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Freida Pinto, Kal Penn, Sarita Choudhury and Aasif Mandvi in Mira, Royal Detective

Freida Pinto, Kal Penn, Sarita Choudhury and Aasif Mandvi all in the same film? Yes, but you’ve never seen them like this before! Invisible!

Indeed, Freida Pinto,  Kal Penn, Aasif Mandvi, Utkarsh Abudkar, Kamran Lucas, Sarita Choudhury and Sarayu Blue are just some of the Indian-American actors who will soon be heard – though not seen – on a major American television series. They are the voices of animated characters in a brand new series being created by Disney. Indeed, as America becomes more diverse, Hollywood is catering to the many communities that are taking root in the country – and it’s starting right in the toddlers’ sandbox. In fact, the youngest generation is a lucrative business market for television companies.

Production has just started on “Mira, Royal Detective,” an animated mystery-adventure series for preschoolers slated to debut on Disney Junior channels and programming blocks around the world in 2020, and these Indian-American actors are just some of the talent whose voices will give life to this animated tale.

I’m playing a Mongoose with @UTKtheINC for a new @DisneyJunior cartoon! Excited to be part of this insanely talented cast with @jameelajamil @HannahSimone @aparnapkin @aasif @BecauseImFreida @Parvesh @sarayublue @ItsKaranSoni + lots more. https://t.co/sZbOzw9ZkH

— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) November 29, 2018

 

More Roles for South Asian actors in Hollywood

Since India is of great interest to Americans, this film is set in Jalpur, an imaginary India-inspired land, and follows Mira, a young commoner turned royal detective, who interacts with the young Prince Neel who is an inventor. Mira is voiced by 15 year old Indian-American newcomer Leela Ladnier. Other actors whose voices are cast in the film are Jameela Jamil, Aparna Nancherla, Hannah Simone, Karan Brar, Karan Soni, Parvesh Cheena, Sonal Shah and Roshni Edwards.

This Disney film also has several Indian-American consultants including Bollywood dancer and choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan (“So You Think You Can Dance”) and music producer Deepak Ramapriyan (“Basmati Blues”). While the original songs are being written and produced by Emmy Award nominees Matthew Tishler (“Fancy Nancy”) and Jeannie Lurie (“The Muppets”) Amritha Vaz (“Miss India America”) will serve as composer. Inspired by Indian heritage, each episode has authentic music and dance in two 11-minutes stories.

 

While most Indian-Americans grew up without seeing faces like their own reflected in the television shows they watched, this new generation will benefit from seeing a strong brown girl dominating the screen and showing that a young female detective can save the kingdom. As Mira solves mysteries in every episode, her reasoning and critical thinking will hopefully inspire young viewers.

“We are eager to introduce kids and their families to the rich, diverse cultures and customs of India through Mira, a young girl who looks at things with her own unique lens to gain different perspectives and help others in her community,” noted Joe D’Ambrosia, senior vice president, Original Programming, Disney Junior. As American demographics change, this is a smart business move too.

(This article first ran in my column India in America on CNBCTV18.com)