originality, his fifty-year-old marriage to Maureen, and his close lifelong relationships have taught him about life and himself.


    Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple debuted on JUNE 22 (8:00 p.m.–10:25 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

    • Talking Stevie Van Zandt: Falling in love with Stevie + the British invasion music scene + how Bruce Springsteen and Stevie “lived the legend” as lifelong friends (04:12)
    • Landing the Dream Job: How Bill’s early love of Van Zandt inspired the documentary + the years of rejection before being accepted by Stevie’s “powerhouse” wife + being inspired by Stevie and Maureen’s touching relationship (08:53)
    • Hanging out with the Legends: Learning the secret to a great band + talking Stevie with fans Bono and Paul McCartney + singing with Eddie Vedder at 4 a.m (10:41)
    • Back in the Day: Bill misses wild rock stars flying everywhere, but welcomes the new diversity of voices in the music industry (13:58)
    • “This Beard Was Not Gray When I Started:” Touring Barcelona one day and going to a trial in DC the next (15:57)
    • Rock and Roll Evangelist: Bill reveals Stevie’s unique way of linking music to political change (17:40)
    • The Unseen Stevie Van Zandt: Stevie and Maureen’s rock and roll wedding + film of the couple falling in love + the Stevie and Mandela tape lost in a drawer (19:50)
    • Quiet Pioneer: How Stevie combined hip hop with punk before Run DMC and Aerosmith, and his Grammy-winning reggae song (22:39)
    • Lessons Learned: Bill relates how observing Stevie taught him not to compromise in work (24:09)
    • Stevie the Mensch: Convincing Stevie to appear in the film + filming Stevie with his family + Stevie inviting fans to eat with him + how Ami doesn’t mind Stevie wearing a Ganesh shirt (25:16)
    • Lessons From Stevie: If your first dream dies, just stay with it, because you never know what's gonna happen + how even a two and half hour film doesn’t do justice to Stevie’s career (27:07)
    • Miami and Music: Bill recalls reading Rolling Stone while his friends were into disco + learning to love all music + why the Smiths are so popular with Latinos (33:32)
    • Concert Stories: Bill’s most epic concert + seeing Stevie and Bruce before Hollywood stars + how Bono stopped a fight at his concert (35:30)
    • What Next for Bill: (40:01)

    Connect with Bill

    • billteck.com
    • Bill's IMDb page

    Let’s talk Connect:

    • Instagram

    This podcast is produced by Ginni Media
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    43 mins
  • Anjali Virmani Talks Time Out

    Anjali Virmani Talks Time Out
    Jun 6 2024

    Anjali Virmani is the Global Head of Creative Solutions at Time Out Media. Shuttling between 10 global offices with a brief of 333 cities, she crafts and implements the Time Out global brand story, strategy, and identity, building bridges between the Time Out brand and its consumers globally.

    Anjali’s passion for diversity, uniting, and empowering people of all ages and cultures shines through in her life and career. She sees her role at Time Out as a gateway to building bridges between brands and consumers and fostering connections worldwide. And she is in a unique position to unite diverse communities through the shared experiences of food, culture, and general joy.

    Anjali shares her incredible journey from her childhood, always feeling out of place, to finally finding her home in New York and Time Out. She reveals the challenges and the exhilaration of managing the amazingly diverse Time Out brand. We dive deep into the evolving nature of DEI, race, and what it means to be South Asian for our generation compared to our parents. We go into breaking out of the mold of Good Indian Girl and the importance of learning new things. Finally, we reflect on being the freest South Asian generation and look forward to a new era of diversity for our children even if we still have a long way to go.

    • The Lowdown on Time Out: Time Out’s story from its humble origins as a free magazine to its rise as a global brand + the excitement of creating food spaces and music festivals in Lisbon, Abu Dhabi. and New York + the challenges of appealing to Gen Z (5:38)
    • Spreading the Time Out Message: The challenges of combining local, national, and global brands + traveling in Asia and Europe + future expansion of Time Out into Barcelona and Budapest (12:45)
    • “Indians Come In All Shades, Right?”: Anjali shares her story of growing up in Manchester and the US as the only brown girl, not knowing if she’s white or black, and finding her voice in the “blonde hair” publishing world + the joy of living in New York and having a mix of everything + the shift from “multicultural” to “mainstream” marketing and uniting diverse cultures rather than emphasizing “otherness” (20:03)
    • Our Parents and Us: Anjali on moving to the United States at 10 years old + Anjali and Ami envy their parents’ social lives and sense of community + how parents allow their children freedom while keeping them grounded + how the price of freedom can be loneliness (27:48)
    • Back In The Day: - Anjali shares her early days of acting and tending bar and always wanting to do new things + backpacking and worrying her poor parents + how South Asian parents give their children freedom while keeping them grounded (31:13)
    • Rapid Fast Round: (38:11)
    • Anjali’s Bucket List: (39:39)

    Connect with Anjali:

    • LinkedIn Profile
    • Time Out


    Let’s talk Connect:

    • Instagram

    This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.
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    44 mins
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