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
Is the Kamasutra even relevant today? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
“The Kamasutra was the first text to talk about independent female pleasure…” Meet Seema Anand, a mythologist and storyteller, specialising in women’s narratives with a focus on the erotic literatures of Ancient India. A…
Why is South Asian female pleasure still a taboo? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:18
“We should get rid of the shame we feel asking for our pleasure, prioritising our pleasure.” Meet Leeza Mangaldas, India’s foremost sex-positive content creator. Leeza’s work is all about normalising conversations around…
Female Genital Cutting - Why are we still cutting our girls? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:47
“Stop cutting our girls, is that too much to ask?” Meet Aarefa Johari, a passionate activist working to end the practise of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in her Dawoodi Bohari community. She experienced FGC in her own chi…
Coming out as a queer South Asian woman at 50 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:22
"For me, coming out at 50 was all about being true to myself..." In this episode, Raga & Sangeeta talk about what it means for South Asian womxn to own their sexuality, in a culture that often represses our sexuality. We…
Why are older South Asian women less valued? - With Shobhaa De [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:39
"Talking about life for women in South Asian culture and how society treats older women." Meet Shobhaa De, one of THE most well-know names in India. A fiery, feisty 70-something woman. Super successful & super confident.…
Being American & South Asian (Recorded at UC Berkeley) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:44
"Being Sri Lankan in America is to unapologetically claim my space as a South Asian..." The final episode of Season Two is a special that was recorded, on campus, at UC Berkeley, California interviewing young South Asian…
South Asia Sex Trafficking and Sexual violence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:05
"An ordinary salwar-kameez clad young woman fights sex trafficking..." In this episode, I talk with Ram Devineni & Dipti Mehta, who are the creators of the Priya Shakti comic book – which has made the topic of sex traffi…