Zarrar Khan is an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker. Born in Karachi and currently based out of Toronto, Zahra’s works have been screened and awarded in over 100 festivals, including TIFF, Bocarno, and BFI London.

In Flames, his genre-bending feature directorial debut, premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director's Fortnight. A story about Pakistani women, about resilience, it’s a perfect mixture of education, entertainment and thriller, and has garnered critical acclaim and prizes worldwide.

In this episode, Zarrar delves deep into the process of creating In Flames and its subsequent controversy, and the importance of portraying Pakistan in all its complexity. He passionately expresses the importance of telling stories of Pakistani women at a time of worldwide crisis for women’s rights. He shares his thoughts on the state of Pakistani cinema. Finally, he shares his insights into living as both a Canadian and a Pakistani and learning to fall in love with all of Pakistani culture.

Zarrar is truly committed to telling stories that amplify historically marginalized communities, about voices that need to be heard.

In Flames comes out April 12th across North America

What We Talked About:

• The Birth of In Flames: Zarrar describes how he developed the idea for In Flames through his early short films + the strong relationships he forged with his female cast + the urgency to show this film to the world at this time of crisis in women’s rights from Iran to Roe vs Wade (3:28}
• Pakistani Culture and the Making of In Flames: Zarrar explains how he combined the genres of thriller, family drama and supernatural to capture the fear-filled lives of women in the religious society of Pakistan + why the Pakistani Oscars called the film a “lasagna” (5:56)
• Stirring the Pot: Zarrar describes how the film generated controversy across Pakistan + navigating the censors through the controversial parts + how the film has resonated with young people and how the old guard's objections are “a badge of honor.” (9:23)
• Seeing Pakistan in A New Light: Zarrar discusses the value of an outsider’s perspective in exploring traumatic issues + how being a male director helped him tell the stories of Pakistani women + how female directors can bring the same outsider’s perspective to shining a light on toxic masculinity (11:48)
• Shooting Karachi: Zarrar describes the challenge of capturing the unique beauty of his birthplace on a microbudget + his pride in debuting his Karachi-born female lead + fleming the racier scenes in closed sets and the importance of having females in the crew (13:53)
• “They’re Actors - They Can Act:” Zarrar opens up about filming the racier scenes in closed sets + how his process of making cast feel safe and relaxed contrasts with the legacy of “traumatizing” actors (17:53)
• Shining a Light On Pakistan: The challenge of representing Pakistan in film without stereotypes + pride in showing the lives of Pakistani women in their complexity and diversity (21:14)
• A Karmic Moment: Zarrar shares the joy of shooting their take in a pregnancy ward at the same time a man’s wife had a baby (22:55)
• A Renaissance in Pakistani Cinema: Zarrar reflects on Pakistan’s first attendance at the Cannes Directors Fortnight for 40 years + how Pakistani cinema emerged from the “dark ages with the help of the internet and social media” (24:21)
• Between Two Worlds: How Zarrar divides his time between Canada and Pakistani + how his children have lived in four different cities + he describes his idyllic childhood and his gratitude to for his family’s support for his career in the arts + the joy of reuniting with Pakistani culture as a member of the diaspora (27:05)
• Pakistan And Me: Celebrating the diversity of Pakistan’s subcultures + Zarrrar’s relationship with religion and his take on Islamophobia (33:29)
• Rapid Fire Round: (36:08)
• Zarrar’s Bucket List: (41:32)
  

Connect with Zarrar:

• Instagram
• Company website
  

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Anu Seghal is a children's author and the founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education company that celebrates South Asian culture. Priya Krishna is a food reporter and video host for the New York Times and the best-selling author of multiple cookbooks, including Indian-Ish and Cooking at Home. Her latest book is Priya's Kitchen Adventures.

The Culture Tree will be hosting their first annual AAPI Children's Literary Festival in collaboration with the Asia Society. This is a unique gathering place for writers, illustrators, publishers, and fans of AAPI literary works. It features readings, meet-and-greet sessions with authors like Priya, illustrators, panel discussions, and writing workshops, engaging the youth with the full diversity of South Asian culture.

Anu and Priya delve deep into how The Culture Tree and the AAPI Literary Fest will help immerse children in South Asian culture through the love of reading and food. We talk about the importance of food in our culture and what comfort food we still love, Anu shares her journey with The Culture Tree , and Priya discusses how her dad gets stopped at Costco to discuss his recipes that are now shared worldwide.

The AAPI Children’s Literary Festival will be in person Saturday, May 11th from 1 to 5 p.m. at 725 Park Avenue, New York City.

What we talked about:

• Growing the Culture Tree: Anu breaks down the Culture Tree’s mission of celebration and education + the importance Anu places on the languages of South Asia + how South Asian culture is one of the most diverse in the world and the need to celebrate it all + the heartwarming support the Culture Tree receives from the wider community (3:28)
• Anu’s Journey: Growing up in an inter-religious, multilingual family and her passion for teaching South Asian languages + how having children inspired her to challenge South Asian stereotypes + her pride in seeing her kids haggling in a Delhi bazaar (7:33)
• Lit Fest: Putting Kids First: The original inspiration for the Lit Fest + TikTok and teaching middle schoolers the lost art of recipe reading + having children do their own writing and illustrating + how children run their panel discussion in the Festival (18:12)
• Priya's Kitchen Adventures: How Priya’s created an interactive cookbook that normalizes South Asian cooking from a young age + how she came to be involved in the Lit Fest + how she refused to bring Indian food to school so she could fit in + how she first promoted Indian cooking + celebrating the support she has received from Madhur Jaffrey and other South Asian cooking experts (23:15)
• Priya’s Further Adventures: Priya describes how her local Mutai shop was her first New York Times project + Her pride in her YouTube videos highlighting the unseen labor in the food industry + her latest project exploring identity beyond the South Asian American paradigm + her parents suddenly becoming famous (30:51)
• Final Goals: Anu and Priya express their hopes to promote the Lit Fest annually for children as young as five as well as middle schoolers + their wish for parents to join in the fun (35:17)
• Rapid Fire Round: (37:43)
• Anu’s Bucket List: (40:39)
• Priya’s Bucket List: (40:46)

Connect with Anu:

• Linkedin
• The Culture Tree
• Instagram
  

Connect with Priya:

• Website
• Instagram
• Linkedin
• Twitter
• YouTube

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

Rochelle Pinto is the head of editorial content for Vogue India. She has had quite a career and is exactly how you think a Vogue head would be-poised, intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful, and as a bonus, she’s totally down to earth. In case you were also wondering if she does gets to work with and receive advice from Anna Wintour, the answer is yes. Yes she does.

Rochelle shares her insights into what is currently happening in Indian fashion, content, beauty, and all things Vogue. She speaks frankly about the challenges of representing India in all its diversity and richness and describes growing up in Goa free of gender stereotypes, how her parents keep her grounded, and the ways Vogue India is currently uncovering untold and fascinating stories all over the country.

What we talked about:

• Walking The Vogue Tightrope: Rochelle talks about the need to balance a younger audience without alienating Vogue’s original supports + appealing India’s growing market outside of Delhi + the ever-changing role of editor-in-chief and having to deal with twitter wars (2:38)
• The Vogue Sisterhood: Rochelle talks all about learning every day from the legendary Anna Wintour and getting to see her work up close + She expresses her gratitude for the support and advice of her predecessors Megha Kapoor and Priya Tanna (8:56)
• Tapping into the Indian Zeitgeist: How the boom in the fashion scene and demand for Indian luxury goods in even small towns reflects the growing pride in Indian identity + discovering pride marches in small Indian towns + Indian artists not needing validation from America (22:06)
• Current Projects: Balancing 64 projects across multiple time zones + the booming beauty industry in India + celebrating the third year of Forces of Fashion (23:46)
• Rochelle’s Learning Curve: Being the youngest columnist in Hindustan Times and what she wouldn’t get away with on today’s social media + Co-authoring Kareena Kapoor Khan's first book + Adapting to the age of cancel culture and the perspective from her mother “You’re not that important.”
• Working with Twinkle Khanna: Rochelle shares her experience as founding editor of Tweak, and how Twinkle taught her to stand by her convictions (34:05)
• Growing Up in Goa: Rochelle celebrates learning to change tires as well as diapers + the inspiration she draws from her parents (37:56)
• Keeping a Shanti Over You: How staying with her parents and sleeping in her old bed keeps Rochelle’s perspective + not letting your identity be defined by your job (45:17)
• Rapid Fire Round: (48:20)
• Rochelle’s Bucket List: (49:36)

Connect with Rochelle:

• Linkedin
• Instagram

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

We're going to Broadway!

Today, I am talking with the two South Asian leads in a very beloved Broadway show: Michael Maliakel and Sonya Balsara, who play Aladdin and Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway.

Michael made his Broadway debut with Aladdin in September 2021. He has had theater experience, including being part of the national tour of the Phantom of the Opera. Sonya also made her Broadway debut as Jasmine in Aladdin and has recently worked on the pre-Broadway lab of The Karate Kid, Sense and Sensibility, and West Side Story in Tokyo, Japan.

In this episode, we talk about South Asian representation, what working on Broadway has really meant to them, and they also share some super fun behind-the-scenes stories.

What we talked about:

• Broadway Journey: Michael describes auditioning during COVID with a flying carpet on Zoom + how the Aladdin cast is more ethnically diverse post-George Floyd + Sonya relates her excitement on getting her first break on Broadway. (01:49)
• History of Aladdin on Broadway: How the show was adapted from the original movie + how the leads put their unique spin on the beloved Broadway hit (06:59)
• South Asia Takes On Hollywood: Michael and Sonya describe their unusual position as South Asian leads in a Broadway hit + the expansion of South Asians into the entertainment industries compared to the 1980’s and the reduction of stereotyping and typecasting. (10:35)
• Wow Moments: Sonya describes the inspiration and lessons learned from playing the Girls Scout Convention on Disney Broadway + Michael talks about performing Aladdin for his parents + South Asian parents’ fears for their children’s career paths (16:08)
• Bollywood on Broadway?: How Bollywood shaped the leads’ childhood + the possibility of Broadway incorporating Bollywood in the future (21:19)
• Daily Grind of Showbiz: The unique challenges of needing to sing, dance, and act and having to do each performance as if for the first time (26:52)
• Looking to the Future: The leads describe the rare good fortune of being in a long-running show + becoming a first-time Dad mid-show (31:34)
• Growing up South Asian: Sonya opens up about being half-Indian half-white and not totally belonging + Michael reveals how growing up Indian Catholic led to him being teased by fellow Indians + the importance of accepting and celebrating your identity (36:29)
• Fast Fun Round: Pet peeves, celebrity crushes, greatest bloopers, ultimate professional collaboration (45:59)

Connect with Michael:

• Website
• imdb
• Instagram

Connect with Sonya:

• Website
• imdb
• Instagram

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram
  

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media

In honor of SXSW coming up next week, I wanted to share a previous episode with one of the keynote speakers for the conference!

Rohit Bhargava is the Founder and Chief Trend Curator of the Non-Obvious Company and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends and marketing in the world.

Rohit believes the world needs more Non-Obvious thinking. He helps leaders and professionals to be more open minded, see what others miss and learn to anticipate the future. He is the author of seven popular business books, including his signature Non-Obvious Megatrends which has been read or shared by more than 1 million people and was a #1 WSJ bestseller + USA Today bestseller earlier this year.

Outside of speaking and consulting, Rohit is also the co-founder of Ideapress Publishing - a fast growing independent publisher that specializes in working with top authors to publish beautiful business books.

We talk about what a Futurist does, why he is the trend guy, what the Human Mode trend is and why it's here to stay, how starting a publishing company kept him from becoming an a&&hole, and the reasons he wanted to start supporting the South Asian community.

Kavita Mehta is a a non-profit leader with 20 years of service and a deep commitment to fostering cultural change, organizational transformation, and movement building.

Kavita is the Executive Director for Sahki for South Asian Women, a survivor-led gender justice organization whose goal is to eradicate gender-based and domestic violence. Sakhi is the second largest organization of its kind in the US, and celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. It has really changed the conversation on gender-based violence in our community while uniting survivors and institutions to work together.

In our conversation, Kavita delves into how Sakhi provides a safe space and community for survivors; the high rate of gender violence in the South Asian diaspora, the challenges in overcoming it, and its connections to South Asian culture and beliefs. We talk about South Asian family dynamics and how they have impacted us, She generously opens up about her own trauma, how it drove her to do the job she does, and how she overcomes trauma to this day

What we talked about:

• Kavita’s Sakhi Journey: How Kavita joined Sakhi at the advent of the MeToo movement + the challenge of COVID + preparing for the migrant crisis in New York City. (6:26)
• A Force for Transformative Change: Sakhi’s unique holistic survivor outreach from counseling to housing + how 48% of South Asian Americans have experienced gender-based violence + Saki’s inclusive rebranding (10:50)
• The Need for True Community and Safety: How fear of judgment and the need to keep up appearance isolates and suffocates South Asians + how feeling like an outsider in childhood impacts adulthood 19:45)
• Live in the Trauma Or Live in the Healing: Kavita opens up about her violent and traumatic childhood + haunted by the life her mother could have had + how she found healing through her work with Sakhi + South Asians breaking the stigma around mental health. (24:31)
• The Hidden Trauma in South Asian Families: Amy and Kavita reflect on their gradual awareness of childhood toxicity + the need to educate the next generation (29:02)
• What next for Sakhi: Celebrating Sakhi’s 35th anniversary + ringing the bell of the New York Stock Exchange + gala (34:16)
• Lessons Learned: Kavita’s anxiety, learning when to accelerate and when to slow down + Sharing internal struggles of making decisions (37:26)
• The Need for Self-Care: Kavita talks frankly about her need for regular therapy + the case that haunts her to this day (39:30)
• Rapid Fire Questions: (42:35)
• Kavita’s Bucket List: (45:36)

Connect with Kavita:

• Sakhi for South Asian Women
• Linkedin

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram
  

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media

When I met my next guest for the first time after getting to know her on social media, I felt like I’d known her forever. 

Akruti Babaria is the founder of Kulture Khazana , a business is dedicated to sharing Indian culture with children through educational and play activities. 

Her story began in 2018 after the birth of her son, Ayaan. When Akruti realized that the diverse places she has lived in had no sign of her culture or community, so she decided to do something about it

Now through Kulture Khazana, Akruti is able to shares the South Asian culture with children around the US  and all of its beautiful treasures.

Kulture Khazana has a variety of incredible Indian toys and Diwali gifts as well as games, puzzles and online story albums for kids of all ages.   Kulture Khazana is also is now the first Indian cultural toy brand founded in target.com and nordstrom.com, and now will be launching with macys.com this year!

As a mother of two little girls who is trying to share our culture as much as possible . I could not recommend checking out Kulture Khazana more.

What we talked about:

• Going full force for Holi: Akruti talks about the upcoming launch at Macy + her new products that make Holi safe and fun + her most popular product (02:52)
• The Story of Kulture Khazana:  Akruti shares her original journey to normalize Indian culture through stories  + the challenge of COVID + the diversity of products and sensory experiences in Kulture Khazana
• Personal Highlights: Akruti shares her pride in talking to her son’s school for Diwali + her new school district campaign to expand South Asian culture to all classrooms. (19:31)
• Lessons from Akruti’s Journey:  People are willing to help +  Not letting “no” ruin your larger purpose is the key to peace of mind  (23:27)
• Growing up Brown in School: Akruti opens up about being treated differently for being Indian + how it became the impetus to help Indian girls find their voice (27:18)
• Women in Indian Culture:   Challenging the subservient view of women in traditional Indian stories. (34:15)
• What Next? Akruti gives the lowdown on her upcoming projects (39:08)
• Rapid fire questions (40:10)

Connect with Akruti:

• Kulture Khazana
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Let’s Connect:

Instagram
 

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media

How is it February already??  While we are working on a few other projects these past few weeks, we're going to share an episode from the end of last year that we also submitted for The Webby Awards this year.  Please do go watch "To Kill A Tiger", it's one of the most powerful documentaries I've seen

Nisha Pahuja is a writer, an artist, and director and now an Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Her passion for social impact is marked by a quiet courage towards exploring complex social issues that often breed division through the lens of her camera. We chat about her latest award-winning documentary "To Kill a Tiger," which has won 19 awards from prestigious festivals such as TIFF, Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Canadian Screen Awards, and Doc Aviv and has names like Dev Patel and Mindy Kaling attached to it. The film earned its way on The New York Times Most Anticipated Fall Releases list and Anne Thompson at the IndieWire’s Oscar Contenders list.

I had the pleasure of moderating the premier of the film here in Dallas with some of the executive producers and was absolutely blown away by the film.

Nisha's storytelling prowess goes beyond this latest project, with notable credits like the Emmy-nominated "The World Before Her," the documentary "Bollywood Bound," and the insightful series "Diamond Road." Her work doesn't just capture stories; it sparks conversations and challenges perspectives, especially around themes of cultural evolution, the reality of stereotypical depictions, and the grip that shame has on so many of us. As an immigrant from India to Canada, Nisha's unique vantage point enriches her narratives, bridging diverse worlds with empathy and insight. Her journey is not just about making films but also the art of fostering understanding, catalyzing change, and alchemizing adversity into inspiration.  

We talked about: 

• How Nisha got involved with Kill A Tiger and what she feels were the hardest parts to film (4:16)
• Western and eastern societal parallels around discussing and handling sexual assault (8:10)
• Nisha’s relationship with shame and the concept of shame as a cultural inheritance (12:05)
• How Karen and her family are doing now and current projects in the works  (17:20)
• What experiencing immigrating from India and growing up in Canada was like (18:50)
• Nisha’s relationship with our culture (23:50)
• The World Before Her, the initial journey to documentary making, and her perspective on representation (29:30)

Connect with Nisha Pahuja

• Instagram
• Linkedin

Let’s talk Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by

 Ginni Media