In today’s turbulent world, we can all use a dash of Bollywood—and now the historic web series “Bollyweird” (from two of the writers from “Titans,” “iZombie,” and HBO’s “F**cked Up”) will be bringing everything viewers crave with an ultra-bingeable full entire series drop on June 17, 2020, on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. And now, to provide a glimpse of “Bollyweird” in all its fun, emotion, addictiveness and drama, the show’s smart, witty, and unexpectedly moving trailer is live now, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGOfdcGxRzE&t=4s.
“Bollyweird” is a story of culture versus culture, of love and lust, of east and west, of duty and revenge, of tradition and modernity, of family and friendship. Yet at its center is Sandhya’s torn feelings as an immigrant between the traditional world of her mother (and those fabulous Bollywood films) and her growing love for onetime best friend Kaitlyn, for whom she is developing romantic feelings even as she tries to please her mother with a series of empty dates with traditional men… until heartbreaker Tyler.
Then she finds herself torn in a classic romantic love (and lust) triangle between Kaitlyn and Tyler, and the story ramps up into a delicious mix of emotion and drama as Sandhya navigates Mama Jaya’s traditional values and her actual feelings for both Kaitlyn and (surprisingly) the devilishly attractive Tyler.
It’s the answer to her prayers (and fears). Sandhya finds herself almost instantly embroiled in a drama of love, secrets, betrayals, and everything she once loved about Bollywood, now a part of her actual life. Complete with a love triangle involving the beautiful girl she’d cared about years ago… and the Indian heartbreaker guy her mother just fixed her up with… and chaos ensues.
A Groundbreaking Web Series (A COVID-19 Story in a COVID-19 World):
It’s important to note that “Bollyweird” doesn’t just take place in a COVID-19 world; it was produced in one, too. The entire series was conceived of, written, shot, edited and produced entirely in quarantine with a talented cast and crew. As a result, “Bollyweird” represents a timely and historic example of distance filmmaking that would have never happened without the pandemic. Co-creators Prathi Srinivasan and Joshua Levy note that “We brought together eleven people from across the U.S., hosted a mini writer’s room over Zoom, and sent lenses, sound equipment, and lighting to actors—to whom we taught everything they needed in order to operate production. The world is changing and filmmaking needs to keep up.”
“Bollyweird” is historic on other levels too, as Prathi is a writer-actress who is herself an immigrant who is telling a vital and diverse immigrant story—and one with a timely LGBTQ bisexual plot line to whom many nowadays can relate.
“This whole web series was created, written, shot, and edited during COVID,” notes Srinivasan. “It represents a timely and never-before accomplished style of distance filmmaking that wouldn’t have happened without the pandemic.” Adds Levy, “To create “Bollyweird,” we had to meet a variety of tough challenges, and ultimately, the challenge was a rewarding one.” Srinivasan notes, “As an American immigrant telling a diverse story including an LGBT bisexual plot line, this show was a dream for me, and is our chance to reflect that change. We truly found it exhilarating.”
Culture Clashes, Bisexuality, and Exquisite Melodrama (The Story Behind the Show):
Brought to life by a gifted cast and crew from some of the most popular genre, television, gaming, and reality fandoms today, “Bollyweird” stars series co-creator and actress-writer Prathi Srinivasan (“Titans,” “iZombie,” “F**cked Up”) as SANDHYA, alongside heartthrob Kapil Talwalkar (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “American.ish”) as the devilish TYLER, and popular gamer icon and actress Briana White (Aerith in the acclaimed “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” and helmer of “Strange Rebel Gaming” on YouTube) as KAITLYN (both as Sandhya’s conflicting love interests). The cast also includes Taylor Williamson (“America’s Got Talent”) as a resentful JACOB, the popular, talented (and very funny) Dana Donnelly (ASPYN) as a vengeful perfectionist, and Pooya Mohseni (JAYA) as Sandhya’s lovable yet infuriating traditional mom (with her own tragic secret).
Ultimately, “Bollyweird” is deliberately referential of life under COVID but is also always respectful of both its boundaries and its unexpected lighter moments. “It’s been a dream to create ‘Bollyweird,’ and we’re definitely excited to try something new in the comedy web series space,” says Srinivasan, summing up. “We’ve got a fantastic team and cast that includes some favorite names fandoms will love, from genre and reality TV to gaming and more. We definitely want them to check it out—and to share it when they do!”
“Bollyweird” Trailer Info, Air Dates, and More
The “Bollyweird” web series is the fun, sexy, addictive new web series from Joshua Levy and Prathi Srinivasan remotely shot and produced entirely in quarantine. The show airs this June in short, addictive blasts, while vibrantly bridging comedy and drama, East and West, romance and conflict, and love and hate… with plenty of Bollywood-inspired twists and turns galore—and it all takes place in the COVID-19 world we face today.
The trailer of “Bollyweird” is available now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGOfdcGxRzE&t=4s, while all episodes of “Bollyweird” go live at 12 noon PST on June 17, 2020, simulcast across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, and include all 8 episodes of the show.
