Diversity in Hollywood: Stories about minorities with "Code Black" star Melanie Chandra

Diversity in Hollywood: Stories about minorities with "Code Black" star Melanie Chandra

Author: Soul Sutras October 5, 2023 Duration: 1:02:05
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.

There's a particular kind of conversation that happens when the formalities drop away and real talk begins-the kind that tackles what's often whispered about but rarely discussed openly in many communities. That's the space Masala Podcast: The South Asian feminist podcast occupies. Created by Soul Sutras, this multi-award-winning series deliberately turns its attention toward cultural taboos, from sex and sexuality to periods, menopause, and the complexities of mental health. It moves beyond surface-level discussions to dissect shame, sexual harassment, and porn through a specific, vital lens. What you'll hear is a rich exploration of intersectional feminism as it's lived and understood by South Asian women, making it a standout in its field. Each episode brings forward the voices and views of some of the world's most inspiring South Asian women, offering stories and analysis that are both deeply personal and broadly resonant. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a necessary, candid dialogue that challenges silence and redefines narratives. The conversations are as nuanced and varied as the experiences they represent, creating a collective sense of understanding and progress. It’s more than just a listening experience; it’s an immersion into perspectives that are crucial, often overlooked, and powerfully transformative.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Masala Podcast: The South Asian feminist podcast
Podcast Episodes
South Asian Motherhood: it's not for all women [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:16
"Where are your kids?" - South Asian women are expected to be mothers, they're told that is the very purpose of being a woman. In fact, society expects all women in all cultures to be mothers.On this episode of Masala Po…
Fargo/Never Have I Ever Star Richa Moorjani on South Asian Beauty [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:11
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 b…
Racism & Books: Can we fight racists with words? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:55
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 Bo…
Saris in Hollywood: Mean Girls Star Avantika Vandanapu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:06
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 '…
NASA's female South Asian aerospace engineer! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:35
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 Ken…
Beauty rituals: South Asian skincare secrets from Ayurveda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:09
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…
Sustainable & ethical fashion with Fendi, Gucci & Dior photographer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:10
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 b…
Women & money: breaking the taboo around female wealth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:42
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,…