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Los Angeles Times

2002-04-05 | Newspaper Article | Other

The Los Angeles Times calls AMERICAN CHAI a ‘perceptive, good-natured movie.’

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Press Date: 2002-04-05

by Kevin Thomas

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Looking forward to bringing #alwaysanjali to y’a

Looking forward to bringing #alwaysanjali to y’all this Tuesday. Thrilled to be joined by the illustrious @rodaworld. My dear friend and talented author of several beautiful books. Please join us. Feel free to send questions in the comments so we can get them cued up. Stay safe and we’ll zoom you soon. ❤️🙏🏽👊🏽(link coming) #representationmatters @mangoandmarigoldpress @hightreepublishing @jessicablankdraws @rodaworld 📚

Join us from anywhere in the 🌎. Watch party thi

Join us from anywhere in the 🌎. Watch party this Thursday. Q &A this Saturday. Details below. Holla! #icantthinkstraight #lgbt #lgbtq🌈 @lisaraniray #classic #indiefilm ❤️ #Repost @shamimsarif with @get_repost
・・・
Join us for a virtual film festival in association with @therealcurvemedia and @lesflicks. there's an I Can't Think Straight virtual watch party this Thursday and a live Q&A with me, Hanan and @beneaththesheetz on Saturday at 8pm UK time...come on. Would you rather be having fun watching this movie and asking every question that you've ever had about this film, or modelling the spread of coronavirus?Right. We all know what's better for you...#lgbtq🌈 #icantthinkstraight #lisaraniray #sheetalsheth #lgbtromance

Thank you for having me on @msnbc. Appreciate your

Thank you for having me on @msnbc. Appreciate your team bringing in the honest layers of realities this new pandemic normal has created. Scary times and no great answers, period. Thank you to all you doctors, nurses, and everyone still working so we can be safer. You are the truest of angels. @joshuajohnson @sujatathomas 🙏🏽❤️ FULL VIDEO LINK for those who missed it live:
http://us.wildmoka.com/c/clip/evUzFp

Love this crew so much. The truest of hearts and e

Love this crew so much. The truest of hearts and enigmatic, endless talents. May we continue to create, support and uplift as long as this world allows. 🙌🏽🙏🏽❤️💪🏽👊🏽 @mslynnchen @michellekrusiec @chopsfilms @caamedia
#Repost @mslynnchen with @get_repost
・・・
#TBT 8 years ago - 4 screenings at #CAAMFest w NICE GIRLS CREW, YES WE’RE OPEN, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and a SAVING FACE reunion. I’ve been attending festivals for a long time and they’re so important for indie filmmakers to get their work seen. Let’s keep supporting one another’s work - all of these projects are available online. Stretch beyond what you’d normally watch and seek out art made by underrepresented voices. It’s more important now than ever.

Another terrific school visit in the books! The te

Another terrific school visit in the books! The teachers and students at Menlo Park Elementary were truly some of the best I’ve worked with. A very special community. Thank you for having me and sharing your hearts and stories. I’m the better for it. 🙏🏽 For those who have been asking about school visit bookings, yes, we are booking for 2020-2021 school year. Holla! 📚👊🏽🌈✌🏽#alwaysanjali #representationmatters #schoolvisit #kidlit #menlopark #newjersey @mangoandmarigoldpress

Saw this profound piece @thebarrowgroup last night

Saw this profound piece @thebarrowgroup last night. Loosely based on the Parkland officer who waited outside while kids were being slaughtered in school. Tough to watch at times but sadly, our reality now. Keep thinking about one of the lines in the play where a mom says ‘we are not equipped for this. No one is. Kids with assault rifles.’ It’s our fault. We allow this madness to keep happening. It must stop. Grateful for @shannonrwatts and @momsdemand and @marchforourlives and everyone who refuses to stay silent. 🙌🏽✌🏽🙏🏽💔to all involved in this piece, thank you. Your work has seared into my heart. #gunsense #theater #actorlife #17minutes

A thread about accents. For several decades, South

A thread about accents. For several decades, South Asian actors have been asked to do a generic ‘Indian’ accent to justify their casting. As if the only way a brown person could be in the narrative was if we reflected how white people saw us. And most of the time, it was a version of Apu from the Simpson’s. (We’ve discussed this thanks to Hari Kondabolu. See ‘The Problem with Apu’). Accents for comedy’s sake is offensive and we cringed at the ‘can you do that with an accent now’ note that was way too common in audition rooms. If you need an actor to do an accent to make the material funny, the writing is the problem, not the actor.

We are in 2020 and there is a palpable effort for more representation. That’s great. However, we are seeing narratives/content where the story and characters are actually based in India or Pakistan or Bangladesh or another country from the diaspora but sometimes, there is no accent at all. I don’t know if this is an effort to right the wrongs of the past but you’re missing the point.
Authenticity is the point. Being accurate is the point. Representation is the point. White washing our rich culture which includes many different languages, varied accents, and a multitude of sounds is doing as much of a disservice as the generic accent you wanted before. Give the audiences more credit than that. Just as we pleaded that audiences would accept seeing a brown character with no accent just living their life born and raised in the US, we expect to experience characters growing up in another country to sound like they are from that country.

If we want the world to feel inclusive and respectful and teach our kids to accept everyone, don’t erase the parts of us that connect us to our history. If the character is born and raised in India, they should sound like it. Same for Pakistan and Nepal and Sri Lanka and any other country. If the character was born in one country and then moved around a lot, they should sound like that too. If a family was from Australia, wouldn't they sound like it?
Accents are not reductive when done right, they are a way into worlds we want in on.
Look for accuracy, nuance, and narrative authenticity. Please.

Sheetal 2.0. Thank you @rashmigillphotography for

Sheetal 2.0. Thank you @rashmigillphotography for the 📸. You’re a fabulous photographer and friend. 🙏🏽❤️ shorthairdontcare #fuckcancer #actor #mama @the29th #bringit

I’ve never been good at self care. But I've now

I’ve never been good at self care. But I've now made it a priority. #Cancer has forced me into long stretches of time where I have no choice but to evaluate and challenge. The blessing of seeing your own mortality. Tomorrow is not promised so on this #Valentine’s Day, why not do the most audacious of things and love yourself? No love is more important. Buy yourself the flowers and candy. It will mean so much more. Trust me.

My little Maven turned 3 last month. I am so grateful. And certain that I am a better mother, partner, and creator because I know "self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what's left of you." #happyvalentinesday #selfcare #fuckcancer #alwaysanjali #mama #actorlife 🙏🏽❤️😘 📸: @rashmigillphotography

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