Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar

It's a reunion!  

Twenty years after being his production assistant on a film set in Austin, TX, Kal Penn and I get a chance to sit down and catch up about it all.

Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration. You may know him from television shows such as House, Designated Survivor, Sunnyside, and How I Met Your Mother. He is also recognized for his performance in the film The Namesake and of course the Harold and Kumar series ( I personally still love Taj Mahal Badalandabad). Penn has taught at the University of Pennsylvania in the Cinema Studies Program as a visiting lecturer

We talk about it all from our first impressions, to those fantastic middle school years, to his job as a farmhand right before he went to UCLA. He talks about the meaning behind the Brown Catch-22, his journey with stereotyping in Hollywood, his experience going to India with President Barack Obama, and why he needed a mini-fridge in the White House.

We of course bust out with some Gujarati (our native Indian language) which Kal definitely schools me on.

His new memoir, You Can’t Be Serious, is out and it’s a fantastic read! There just wasn't enough time to give a shout out to all the uncles and aunties we loved growing up.....

Hey guys! Just wanted to really quickly to let you know that we've got a very special conversation coming out this week!

Twenty years after being his Production Assistant on a film in Austin, TX, I got a chance to sit down with my old pal with Kal Penn to talk about his book, You Can't Be Serious, and breadth of work throughout his career

We touched on so many important topics, including his time at the White House and the challenges he faced as an Indian-American in Hollywood.  My conversation with Kal was uplifting, funny and real.  I wanted to give you just a little teaser today to get you excited because I definitely am!

The full episode will be coming out tomorrow, July 20th, so before then, make sure that you're subscribed wherever you're listening to my voice right now, and that you tell a friend about the show so they can listen too.

Also,  I'll be doing a giveaway for Kal's book, "You Can't Be Serious", so stay tuned all week for content surrounding the interview!

Enjoy the clip and be sure to listen to the full episode on Wednesday and also be sure to rate and review the podcast!

One of my favorite things about doing this podcast is reconnecting with people who have been part of different phases in my life.

 Dr. Sumun Pendakur and I met 20 years ago when I was a production assistant on her hubby’s film set. Needless to say, I knew she was a rock star even then. 

She is a #dei strategist, consultant and trainer who has spent the last 20 years focusing on building community strength as well as institutional capacity for #socialjustice and #racialjustice in the #highereducation sector. She was the #chieflearningofficer @uscraceequity center and has built programs that address underserved needs and communities. 

We talk about the influence her parents had on her career, how they were definitely both “woke” back in the day when a lot of #southasianimmigrants were not, how she got involved in amplifying the #asianamerican voice, and the history and true meaning of the term “model minority”. 

I admit that I have had a certain narrative in my head about the South Asian community, we discuss the awful violence against out #aapi brothers and sisters, and she tells me what she finds so shocking about it all, even after being on the frontline for so long. 

This episode is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the #indianapolis #oakcreekgurdwara and #atlantaspa #massshootings #balbirsinghsodhi , #vilmakari and to all of those who have suffered because of these heinous #hatecrimes 

www.sumunpendakur.com

One of our favorites from the past year, our interview with Malini Agarwal.....

We're talking to a media mogul!! Malini Agarwal, aka MissMalini, is India's most famous blogger with a following of 7.5 million worldwide. 

We start out talking about how her "diplobrat" life growing up has helped shape her into the women she is today. 

Malini discusses living through a civil war in Lebanon, how her mom has been her rock and champion FOMO queen, and what led her to the City of Dreams. 

She tells me why radio is still her favorite medium, the bucket list of 24, her book, To The Moon: How I Blogged My Way To Bollywood, and some epic stories that you can only experience in Mumbai.

We of course dive into her best and worst interviews, what it is really like to work with her husband, and her plan to shed light and start conversations around cyber bullying and sexual harassment in India with #ignorenomore. 

Malini is a staunch supporter of women supporting women, as can been seen with MissMalini's Girl Tribe, and she tells me what she regrets the most throughout her legendary journey. 

And guys, there's so much more....

I'm officially a Texan!....now for the unpacking. While I'm setting up shop over the next few weeks, I'll be playing some of my favorite episodes from the past two years....this episode is for all you bad betis & besharam bibis!

Today I catch up with activist, writer & speaker, Sangeeta Pillai, who is the the founder of Soul Sutras. Soul Sutras is the South Asian feminist platform that is all about tackling taboos in South Asian culture, creating safe spaces where South Asian women can explore everything from sex to mental health.

Their projects include Masala Podcast, featuring interviews with fierce South Asian women about taboo topics and Masala Monologues, a series of writing workshops and theatre shows in the UK & the US.Starting life as a blog, Soul Sutras now boasts a range of projects from podcast, theatre shows, webinar to books & beyond.

She has become a key voice in British South Asian feminism speaking at the Women of the World (WOW) 2020 and has been featured in the Huffington Post, BBC Asian Radio, Brown Girl Magazine and is the winner of British Podcast Awards 2020 & 2019.She tells me about living life in the slums of Bombay, her volatile relationship with her father and the affect it's had on her throughout life, the complicated relationship between culture and identity, and how it's so refreshing to see the younger generation of South Asian women speak up.

http://www.soulsutras.co.uk/

While I'm packing away for my big move to Texas, I'll be playing some of my favorite episodes from the past two years.   I think this episode sums up how I'm feeling right now;)....

Well guys, it's the end of the year and of course that means reflecting back on 2021 and thinking, why did I eat my kids (both of them) entire birthday cake this year? 

I get it, trust me, I already yelled at myself in the mirror this week. And that's why I so needed to talk to my next guest! 

Dr. Amy Shah is a renowned wellness expert, immunologist, nutritionist, and author. After years of practicing nutrition and immunology, it was a personal scare in 2012 that made Shah turn to Ayurveda and take more holistic approaches to health which involves clean eating, intermittent fasting, balancing hormones, and strengthening the gut. Basically, all the things that we know we're suppose to do but just don't have time to do it! 

She has written a book, I’m so Effing Tired, which highlights some of the things we can tweak to help reach our peak mind and body health. We talk about how one huge scare back in 2012 changed her journey, why we grew up thinking taking a break for ourselves was considered selfish, how its the little tweaks that we need to make that really make the difference, and why we are so addicted to Starbucks. 

If you’ve been struggling to achieve your health goals, follow Dr Amy Shah on Instagram (@fastingmd) for some honest and thoughtful advice. www.amymdwellness.com

I could not think of a better person to end this summer with than Mita Mallick.  Mita is a DEI leader, the host of Brown Table Talk on Linkedin, and a Linkedin Top Voice.

We talk about having our names mispronounced our entire lives, the horrific bullying she faced growing up in a predominately white neighborhood, how that has affected her personal and professional journey, and how she finally embraced being Indian-American.

She talks about the challenges shaping minds in a corporate setting as a DEI leader, the importance of impact vs. intent, why the real training of DEI initiatives starts at home, her own toxic work experience and why having an immigrant mentality stopped her from walking out, and her transition to becoming one of Linkedin Top Voices and sharing Brown experiences.

She shares a time she experienced immense heartbreak,  who she would like to collaborate with on her podcast, Brown Table Talk, and why it's so awkward to make new friends as adults (hint, you may need some drinks to help out).

Hey guys!  We've had to take a mini-break the last few weeks to get life in order- moving homes, new babies, and getting ready for summer time madness.  We'll be back with 2 more episodes before we take our summer break where we'll rest, regroup, and get ready for an amazing fall season! Until then, enjoy this gem from last summer.

Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system and nearly 15 years as a public defender. She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. 

Premal will be joining Harvard Law School as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute. 

We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino,  her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about post-colonialism and the impact it has had on people of color. 

We discuss her upbringing as a South Asian woman, what she is most excited about in he new role as Executive Director, and why public defenders have the reputation they do. 

To learn more, please check out-

 https://endmassincarceration.org

https://inquest.org/

Arun Venugopal is an American journalist and a Senior Reporter in the Race & Justice Unit at WNYC. He covers news regarding race, immigration, gender, and identity in the United States.

We discuss our personal experiences growing up Indian-American in Houston, TX,  when he started reflected on these experiences while critiquing ideas of Asian-American exceptionalism in the United States, how the Model Minority myth may have evolved, and his favorite conversations while hosting WNYC's Micropolis series.

We also touch upon the fear white working -class Americans still have, the idea of replacement theory,  and the political and cultural consciousness of the South Asian diaspora in the United States.

He talks to me about his perfect NYC day, the time he experienced heartbreak, who he would like to collaborate with, and good old fashion Indian uncle jokes.

Arun has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air.".  Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. 

With the upcoming Netflix film Wedding Season coming out this summer, a romantic comedy that highlights the Indian fascination for arranged marriages starring Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma,  I thought we should play our interview with Pallavi from last year.  This interview was the first one I did live after the pandemic.  We sat in our friends apartment on the LES, had a few liquid companions, and had a blast....

It's our first live interview almost 2 years!! I sit down with my friend, Pallavi Sharda, in our friends apartment in NYC and chat about it all. 

Pallavi knows what chasing your dreams is all about. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, she knew from a very young age she wanted to become a Bollywood actress. 

We talk about making the decision to move to India to fulfill her dreams of working in Bollywood, her biggest takeaways from her time there and what she learned about herself, what she would tell other young women who want to make their mark on the world's largest film industry, and her relationship to Bollywood now. 

She discusses why there is still a lack of diversity and representation for South Asian women in the film industry, how being an Indian-Australian forced her to redefine herself time and time again, and the reason coming back home to Melbourne helped reclaim her voice and identity. 

An honors graduate from the University of Melbourne Law, Arts and Languages schools, Pallavi is an advocate for India-Australia relations and the strengthening of intercultural links between the two countries. She was named on the list of forty most influential Asian-Australians at the inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit. 

Her film credits include Oscar nominated film Lion (2016), Bollywood films Begum Jaan (2017) and  My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam. (2015), and comedy Australian film Save Your Legs! (2012). She has worked in Hindi films like My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam. 

This year, she starred in Tom Jerry and The One, now streaming on Netflix. She also has two feature films coming out in 2022- Black Site and Wedding Season.