Spotlight with Sandalina

South Asian actress Shreya Navile joins us to discuss Bollywood’s beauty standards, body image, rejection in the Indian film industry, and her Netflix debut in Best of the Best! She shares her journey from dreaming of Bollywood as a child to finding a role where she could embrace her individuality and showcase her talent. Discover the story behind Netflix’s South Asian dance comedy, representation, and breaking stereotypes. Chapters: 00:00 - Teaser & Episode Introduction 02:46 - The Five Minute Life Story: Upbringing & Acting Origins 04:20 - Dance Roots, Theater, and College Years 09:07 - The Hot Seat Segment: "Best of the Best" Cast Superlatives 11:49 - The Shadow Segment: Surviving Industry Rejection 14:19 - Navigating Body Image & Body Neutrality 18:42 - The Spotlight Segment: Reviewing Best of the Best 23:03 - Character Breakdown: Bringing "Deepica" to Life 26:50 - Working with the Creators & Authentic Representation 30:49 - The Audition Process & Building Cast Camaraderie 35:35 - Dance Boot Camp & The Power of South Asian Comedy 37:33 - Final Thoughts & Outro #ShreyaNavile #BestOfTheBest #Netflix #Bollywood #SouthAsianRepresentation #BodyImage #DesiActors #Hollywood #IndianActress #NetflixComedy

Pakistani child TV star turned stand up comedian and actor, Mohtasham Yaqub opens up about growing up in Islamabad, getting bullied while on PTV, and starting over in America after a failed audition for The Voice led him to stand-up comedy. He talks about desi gender roles, unlearning misogyny, doing stand-up in Urdu, opening for Zayn Malik with Usama Siddiquee, and why brown comedians in New York lift each other up. Plus, a round of "Things My Mom Said Were Haram" and his upcoming movie Rest and Relaxation. Chapters: 00:00 - TRAILER 01:14 - MEET MOHTASHAM YAQUB 02:04 - LIFE STORY SEGMENT 06:19 - HOT SEAT SEGMENT 09:04 - THINGS DESI MOMS CALLED HARAM 12:17 - SHADOW SEGMENT 18:19 - SPOTLIGHT SEGMENT 20:07 - HOW STAND-UP STARTED 25:51 - STARTING OVER IN AMERICA 28:29 - AKAASH SINGH & ZAYN MALIK 32:09 - BROWN COMEDIANS SUPPORTING EACH OTHER 35:22 - TOUR PLANS & FINAL MESSAGE #MohtashamYaqub #PakistaniComedian #StandUpComedy #DesiComedy #NYCComedy #MuslimComedian #UrduComedy #ZaynMalik #ComedyPodcast #BrownComedians

S4E10: Meet Tavi Gandhi— a South Asian pageant queen and influencer. She is the winner of Miss Grand New Jersey and was the youngest in the Top 20 of this year’s Miss Grand USA! In this episode we cover a variety of topics across our 4 segments: 📚LIFE STORY📚 🔥HOT SEAT🔥 🤫SHADOWS🤫 🔦SPOTLIGHT🔦: BROWN GIRL TAKES PAGEANT CROWN We talk about Tavi’s upbringing between Ohio and New Jersey, her Punjabi and Sikh identity, and the formative experiences that shaped her confidence and ambition. In the Hot Seat, we jump into rapid-fire questions, and in Shadows, we unpack her mental health journey — from bullying and struggles with anxiety/depression to learning how to protect herself in highly visible spaces. In Spotlight, we explore how she took the pageant crown while challenging beauty norms, being flattened dimensionally with pretty privilege, answering political questions on stage, breaking into tech and entrepreneurship with ventures like the Lazrani clothing line, and more! Tavi’s IG: @tavigandhi (https://www.instagram.com/tavigandhi/) Tavi’s Tik Tok: @tavigandhi (https://www.tiktok.com/@tavigandhi) Tavi's YouTube: @tavigandhi (https://www.youtube.com/@TaviGandhi) 🎧 Streaming Platforms / Social Media: https://linktr.ee/spotlightwithsandalina  📧 Feel free to reach me at [email protected] 📼 Together, we will go on a vulnerable deep dive into the journeys of South Asians / Muslims in the creator space  📍NYC  📅 Every Sunday 🎙️ Hosted by Sandalina Sattar, a 25-year-old Muslim, Pakistani woman living in NYC. Sandalina is a full-time finance professional, Tik Tok content creator, and founding event host of Wholesome Hangouts

S4E09: Meet Priya Mia— an Indian-Bengali creator, fashion / beauty influencer, corporate strategy consultant, and PharmD! In this episode we cover a variety of topics across our 4 segments: 📚LIFE STORY📚 🔥HOT SEAT🔥 🤫SHADOWS🤫 🔦SPOTLIGHT🔦: BENGALI GIRL CRAFTS VIRAL NEW YORK WARDROBE We talk about Priya’s upbringing as the daughter of Indian immigrants, how her cultural identity shaped her relationship with fashion, and what it means to carve out space as a Bengali creator in New York. In the Hot Seat, we dive into rapid-fire Q&A, and in Shadows, we explore the pressures of existing between two worlds — the professional and the creative. In Spotlight, we discuss her viral style evolution, balancing a PharmD background with fashion content, navigating the internet as your boss, redefining what South Asian representation looks like in today’s fashion industry, and more! Priya’s IG: @priyamia (https://www.instagram.com/priyamia/) Priyas Tik Tok: @priya.mia (https://www.tiktok.com/@priya.mia) Priyas YouTube: @priyamia (https://www.youtube.com/@priyamia) 🎧 Streaming Platforms / Social Media: https://linktr.ee/spotlightwithsandalina  📧 Feel free to reach me at [email protected] 📼 Together, we will go on a vulnerable deep dive into the journeys of South Asians / Muslims in the creator space 📍NYC  📅 Every Sunday 🎙️ Hosted by Sandalina Sattar, a 25-year-old Muslim, Pakistani woman living in NYC. Sandalina is a full-time finance professional, Tik Tok content creator, and founding event host of Wholesome Hangouts

S4E08: Meet Dr. Mohamad Yasin— a Pakistani, Muslim doctor and content creator! You may recognize him as “Scrubby Mo” In this episode we cover a variety of topics across our 4 segments: 📚LIFE STORY📚 🔥HOT SEAT🔥 🤫SHADOWS🤫 🔦SPOTLIGHT🔦: BROWN BOY FIRST-GEN DOCTOR HAS JOKES We talk about Dr. Mohamad Yasin’s upbringing and family life in Long Island, his Muslim identity, and the journey that led him to become a first-generation doctor. In the Hot Seat, we get into rapid-fire questions, and in Shadows, we unpack the darker side of social media— from hate comments and insecurities to navigating loneliness behind the screen. In Spotlight, we explore how he balances his life as a practicing DO and content creator, his path to medicine, the realities of social media at work, and how humor and purpose shape his vision for the future! Mo’s IG: @scrubbymo (https://www.instagram.com/scrubbymo/) Mo’s Tik Tok: @scrubbymo (https://www.tiktok.com/@scrubbymo) Mo’s YouTube: @scrubbymo (https://www.youtube.com/@Scrubbymo) 🎧 Streaming Platforms / Social Media: https://linktr.ee/spotlightwithsandalina  📧 Feel free to reach me at [email protected] 📼 Together, we will go on a vulnerable deep dive into the journeys of South Asians / Muslims in the creator space  📍NYC  📅 Every Sunday 🎙️ Hosted by Sandalina Sattar, a 25-year-old Muslim, Pakistani woman living in NYC. Sandalina is a full-time finance professional, Tik Tok content creator, and founding event host of Wholesome Hangouts