Screenwriter, producer, and author Sri Rao will take you on a journey through the foods and films of India to celebrate the launch of his book, Bollywood Kitchen. From weddings to birthdays to home-cooked meals, Indians around the world celebrate their culture through food, film, and dance. In conversation with film writer Anisha Jhaveri, Sri will discuss his experience as a first-generation Indian American, the role of food in Indian households and culture, and his career as one of the few Americans to have worked in Bollywood.
Bollywood dance performance by NYU Raas Malai, dance tutorial by Doonya, and a book signing with Sri to follow. Samosa Shack will be serving samosa bites before the program and Malai will be serving ice cream afterwards.
About Sri Rao
Sri Rao is a screenwriter based in New York City and a devoted home chef of Indian cuisine. One of the few Americans working in Bollywood, he has produced or written three major films, and has sold TV projects to networks including ABC, NBC, Fox, and BBC America.
About Bollywood Kitchen
It’s “dinner and a movie” in this vibrant, beautifully photographed tour of Indian food and films. Bollywood Kitchen is a must have for film enthusiasts and Indian-food lovers. Bollywood Kitchen is both a cookbook filled with accessible Indian recipes and a guided tour through the world of Bollywood films. Readers will discover dishes that will introduce them to the food Indian-Americans eat every day – like khichdi, a simple, weeknight, lentil-and-rice dish that’s perfect for vegetarians, yet robust enough for carnivores.
About Anisha Jhaveri
Born and raised in Japan to Indian parents, film writer Anisha Jhaveri spent her childhood in the larger-than-life company of Bollywood—an industry she was introduced to by her film-buff grandfather before she could even string together full sentences. Movies became a comfort zone, a passion, and eventually, a focus of study as she pursued bachelors and masters degrees in film and media at the University of Michigan and The New School University, respectively. After stints at the Rubin Museum of Art and ZEE TV Network, she returned to pursuing a career in film journalism in 2013, and in 2015, was named one of the Indiewire | Sundance Institute Ebert Film Criticism Fellows. These days, she writes South Asian film reviews for Indiewire. Other credits include features in NBC Asian America, Filmmaker Magazine, Independent Magazine, India.com, and RogerEbert.com.
About Doonya
Doonya: The Bollywood Workout is a dance based high-intensity interval training fitness program. Spend 55 minutes sweating to the powerful drum beats of South Asia. You’ll leave class ready to take on life's obstacles with grace and power…just a like a Bollywood Star.
About NYU Raas Malai
NYU Raas Malai is New York University's Premiere Garba/Raas Indian Dance Troupe. Founded in 2005, NYU Raas Malai has become one of the top Garba/Raas teams in the country, competing at national inter-collegiate competitions all over the United States. Bringing a distinct New York swagger to the national Raas scene, NYU Raas Malai is as sweet and satisfying our name suggests. A co-ed family of 16 members, NYU Raas Malai always seeks out fun and creativity while keeping the culture of Gujrat alive outside of India.
About Samosa Shack
The story of Samosa Shack began with Mini Dhingra's mother 35 years ago, when she started spicing potatoes and stuffing them in perfect little dough pockets. After mastering her mom’s samosas, Mini began to experiment with her own. Samosa Shack puts a global artisanal twist on the ever popular Indian street treat – the Samosa. Using Hudson Valley farm fresh seasonal ingredients, Mini's treats can be found at various farmers markets, pop-ups, and catered events in New York and New Jersey.
About Malai
Malai, figuratively meaning “cream of the crop” in a North Indian language, is an ice cream company that draws inspiration from globally-sourced whole ingredients, aromatic spices, and unexpected twists on old classics. Our super-premium ice cream is handcrafted, eggless, and churned with very little air, resulting in purer, more robust flavors, as well as the lightest, creamiest textures you can find.
This program is part of Feasts and Festivals, a program series that examines food and drink’s central role in celebrations, ceremonies, and rituals across the globe. For more information, click here.
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