Never Have I Ever & Fargo star Richa Moorjani is talking with me, Sangeeta Pillai, host of Masala Podcast!

I'm thrilled to share my conversation with the exceptionally talented Richa Moorjani. We talk about challenging beauty standards, about the importance of representation, about our dual identities as South Asian women living in the West – and so much more.

American actress Richa Moorjani hails from a South Asian family deeply rooted in music, her life filled with melodies and rhythms since her childhood. Her mother is a singer who lived in Mysore before migrating to the United States at the age of seven. A self-taught musical maestro, her father merged his love for music and community, creating bonds with fellow Indian immigrants. 

Together, they formed a band that celebrated their roots through the sounds of Hindi cover songs.

Richa’s upbringing in America sowed the seeds of a cultural blend that would later influence Richa's own artistic endeavours. 

But this episode isn’t all about music, TV and the arts. 

We’re going to get very serious, and make some impact on the cultural divides between Hollywood, and Bollywood.

We're going to confront a critical issue that hits close to home for many of us: the dominance of Western beauty standards and their profound impact on our South Asian cultural ideals. Women, in particular South Asian, really struggle with the Western beauty ideal of “skinny” that is at odds with our very genetics.

In sharing our personal stories, we’ll dissect the intense pressures to conform and the struggle for acceptance, all while highlighting the nuanced racism that we face and our collective yearning for true representation in the media.

You're in for a treat as we reminisce about the familial ties fostered on the beloved show "Never Have I Ever," where Richa brings life to the character of Kamala. She'll share the beauty of her real-life friendship with Poorna Jagannathan and the heartfelt connection shared with the diverse cast mates. 

Plus, we'll delve into the cultural impact of the show and Richa's exciting role as Indira in the hit series "Fargo."

I'm especially excited for what Richa has to share today – wisdom to her younger self and all the South Asian women out there about owning your light and seizing the endless possibilities. 

I'll shed some light on the transformations within our South Asian communities in the UK and the US, celebrating the progress and new paths that are emerging for South Asian women.

Join us as I take you through Richa's incredible story, from a child enamoured with classical dance to a shining presence in the acting world, underscoring the essential need for real representation and the empowering effect of stories that embrace our cultural intricacies.

So settle in as I, Sangeeta, lead you through a conversation filled with not just the challenges but the remarkable victories and advancements for South Asians in the media and beyond, all here on the Masala Podcast.

In this extra-special final episode, Masala Podcast creator Sangeeta Pillai becomes the guest. She is interviewed by Hollywood actor & producer Melanie Chandra about the importance of South Asian feminism. Sangeeta talks about her own personal and painful experiences growing up in the Mumbai slums with an alcoholic, abusive father. She talks about seeing her mother and other South Asian women being treated badly, which inspired her to become a feminist activist. Sanegeta also talks about why it’s important for women and girls to have safe spaces like Masala Podcast. And why she will keep being a South Asian feminist and activist until her last breath.

Mira Jacob is a novelist, memoirist, illustrator and cultural critic. Her graphic memoir, 'Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations,' was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award, longlisted for the Pen Open Book Award, nominated for three Eisner awards, and named a New York Times notable book, as well as a Best Book of the Year by Time, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. Mira's writing and drawings have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Electric Literature, Tin House, Literary Hub, Guernica, Vol. 1 and The Telegraph.

Mira Jacob and Masala Podcast had the most wonderful conversation, going from colorism to racism to the joy of fashion. We hope you enjoy listening!

Aparna Nancherla is an LA-based comedian, actor and writer who performs all over the US and worldwide. Her TV stand-up appearances include Netflix's 'The Standups,' HBO's 'Two Dope Queens,' and Comedy Central's 'The Half Hour.' Aparna was also a series regular on Comedy Central's 'Corporate,' and appeared many times on HBO's 'Crashing.'

She's also made late-night appearances on 'The Late Late Show with James Corden' and 'Late Night with Stephen Colbert.'

Aparna's book of personal essays called 'Unreliable Narrator' is out now.

At just 18, Avantika is already a force as a well-known Hollywood actor and producer. She was the first ever Indian American lead in the Disney Channel Original Movies 'Spin'. She was named in Variety’s Young Hollywood 'Up Next' list in 2021. Avantika plays a lead role in the Sony Screen Gems feature 'Horoscope'. Avantika also starred opposite Rebel Wilson in a #1 movie on Netflix, Senior Year. She is also starring as 'Karen' in the Paramount feature 'Mean Girls Musical', for executive producers Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels.

She is also currently developing a TV series adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel A Crown of Wishes, which she will star in and executive produce, for Disney+.

Avantika is the future, and that future is diverse, talented, and young. Watch this space; you won’t want to miss what comes next.

Tanya Gupta was a NASA aerospace engineer, a childhood dream for so many of us and Tanya made it happen. She worked on a prototype aircraft, which now sits at the Smithsonian, and she also owns a software patent with Kennedy Space Centre.

Born in the UK, she and her family moved to the US and spent some time in India too, all of which informs her work.

These days, Tanya calls herself a New York based art director, multimedia artist and content creator. In 2021, Tanya became the first Indian American to join the Adobe Creative residency, after which she directed social campaigns for Tom Ford beauty, Disney, Toyota, and more. In 2022, Tanya was honoured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Her work has also been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Teen Vogue. Tanya lives life in the fullest, brightest colours you can imagine. And that’s just brilliant.

Michelle is the founder of Ranavat, a skin and hair care brand, based on age-old Ayurvedic traditions. Leveraging her expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and her background in engineering, Michelle honors her South Asian heritage to create a line of beautiful skin and hair treatments.

Founded in 2017, Ranavat became the first Ayurvedic skincare brand to launch at the iconic retailer Sephora. And is now even available at Harrods.

The brand proudly donates 1% of proceeds to Desai Foundation, a non-profit organization in India that empowers women and children through community programs to elevate health and livelihood in India and the U.S.

Michelle's journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur is so grounded in her South Asian culture and is super inspiring.

Melanie Chandra is an award-winning actress and producer passionate about bringing more empathy to this world through her work. She uses her platforms both on-screen and behind the camera to share powerful and diverse stories about women and minorities.

I loved chatting with Melanie Chandra, we discovered our common Kerala heritage and explored our journeys towards our cultural identities. Melanie Chandra is best known for her role on the CBS drama Code Black. I also loved Mel in the hilarious comedy central movie, Hot Mess Holiday, which she co-created, executive produced and also starred in. It's the first buddy comedy on American TV to ever star two women of South Asian descent. It was awesome to watch two South Asian women near my age, playing the leads.

A mechanical engineering student at Stanford University, Melanie traded her very successful corporate career for the arts and she hasn't looked back. 

Tanya Ravichandran is just 21 years old and incredibly wise.

She is the South Asian creator, director and photographer making waves in the fashion and beauty industries. Tanya was photographing campaigns for well-known brands by the age of 15.

She has amassed over one and a half million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Some of Tanya's recent partnerships include Fendi, Gucci, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Farfetch and many more.

She has also been featured in Vogue India, Harper's Bazaar, and Coveteur to name a few.

Reshma Saujani is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code as well as founder and CEO of Moms First (formerly Marshall Plan for Moms.

Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress.

Reshma has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector. Most recently, she has been advocating for policies to support moms impacted by the pandemic.

Reshma is also the author of the international bestseller Brave, Not Perfect, and her influential TED talk, “Teach girls, bravery not perfection,” has more than five million views globally.

I found talking with Reshma Saujani so inspiring. I hope you do too.

Editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Versha Sharma talks about the power of brown women in fashion and elsewhere. She focuses on covering social justice, culture, fashion and politics through the lens of young people. She also talks about the surge of incredible South Asian Americans creatives in the US.

Varsha was named South Asian woman of the year in 2022 by the Howard South Asian Women's collective. Previously, she was managing editor and senior correspondent at Now This. Varsha has produced several short documentaries and has reported on many serious issues from all over the world. She won an Edward R. Murrow award with the Now This report team having got her start in journalism with an internship at Talking Points Memo in 2009. Varsha went on to cover the 2012 presidential election for MSNBC.

This conversation with Versha has got me absolutely buzzing. Hope you enjoy it too.