Watch the flip side of desi life on YouTube.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A new web series, airing every Wednesday on YouTube, is shedding light on a largely overlooked aspect of the Indian American experience: that of the “bad” Indians.
Not “bad” in the criminal sense, but “bad” as in those Indians who aren’t doctors or engineers, who aren’t married to other Indians (if at all), who don’t know Shahrukh Khan from Salman Khan.
Atlanta-based Janaki Tambe apparently knows that aspect only too well, and her new show, “Bad Indian,” is a comedic look at the other side of desi life.
Just six episodes long, “Bad Indian” chronicles the life of a fictionalized version of Tambe, who is laid off from her job and forced to move back in with her parents in Atlanta. Witnessing their friends’ children getting married, having kids, getting cushy jobs and being all-around fantastic, puts Tambe’s character at odds with her own parents, often to hilarious results. Topics such as arranged marriages, and the intersection of traditionalism versus modernity are touched upon often and entertainingly.
In an interview with the Huffington Post, Tambe describes the show as a sitcom that she always wanted to see, but no one else was apparently willing to make. So instead of waiting around, she decided to just get up and make it herself, turning into a writer, director, producer, and actress all at once.
Tambe earned her bachelor’s degree with a double-major in mathematics and economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2003. From 2004 to 2006, she was at the University of Southern California — a veritable breeding ground of entertainment talent similar to New York University on the east coast — where she earned her Masters of Science degree in Operations Research Engineering.
She then went on to work for Northrup Grumman, one of the leading government contracting companies in the US, as part of their “Missile Defense Division Xontech Systems.” After working there for three years, Tambe went to Lockheed Martin, another leading military contractor, where she worked on “Mission and Business Concepts” for nearly five years, leaving in 2013.
Now, her life is “Bad Indian,” a show that undoubtedly has biographical elements of Tambe’s own life in it. Although just one episode is out so far, it’s a promising start, and the ensuing five installments will likely reveal whether or not Tambe’s “Bad Indian” is really a good idea.
The trailer for the web series can be viewed below:
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com
1 Comment
This is fucking painful to watch