Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar

It's a special LIVE episode coming to you from East coast! 

The lovely and brilliant Sheetal Sheth hosted our team for her Always Anjali event, where she talked to kids from the tri-state area about her book and answered all their insightful, and honest, questions.

Her co-host, Hasan Minhaj is an actor, comedian, writer, and political commentator who uses his prowess in the art of storytelling to uplift and advocate for the stories of the unique. However, before Hasan is anything else, he is a father and a family man.

So it makes sense he would see the value and necessity of Sheetal Sheth’s children's book Always Anjali because guess what, he too has had his Always Anjali moments.  He also told me he can make some mean eggs.

Frustrated by the uncommonness of her name, the story follows a young Indian girl's journey to embracing the beauty of being different, teaching her how to be creative and courageous when life doesn't accommodate your unique individuality. 

I interviewed them both to discuss all things Anjali, parenthood, and what’s next for Sheetal Sheth.   

What we talked about:   

• Why Sheetal picked the name ‘Anjali’ (5:00)
• How Hasan got involved in the Always Anjali event (10:50)
• Hasan's own Anjali moment and using your “Starbucks Name”  (12:45)
• Day to day Dad duties with Hasan (13:45)
• What Sheetal’s been up to since our last interview (19:30)
• Sheetal talks about other upcoming projects (22:45)

Connect with Sheetal:  

• www.sheetalsheth.com
• Sheetal Sheth (@beneaththesheetz) • Instagram photos and videos
• www.equalitynow.org
• www.therepresentationproject.org

Connect with Hasan:  

• Hasan Minhaj (@hasanminhaj) • Instagram photos and videos
• Hasan Minhaj

Let's Connect:  

• Instagram

New trailer, new headshots, same uncle jokes.

To all the new listeners, welcome to the Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar—where we interview trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices from the South Asian diaspora to discuss the messiness of growing up Brown, find inspiration, admiration, and most importantly, tons of laughter.

To all those who have stuck with me this long, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been a fun ride, and we're only getting started.

A special ‘thank you’ to my previous guests highlighted on this trailer: Kal Penn, Rabia Chaudry, and Rishi Malhotra. 

Now let’s chat with some trailblazers. 

Produced and Edited by

 Ginni Media

Aparna Shewakramani had a career in law before going on a little show called Indian Matchmaking. Overnight, she became an ambassador for women and a voice contributing to the ongoing conversations concerning sexism.

She is the best-selling author of the non-fiction memoir called, “She’s Unlikeable: And Other Lies That Bring Women Down,” which discusses her experience on the show, the tired and negative tropes surrounding women, and how they must be dismantled systematically.

Aparna is currently building her brand and is also a “recovering attorney” who is trying to find her place in the world and is on a constant mission to evolve and grow in ways she never dreamed of.

What we talked about:

• Aparna’s thoughts on season three of Indian Matchmaking (3:09)
• Aparna discusses how crazy life has been since leaving law (13:17)
• What Aparna hears most from other women (20:47)
• Aparna’s relationship with aging (22:57)
• How Aparna felt growing up brown in Texas (29:57)
• Rapid fire questions (32:37)
• Aparna’s bare bones for happiness (36:03)

Connect with Aparna: 

• Website
• Instagram
• Book

Let’s Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by

 Ginni Media

Rishi Rajani is the CEO of Hillman Grad Productions, a full service media and production company with a mission to empower underrepresented artists and amplify the stories of diverse historically marginalized communities across all industries. 

In the 5 years since starting at Hillman Grad,  Rishi has not only learned the ropes of what it takes to be a successful producer, he also has had a crash course on how to run an exceptional media company.

When he met Lena Waithe, the award-winning creator who is behind the curation of the company, they not only mutually admired each other’s energy, they agreed on the biggest mission of all- to change the idea of what diversity in Hollywood really looks like.

What we talked about:

• How Rishi got hired at Hillman Grad (3:03)
• The different meanings of the word ‘producer’ (7:45)
• The film that had the biggest impact on Rishi (15:49)
• The issues in the South Asian community (24:23)
• The legacy Rishi hopes to leave at Hillman Grad (32:06)
• Rishi’s relationship to growing up South Asian Indian (37:45)
• Rapid fire questions (43:04)
• Who his ultimate collab would be (46:41)

Connect with Rishi: 

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Let’s Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by  Ginni Media

Satnam Singh is an Indian professional wrestler and former basketball player who is currently signed to the American professional wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. He became the first Indian player to be drafted into the NBA when the Dallas Mavericks selected him with the 52nd overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft. He’s also the first athlete I’ve ever interviewed on the podcast. 

What we talked about:

• Why he transitioned from basketball to wrestling (7:42)
• Who he would love to get in the ring with (9:42)
• The differences in training for basketball versus wrestling (10:13)
• Some of his favorite wrestling moves (11:59)
• Growing up in Punjab and playing basketball with his dad’s best friend (16:43)
• How receiving a scholarship to come play high school basketball in the US changed his life (18:07)
• What he learned playing in the NBA (21:07)

Connect with Satnam: 

• Instagram
• Twitter

Let’s Connect:

• Instagram

This podcast is produced by Ginni Media.

I have been following my next guest for quite awhile now through social media and mutual friends.  He has been doing some amazing work and also.... throwing some amazing parties- I definitely was trying to get invited to one.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Maneesh Goyal is a self-acclaimed "insatiable people-person,"  and was determined to open the next great restaurant in NYC, which had to be Indian given his roots. That idea mixed with his desire to fulfill his fathers legacy, one that started in the 80s with the first Indian restaurant—India House—in Texas, led him on a journey of self-discovery of who he truly is and love for where he comes from.

Maneesh is the Founder & Partner at SONA & SONA Home and has partnered with global icon Priyanka Chopra- some of you may have heard of her- to bring Indian hospitality and food to the next level.

We talk about growing up in Texas as South Asians, the challenges he faces in the restaurant scene that people may not know about, and how he wants to be remembered by those he loves.

He tells me how him and Priyanka ended up working together, his favorite memory at SONA so far, and the true glamour of global India today.

Here is to hoping for a future SONA Dallas to open up! 

Produced and Edited by Ginni Media. Made Offbeat.

New trailer. Same uncle jokes. Auntie approved.

Welcome to the brand new and sparkly trailer for the pod!

To all my new listeners, WELCOME to the Tuckered Out family, where we interview, trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices from the South Asian diaspora to find inspiration, admiration, and most importantly....tons of laughter.

To all of you who continue to listen and support, a huge THANK YOU and a promise to keep telling the South Asian story the only way I know how to-by keeping it real.

A shoutout to my previous guests highlighted on this trailer- Kal Penn, Rabia Chaudry, and Rishi Malhotra. Thank you for being so generous and vulnerable during your interviews.  

You are true definitions of trailblazers.  

Produced and Edited by Ginni Media. Made Offbeat.

Aizzah Fatima is an actress and writer from New York City by way of Mississippi. Aizzah has appeared on numerous television shows and films and is the lead actor/writer and producer of Americanish, which follows two sisters and their cousin as they navigate love, careers and familial pressures, a lot of which was personal to Aizzah.  The film has already won 26 awards and will be released by Sony later this year

We talk about Dirty Paki Lingerie, her critically acclaimed comedy one woman play, how muslim girls are DTF- dismantling Islamophobia one dick joke at a time, and how we both have tried a variety of careers to figure out our calling.  We discuss the differences between South Asians in the UK versus the US and how it's so key to follow your gut when it comes to content creation.

She talks about growing up brown and Muslim in Mississippi, we discuss if the American accent is sexy, and why cutting an onion in the palm of you hand makes more sense than using a cutting board. Obviously.

https://www.aizzahfatima.com/

It's a special LIVE episode coming at you from the very FIRST ever South Asian House at SXSW 2023!

It was a fantastic weekend in Austin celebrating South Asian thought leaders in the business, tech, film, TV, theater, music, and fashion industries including seven countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The South Asian House took place at fourth + co in the heart of Austin and SXSW.

From brunch fireside chats with Rishi Rajani (Hillman Grad) and Snigdha Sur (The Juggernaut) to a South Asian Live Music Showcase to one of my favorites, the Desi Drag Brunch presented by One Minute Saree (sponsor), it was a weekend of celebration, conversation and support for the South Asian community.

I may have lost the One Minute Saree competition, but I'm going to keep practicing and make a comeback!

A huge congrats to the team that made it all happen, Jitin Hingorani, Monica Samtani, Kirtana Banskota, and Rohi Mirza Pandya and a big thank you to my guests on this episode, Monica Samtani (Broadcast Journalist), Milan Chakraborty (Producer and Actor), Radha Patel (The Auntie Network-sponsor), Pooja Kumar (Actress), Rita Meher (Tasveer-sponsor).

I can't wait to see what big things the South Asian House team does next because guess what, we ain't going anywhere!

So, you may notice we’re using some different music than our usual jam, that's because it's the first single (Anokha) from our next guest and his new platform, Indo Warehouse.

Kunal Merchant is a multi-hyphenate creative marketer with deep experience building and launching products, growing brands, and ensuring that his passion for music never drifts far from his focus. He is a partner and artist at Indo Warehouse, a multi-faceted label/platform that is dedicated to authentically integrating South Asian culture with electronic music.

He is also the founder Mix4Change, the first global DJ-driven community working to promote change, and is a veteran  DJ and event producer, working with emerging and established brands in both nightlife and experiential capacities all over the world with a large footprint in the city he calls home now, New York.

We talk about how growing up Indian in Texas means always having that supportive brown family,  what our shared experience working together in India was really like, his biggest takeaways working at Meta for 8 years, and why he holds Mix4Change so close to his heart.

I ask him about his third South Asian inspired brand, Indo Warehouse, how the label/platform/event space combines all of his passions, how the brand aims to expand its footprint even more globally in 2023, their insanely popular (and always sold out) events, and of course his first single, Anokha, which we had the honor to play for this episode.

Check out the site for more info about Indo Warehouse, how you can support, and tickets to the upcoming Festival of Love!

https://indowarehouse.co/