S1 Ep72: Saurabh Kikani- Don't Let Your Girlfriend Hear This
After hearing from the Super Duper Movie Producer Megha Kadakia last week, it was only right to hear from the other part of this amazing partnership. Megha's husband Saurabh Kikani joins us this week and helped us create maybe our funniest episode ever. Akaash did a spit take during recording, I was in tears I was laughing so hard and Saurabh was just killing it. All because we started talking ...
50m Mar 31, 2016
50m
S1 Ep71: Megha Kadakia- Super Duper Movie Producer
On this week's episode of American Desis, we bring in someone who has melded the ideals of the professional life Desi parents pushed on us with the rebellion of working in the arts Desi parents pushed us away from. Megha Kadakia is a filmmaker, business woman, wife, activist, and dope lady! We get her on the mic to talk about her Desi-centric upbringing, her early years as a business woman, and...
44m Mar 22, 2016
44m
S1 Ep70: Live from SXSW!
Thanks to Dropbox, this week we got to do a live taping of our show at SXSW! And since we were in Austin, there was no better fit than one of the few brown hipsters I know. Vishal Agarwala grew up down the street from me, but we had very different experiences and grew up in different communities. So we explored how those differences shaped our identities. We also speak on the South Asian cultur...
52m Mar 17, 2016
52m
S1 Ep69: Community Episode #2- Women's Day...Sort Of
On today's community episode, we discuss International Women's Day, at least at first. That quickly leads into a spirited conversation about how to become empowered. Afterward, we move to the community- which an includes an email about the identity of Desi widows as well as an email about Muslim identity. We then dip our toe into the Twitterverse, and close the episode with a spirited debate on...
35m Mar 10, 2016
35m
S1 Ep68: Hernan Lopez- The Ancient Medium of the Future
Entrepreneurship is a calling in and of itself. Often a person knows he wants to start his own business, but never takes that leap until he sees the right opportunity. For Hernan Lopez, that opportunity is podcasting. After years of being the president at Fox International, with a career most people would dream of, he left to start Wondery- a media company specialized in mobile and on-demand st...
32m Mar 01, 2016
32m
S1 Ep67: Kamlesh Uncle- Raising Hope
Parents are often our strongest influence. They model behaviors that we internalize and set the foundation for what kind of people we will be. On last week's episode we had the pleasure of talking with Pooja Patel, a young woman who is going to change things in the world. When we were recording our episode with her, she was brought to the studio by her father. So Akaash and I thought "Let's tal...
37m Feb 23, 2016
37m
S1 Ep66: Pooja Patel- Uplifting Humanity
As we recently learned, Arjun Gupta has been named the official spokesperson of "Uplift Humanity", a service organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of juvenile inmates in South Asia. Part of his duties as spokesperson was selecting a winner in a video submission contest with the volunteers of Uplift. Today we have the pleasure of speaking with that winner: Pooja Patel. Pooja Patel is a S...
35m Feb 16, 2016
35m
S1 Ep65: SAHARA- No More
After hearing too many stories on our podcast about domestic abuse, Arjun and I wanted to talk to people who could actually help deal with this problem, as opposed to just complaining loudly about it like we would do. This week, we were fortunate enough to speak to Hemali Shah and Neha Duggal, both of whom work for The South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency, or SAHARA. SAHARA is an organizati...
43m Feb 10, 2016
43m
S1 Ep64: The Community- Let's Get Uplifted
Today we drop our first Community episode- the epiosode that's all about you guys! What you have written to us, what you want us to talk about, and sharing what you have to say. This week, we discuss Coldplay and Beyoncé's new music video, learn something new about Gujurat and then Akaash (sort of) interviews Arjun about becoming the new Brand Ambassador for Uplift Humanity India! Hope you guys...
27m Feb 02, 2016
27m
S1 Ep63: Samrat Chakrabarti- The Story of Me, The Story of Us, The Story of Now
Continuing with our theme of history, we speak to someone who was in the game before we were even a part of it. Samrat Chakrabarti is a classically trained actor, producer, and musician, who called moving to New York in 2003 "a slap in my face". We explore why he felt that way and if he still feels that way. Within that conversation we deal with how to pronounce names, what fights are worth fig...
48m Jan 27, 2016
48m
S1 Ep62: Freya Motafram- Zoroastrian
The Indian Subcontinent is dominated by three religions: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. But just there are thousands of dialects, there are also many different religions. This week we bring to the show someone who grew up with Arjun on the mean streets or Palm Harbor, Florida: his close friend Freya Motafram. Freya is from one of the aforementioned undervalued religions of India: she is Zor...
39m Jan 19, 2016
39m
S1 Ep61: Shilpa Mankikar- The Brown Spike Lee?
As we start 2016 and look to the future, we thought it was important to take a look back- to look back at our history as Desis in this country. So we welcomed Shilpa Mankikar, a filmmaker and activist, to tell us about her experience making films in the states and in India. Through this conversation, we were schooled on the trials and tribulations our community has faced, from the Sikh isolatio...
42m Jan 05, 2016
42m
S1 Ep60: Brown Men CAN Jump (In Singapore)
In our last episode of 2015, I talk with Akaash about his recent 3 week trip to Southeast Asia and what he learned. He tells me how differently we are perceived. For example, apparently in other parts of the world we are the athletes…so like, I am Michael Jordan…He also breaks down why he appreciates America so much more. We hope you enjoy, and thank you for sticking with us this whole year, wi...
34m Dec 29, 2015
34m
S1 Ep59: Re-Release: Vineet Khosla- "I'm an Engineer So I Don't Think About this Stuff"
Everyone loves a good spin-off right? Frasier, The Jeffersons, The Colbert Report. Well, Akaash and Arjun unintentionally created their first spin-off episode with this week’s guest. Last week with Arpita, we broke from the usual format of the post interview discussion by turning it into a three-way conversation. During that section you heard Vineet, the famously supportive husband, call our ho...
51m Dec 15, 2015
51m
S1 Ep58: Arjun & Prashanth Get Chipotle
Akaash ran away to Singapore to get sick and do shows close to the homeland so he left me alone with the keys to the castle. I took advantage of this by bringing back the awesome Prashanth to chop it up. You guys will remember him from our episode: Chipotle Gets It. Well in that episode we did more of a conversation than traditional interview and for this one we followed that model. I had Prash...
48m Dec 10, 2015
48m
S1 Ep57: Kase Raso- Persian as I Wanna be
Today Akaash does a solo interview with his good friend and roommate, Kase Raso. Kase is a fellow New York City comedian who happens to be Persian. The thing that fascinates Akaash most, though, is that Kase looks, and has been perceived through his entire life, to be a white man. How this has impacted him, and how he goes about telling people he is not white, fascinates Akaash. Since Arjun is ...
36m Dec 01, 2015
36m
S1 Ep56: We Thankful
We switch it up this week as it's Thanksgiving- and we wanted to just talk to each other and you guys! We start with catching up a bit, since I have been too busy to even talk with Akaash very much lately. We then move into a discussion about the trending topic of #IntolerantIndia. We speak on our confusion over what's going on and I call out Modi. So if anyone can pass my message along to him,...
31m Nov 25, 2015
31m
S1 Ep55: Arpita Discussion Re-Release
In this week's discussion, we drop the discussion portion of our chat with Arpita. After recording our episode with her, the conversation we had with her off air was so dope we just threw her back on the mic and went in. She really challenged the way we thought about things and also called us imperialists! Enjoy!
23m Nov 20, 2015
23m
S1 Ep54: Re-release: Arpita Kumar- My Dear Americans
What is it like to idolize a country and then move there? Do the realities you face stand up to the fantasy you created? How do you now identify? Because they have lived in the US for the duration of their lives, these are questions that Akaash and Arjun don’t have to face; however, there are many people within the South Asian American diaspora who do. Meet Arpita Kumar: a Lucknow native from t...
1hr 18m Nov 17, 2015
1hr 18m
S1 Ep53: Meetu Chilana- In a Sense
We have had several artists on our show from different mediums, but today we welcome our first circus performer! Of course, being South Asian, she had to take a non-traditional route. Our guest, Meetu Chilana, worked with Cirque du Soleil for 3 years. It was a journey that took her to Moscow, Spain, and all over the Americas; however, it also left her feeling quite unsure where home was. It was...
34m Nov 10, 2015
34m
S1 Ep52: Breath of Fresh Air
I'm back on the mic to talk to Akaash about the interview he and Surina had with Suraj Patel, and man was I refreshed. Hearing him talk about the state of politics and where we all fit in made me feel really hopeful. His stance on the fact that South Asians feel like they are outsiders, but that is only in their head is an important message for us all of us. We also dove into the divide in our ...
35m Nov 06, 2015
35m
S1 Ep51: Suraj Patel- The Brown Barack
In our dope new episode, Akaash and guest host Surina Jindal sit down with our first political guest and possibly the Brown Obama: Suraj Patel. They sit down and chart all the wild things he did before finding himself as an “advance man” in Obama’s first Presidential Campaign. Suraj also tells us about growing up in Indiana in a small town with no diversity, and how as a young man he subscribed...
41m Nov 03, 2015
41m
S1 Ep50: Let's Lower the Threshold
I jump back on the mic with Akaash to discuss the interview with Kanishk about us all being mentally unsound! I provide my outsider opinion on the discussion and throw out my ideas in support of everyone benefiting from getting help. To make up to those of you who missed my dulcet tones, I talk a lot. We then jump on Twitter to discuss the thoughts the community shared with us. Hope you enjoy a...
30m Oct 30, 2015
30m
S1 Ep49: You're Already Screwed Up
On this week’s episode of American Desis we welcome our first guest host: Tushar Singh. Tushar joins Akaash as they talk to Kanishk Solanki. Kanishk is a psychiatrist in New York City hospital and he breaks down for us the reasons we all need therapy. He very clearly explains how psychiatrists are trained to look at Asian Americans (East and South) with the understanding they are probably skirt...
42m Oct 27, 2015
42m
S1 Ep48: State of the Podcast- From John Wayne to Drake
On our second "State of the Podcast Address", Akaash and I discuss what has and hasn't shifted for us in the last few months. Surprisingly, the themes are quite similar for both of us as they deal with nuance and balance. Both of us reference an aspect of growing less extreme in our beliefs and holding more space for different ideas. I am being purposefully vague for two reasons: one, so that y...
40m Oct 14, 2015
40m
S1 Ep47: Re-Release: Dr. Varun Soni- An Untethered Soul
Today we re-release one our favorite episodes: Dr. Soni. Listen in to see the origin of Akaash’s epic man crush as we talk with a brilliant man, teacher, and leader. We have talked about Bollywood, we have talked about language, and we have talked about gender: but what about religion? Often, religion is the single biggest influence on how people live their lives. So that lends the question: wh...
1hr 2m Oct 06, 2015
1hr 2m
S1 Ep46: Brown Guys are Sensitive
We jump on the mic to throw it down over the second part to our Varun Lella interview, but first we have to address the mud mask I was wearing (which I graciously let Akaash make fun of). Then we move to the interview with Varun. We talk about holding space for two ideas: the idea that other communities have advantage,s and the idea that that advantage does not define us as people. We also talk...
39m Oct 01, 2015
39m
S1 Ep45: Varun Lella Part 2- No One Turns Down Free Drinks
In part two of our time with Varun Lella, we finally dive into what it’s like being South Asian in the corporate world of Hollywood. He tells us how a dream to be the Indian Scorcese turned into becoming an agent after realizing he didn’t have a big enough ego to be a director. He walks us through the tricky world of agenting that is rife with networking and hand-holding. How as a South Asian w...
41m Sep 29, 2015
41m
S1 Ep44: Proportional Responses
Listen as Akaash and I talk about the interview we did with Varun Lella. We speak on the way that he painted a more nuanced vision of the Southern philosophy on race, and of course about his situation with that Desi girl in college. We then got into a thrilling discussion on where identity comes from: us or outside or both. From there, we move into the community and our first negative email. Fr...
37m Sep 25, 2015
37m
S1 Ep43: Varun Lella- Black Nerd
This week we welcome someone from an industry we don’t often associate with South Asians. We have explored that we are becoming well entrenched (Akaash would say too entrenched) in the entertainment industry; but there is an important sector of that industry where we are still developing our presence: agents. Varun Lella is an Literary and digital agent at Paradigm Talent Agent. We bring him on...
36m Sep 22, 2015
36m
S1 Ep42: Sex with Students- NBD
We started off the podcast wanting to discuss the interview we re-released with Pallavi Dhawan, but we got completely sidetracked by current events surrounding #IStandwithAhmed and Sureshbhai Patel. We then somehow end up in a discussion about statutory rape versus police brutality. It's been a strange Friday morning. Sit back, enjoy, or get uncomfortable with our latest discussion.
33m Sep 18, 2015
33m
S1 Ep41: Re-release: Pallavi Dhawan- Untraditionally Traditional
We continue our re-releasing of Indian, American episodes with one of our favorities: Pallavi Dhawan. We are re-releasing some episodes happened before we had a space for you guys to discuss and join in the conversation. This episode allows for a lot of discussion, particularly on the heels of the Neel Nanda interview. Also, for the first and only time: I look stupid and Akaash looks evolved......
59m Sep 14, 2015
59m
S1 Ep40: False Expectations Appearing Real
Akaash and I start today with two important messages about resources that aid domestic abuse victims, as well as places y'all can reach if you need help. We cannot encourage enough to use these resources and seek the help you deserve. We then had as much trouble as I do right now transitioning to discussing the interview with Prasanth. But we just do, and so will I! We talk about the two topics...
29m Sep 11, 2015
29m
S1 Ep39: Prashanth Venkataramanujam- Chipotle Gets It
The last few weeks have been quite intense over here at American Desis, so we thought we'd take this week to go back to our roots: conversations. We invited Akaash's friend Prashanth to have a low key, informal conversation and just see where it went. This episode is more winding than usual, but some amazing things come up- ESPECIALLY how we start off peeling back all the mythos that surrounds ...
53m Sep 08, 2015
53m
S1 Ep38: We Must Be Better: Responsibility to Others
Heavy in heart and mind, Akaash and I come at you with today's discussion episode. Of course the topics that dominate the episode deal with Neel's truly generous sharing of the abuse he dealt with. We discuss the ways in which we must be better and pose the question: Why as a community have we not been more proactive in dealing with this? We underline the necessity for us all to be better and A...
31m Sep 04, 2015
31m
S1 Ep37: Beaten, but not Broken
In what may be our most important episode to date, Neel Nanda generously and bravely shares the stories of abuse that he, his sister, and his mother dealt with at the hands of his father. In the previous episode, while exploring why Neel felt such an aversion to Desi culture and their women, Akaash noticed a pattern: Neel would never say anything positive about his father. As you heard, Akaash...
35m Aug 31, 2015
35m
S1 Ep36: The Space Between Black and White
This week on American Desis, we decided to hold off on our discussion of the Neel Nanda interview until after the second part, which releases Monday. Instead, Arjun discusses the roles of "coolness" in the South Asian American Identity, and whether or not it is necessary for us to come together. He also discusses diversity in the entertainment world, which apparently exhausts Akaash to no end. ...
35m Aug 27, 2015
35m
S1 Ep35: Neel Nanda- To be Indian, or Not to be Indian
When we say we want to talk to everyone, we want to talk to EVERYONE- even people who don’t agree with us and don’t follow our lines of thinking. One such line: Akaash and I agree on the desire to pursue and uphold our heritage. A line of thinking with which this week's guest does not necessarily agree. Neel Nanda is a comedian and an actor and someone who doesn’t identify with his Indianness. ...
34m Aug 24, 2015
34m
S1 Ep34: Compassion as a Weapon?
We re-released the Omi interview from the OG podcast, "Indian, American" to revisit the themes and topics brought up then and see how they hold up. Our discussion started off with a conversation about how Omi used comedy as a defense in his childhood and quickly moved to a conversation about compassion. Compassion in the way we deal with other peoples boundaries, and compassion as it relates to...
37m Aug 21, 2015
37m
S1 Ep33: Re-release: Omi Vaidya-From Joshua Tree to Bollywood
Since we started "American Desis," our new listeners have missed out on some amazing content we had with "Indian, American." We also at that time did not have a space for the community to engage with the interviews. Today that all changes. We will now release once a month an old interview and be able to discuss in a few days how it stands up and get your thoughts! First up: Omi Vaidya, Bollywoo...
54m Aug 17, 2015
54m
S1 Ep32: Arjun is a Poopface...And So Are You
Arjun did a "Lovingkindness" meditation before we started, and Akaash was in a feisty mood, so this became one of the more serious but fun discussion episodes we have had. As you can tell by the title, the mood faded towards the end :) In this episode we discuss our conversation with Anshika and how we would like to speak with more of the youth to get a sense of their voice and persepective. I...
37m Aug 14, 2015
37m
S1 Ep31: Anshika Bagla- Learning From the Young
On this week's episode, Arjun and Akaash go where they have never gone before, at least not in many years: high school! Our hosts welcome to the show their youngest guest to date: Anshika Bagla, who just graduated this past May. They welcome her to discuss the changing landscape of what it means to be South Asian and end up feeling really effing old. Anshika paints a picture of a world that is ...
36m Aug 10, 2015
36m
S1 Ep30: Gang Wars and Body Hair
On today's podcast, Arjun and Akaash deal with South Asian gangs in Canada, and why they exist. They talk about whether Canada does a better job of assimilation than America, and then finally get into their interview with the ladies of Brown Girl. They dive deep into Bollywood and whether that is a barometer for your "Indianness" while saving room to talk about their body hair. As always, they ...
36m Aug 06, 2015
36m
S1 Ep29: Brown Girl Magazine- What is Love...Bollywood Style
We had such a good time interviewing the ladies at Brown Girl Magazine we brought them back to talk again. This time, we spoke to them from the cushy offices of their day jobs at Zee TV. We pick up right where we left off in our first interview, discussing homosexuality. We explore what the "Girl" in "Brown Girl" represents, and who specifically can be a part of that community. We move quickly ...
44m Aug 03, 2015
44m
S1 Ep28: Arjun is in Vancouver and he is a little manic
Our heroes return to their sorely missed second episode a week with a discussion about the two episodes with Tushar. They discuss how they might be stuck in old ways about India and marvel at how much India is changing. Arjun also explains why he challenged Tushar so much about religion and Akaash is revels with joy in a comment about Arjun being an arrogant douche. As always the boys then dive...
34m Jul 30, 2015
34m
S1 Ep27: Tushar Singh- Comedy is Evolving
Comprised of 5 countries whose histories are long and winding, South Asia is a complex region. Pakistan and India did not exist as they do now until 1947, and Bangladesh until 1977. These countries are in the toddler phase of development. What makes that crazy is that they are also, to use the same analogy, the eldest people in the room. As can be expected, an identity crisis is at hand. How mu...
38m Jul 27, 2015
38m
S1 Ep26: Tushar Singh- Ridiculous
American Desis has explored what it means to be South Asian in this country; but this week, and what will turn out to be next week as well, we flip the script. We decided to talk to an American Desi who went back to India. Meet Tushar Singh. He is an American born stand-up comic from a bastion of liberalness: Huntsville, Alabama. He is our guest today because he filmed a documentary about his e...
38m Jul 21, 2015
38m
S1 Ep25: The State of the Podcast Address
This week on American Desis, it’s the State of the Podcast! Arjun and Akaash do their first installment of what could become a quarterly addition to the show. The episode centers around an intimate conversation of what has shifted for them over the last few months, if anything. It takes into account the things that have surprised them, concepts they still struggle with, and conclusions that hav...
31m Jul 15, 2015
31m
S1 Ep24: Swings and Misses
In this discussion episode about our time with Parvesh Cheena, we start of with a realization I had about my energy in the interview. Akaash and I discuss this sense that I was seeking something specific from the interview and not allowing it to just develop. I come to understand that I was looking for Parvesh to become an advocate for something that may no longer need it. We explore the root o...
35m Jul 10, 2015
35m
S1 Ep23: Parvesh Cheena- Cuddle Time
You may know him from his role as Gupta on NBC’s Outsourced; or maybe you know him from his time in theatre; or maybe you just know him because he's the kind of guy that everybody knows. We know him as all of the above, but especially our guest. This week we are so glad Parvesh Cheena could come sit down with us and chat. Now on this show we have had interviews that were more formal and guests ...
51m Jul 06, 2015
51m