The Fob and I: Season Two
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy
With strong, diverse women in front of and behind the camera AND a commitment to taking on issues no one is talking about, female friendship and cultural identity shine in this series about two Indian cousins sharing one Hollywood apartment.
The Fob and I: Season Two
Los Angeles, California | Series
Comedy
2 Campaigns | California, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $11,345 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
95 supporters | followers
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With strong, diverse women in front of and behind the camera AND a commitment to taking on issues no one is talking about, female friendship and cultural identity shine in this series about two Indian cousins sharing one Hollywood apartment.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
Jisha, a FOB from India and Sita, an Americanized Indian, are forced to live together in one Hollywood apartment. These two girl cousins find that even when you see seem similar, you can be so different.
BINGE THE FIRST SEASON HERE!
THE STORY
SITA has lived her whole life in America—she’s too cool for school, cynical, sarcastic, and a little culturally ignorant. JISHA has lived her whole life in India—she’s outgoing, feisty, and she can’t wait to take on every experience America has to offer.
Sita’s parents have been upset at how culturally clueless she is—and have threatened to send her to India for a year if she doesn’t get smart. Jisha is tired of life in her small town in India and is eager to find a way to be all American.
TOGETHER, they must find a way take on each other’s culture. Can they trade places without ending up in a gorilla suit?
SEASON 2 STUFF
Watching Sita and Jisha in their apartment is an intimate look at the Indian experience in America—one that isn’t always the perfect doctor, engineer or spelling bee champ. We look forward to future episodes being a forum that opens up communication in the Indian community and empowers Indian women. How do South Asians deal with depression? How do they communicate with their families? How do they explain sexuality? And, most of all, how can South Asians feel at home in country that never feels fully theirs?
ISN'T AZIZ'S SHOW ENOUGH?
Nope. Television and entertainment are ways for our society to see what’s accepted, and we're really happy that South Asians are beginning to be a part of that landscape. But, more often than not, Priyanka, Mindy, and Aziz just “happen” to be Indian, and usually it’s just for one episode. With The Fob and I, we don’t have to wait for that one-off episode. Every episode is a chance to explore the South Asian experience in America!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Gear and Crew
Costs $1,500
From DP to 2nd AC, we want to make sure our crew gets that money shot and is treated well while getting it!
Craft Services Food
Costs $1,000
A happy cast and crew is always well fed. We won’t buy Subway, we promise :)
Location Fees
Costs $1,000
Sometimes the girls gotta step outside the apartment and into a Bollywood fantasy. Over the top buildings plz.
Steadicam Operator
Costs $500
Musicals just don’t look that great handheld. We’re going to need a steady hand to deliver those spectacular sequences!
Lighting Gear and Crew
Costs $1,000
Good lighting gear is crucial into transforming Jisha and Sita into The Fob and I.
Production Design and Crew
Costs $1,000
We hate white walls and we know you do too. Our production designers know how to transform an apartment into a chic bachelorette pad.
Sound Recording and Mix
Costs $1,000
Often neglected but oh so important. To bring our music to life we need a professional soundie and the ability to mix at a real studio.
Original Score
Costs $500
There are going to be some serious beats dropped this season. But all that creativity needs a little juice.
Producing Crew
Costs $1,000
From PA’s to ADs, these key players help us run smoothly and efficiently so we can deliver you the maximum amount of Fob.
Editing
Costs $500
Our editors know how to cut the best punchline of chai teas and look good doing it.
Film Festivals
Costs $500
We’d really like our series to have a life outside the shoe box in our closet. Help us get to a theater near you!
Share this update!
About This Team
Meenakshi Ramamurthy, Director / Co-writer
Meena is a comedy writer/director from South Texas, that means she is one of the few Indian people who can tell you where to get a good taco. Meena is the creator of The Fob and I, a webseries named one of Indiewire’s top five webseries picks of 2015, featured on Public Radio International as solution to Hollywood’s diversity problem, and that made the front page of NBC News as a series that, “tackl[ed] the unspoken Hollywood edict that…discourages storytellers from constructing two leads of color for fear of alienating a ‘mainstream’ audience. Meena is also Radio-Television-Film graduate of the University of Texas and a graduate of USC’s M.F.A Production program. She is a recipient of the James Bridges Directing Scholarship and the Jack Oakie Scholarship in Honor of Lisa Kudrow. Currently, she a semi-finalist for the Sundance Institute | Youtube New Voices Lab for her series MA’s which follows a group of medical assistants carrying out nation’s most important health care policies in a Texas border town.
Natalie Stone, Co-writer
Natalie is half-British and half-American writer/director. She was awarded the Frank Volpe Scholarship to study her MFA in Screenwriting at the University of Southern California. Her work has been nominated for a National BBC Award, recognized at the Austin Film Festival Film Festiva and Scriptapalooza, and is a member of the highly competitive BAFTA LA Emerging Talent program, acting as a panelist for the BAFTA Student Film Awards 2015. She was a writer and Creative Producer on season one of The Fob and I, a cross-cultural comedy funded by New Form Digital, and directed her film The Broken Camera starring Emmy-nominated Camila Banus (Days of Our Lives) after the screenplay was awarded funding as a Stark Special Project 2015.
Noopur Sinha, Producer
Noopur has spent the last decade producing television shows, short films and digital content in the two biggest film industries in the world – Hollywood and Bollywood! She’s been an Executive Producer with Zee TV, an independent writer/producer of short films in New York, and graduated from the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Projects include The Broken Camera, The Fob and I and So Happy for You starring Emmy-winning comedienne Christine Nangle and the family drama Mr. Goode starring Oscar-nominated actress Sally Kirkland.
Shefali Deshay, Actress / "Sita"
Shefali Deshay is a Los Angeles-based actress and singer-songwriter. She attended USC for Political Science and Musical Theatre. Shefali most recently played Patty Simcox in the USC School of Dramatic Arts' production of Grease. She has had the privilege of musical theatre training with phenomenal mentors, such as John Rubinstein, Parmer Fuller, Dan Fishbach, Vicki Lewis, and Jeff Maynard. Her screen work includes The Fob and I and Happy Birthday, a dramatic short directed by Nimisha Patil. Shefali works with TS2 Publishing as a songwriter and music artist. She has had vocal training with Benita Hopkins and Janice McVeigh, as well as Indian classical music training with Nachiket Sharma. You can follow her weekly video blogs every Monday on Facebook, here.
Uttera Singh, Actress / "Jisha"
Drama has always been a part of Uttera Singh’s life. On the day she was born, her mother, nine months pregnant, was hit by a firecracker, and her father rushed her to the hospital. That’s how this real life firecracker was born. Receiving her primary education in her parents' school, she later pranced around Indore, India until she moved to NYC to pursue her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Theatre Arts from Adelphi University. Uttera studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute of theater and film in NYC before moving to Los Angeles in 2013 to pursue her career as an actress. While she began her career, she soon realized she wasn’t finding roles that had as much “firecracker” energy as she wanted. Faced with this challenge, she started creating those roles. She recently graduated with an MFA in Production from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Her thesis film, Fanny Pack, has recently been accepted to NYTVF and LA Shorts Fest. Uttera spends her time between Los Angeles and India, experiencing cultures, going on new adventures and then writing about them.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
Jisha, a FOB from India and Sita, an Americanized Indian, are forced to live together in one Hollywood apartment. These two girl cousins find that even when you see seem similar, you can be so different.
BINGE THE FIRST SEASON HERE!
THE STORY
SITA has lived her whole life in America—she’s too cool for school, cynical, sarcastic, and a little culturally ignorant. JISHA has lived her whole life in India—she’s outgoing, feisty, and she can’t wait to take on every experience America has to offer.
Sita’s parents have been upset at how culturally clueless she is—and have threatened to send her to India for a year if she doesn’t get smart. Jisha is tired of life in her small town in India and is eager to find a way to be all American.
TOGETHER, they must find a way take on each other’s culture. Can they trade places without ending up in a gorilla suit?
SEASON 2 STUFF
Watching Sita and Jisha in their apartment is an intimate look at the Indian experience in America—one that isn’t always the perfect doctor, engineer or spelling bee champ. We look forward to future episodes being a forum that opens up communication in the Indian community and empowers Indian women. How do South Asians deal with depression? How do they communicate with their families? How do they explain sexuality? And, most of all, how can South Asians feel at home in country that never feels fully theirs?
ISN'T AZIZ'S SHOW ENOUGH?
Nope. Television and entertainment are ways for our society to see what’s accepted, and we're really happy that South Asians are beginning to be a part of that landscape. But, more often than not, Priyanka, Mindy, and Aziz just “happen” to be Indian, and usually it’s just for one episode. With The Fob and I, we don’t have to wait for that one-off episode. Every episode is a chance to explore the South Asian experience in America!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Gear and Crew
Costs $1,500
From DP to 2nd AC, we want to make sure our crew gets that money shot and is treated well while getting it!
Craft Services Food
Costs $1,000
A happy cast and crew is always well fed. We won’t buy Subway, we promise :)
Location Fees
Costs $1,000
Sometimes the girls gotta step outside the apartment and into a Bollywood fantasy. Over the top buildings plz.
Steadicam Operator
Costs $500
Musicals just don’t look that great handheld. We’re going to need a steady hand to deliver those spectacular sequences!
Lighting Gear and Crew
Costs $1,000
Good lighting gear is crucial into transforming Jisha and Sita into The Fob and I.
Production Design and Crew
Costs $1,000
We hate white walls and we know you do too. Our production designers know how to transform an apartment into a chic bachelorette pad.
Sound Recording and Mix
Costs $1,000
Often neglected but oh so important. To bring our music to life we need a professional soundie and the ability to mix at a real studio.
Original Score
Costs $500
There are going to be some serious beats dropped this season. But all that creativity needs a little juice.
Producing Crew
Costs $1,000
From PA’s to ADs, these key players help us run smoothly and efficiently so we can deliver you the maximum amount of Fob.
Editing
Costs $500
Our editors know how to cut the best punchline of chai teas and look good doing it.
Film Festivals
Costs $500
We’d really like our series to have a life outside the shoe box in our closet. Help us get to a theater near you!
Share this update!
About This Team
Meenakshi Ramamurthy, Director / Co-writer
Meena is a comedy writer/director from South Texas, that means she is one of the few Indian people who can tell you where to get a good taco. Meena is the creator of The Fob and I, a webseries named one of Indiewire’s top five webseries picks of 2015, featured on Public Radio International as solution to Hollywood’s diversity problem, and that made the front page of NBC News as a series that, “tackl[ed] the unspoken Hollywood edict that…discourages storytellers from constructing two leads of color for fear of alienating a ‘mainstream’ audience. Meena is also Radio-Television-Film graduate of the University of Texas and a graduate of USC’s M.F.A Production program. She is a recipient of the James Bridges Directing Scholarship and the Jack Oakie Scholarship in Honor of Lisa Kudrow. Currently, she a semi-finalist for the Sundance Institute | Youtube New Voices Lab for her series MA’s which follows a group of medical assistants carrying out nation’s most important health care policies in a Texas border town.
Natalie Stone, Co-writer
Natalie is half-British and half-American writer/director. She was awarded the Frank Volpe Scholarship to study her MFA in Screenwriting at the University of Southern California. Her work has been nominated for a National BBC Award, recognized at the Austin Film Festival Film Festiva and Scriptapalooza, and is a member of the highly competitive BAFTA LA Emerging Talent program, acting as a panelist for the BAFTA Student Film Awards 2015. She was a writer and Creative Producer on season one of The Fob and I, a cross-cultural comedy funded by New Form Digital, and directed her film The Broken Camera starring Emmy-nominated Camila Banus (Days of Our Lives) after the screenplay was awarded funding as a Stark Special Project 2015.
Noopur Sinha, Producer
Noopur has spent the last decade producing television shows, short films and digital content in the two biggest film industries in the world – Hollywood and Bollywood! She’s been an Executive Producer with Zee TV, an independent writer/producer of short films in New York, and graduated from the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. Projects include The Broken Camera, The Fob and I and So Happy for You starring Emmy-winning comedienne Christine Nangle and the family drama Mr. Goode starring Oscar-nominated actress Sally Kirkland.
Shefali Deshay, Actress / "Sita"
Shefali Deshay is a Los Angeles-based actress and singer-songwriter. She attended USC for Political Science and Musical Theatre. Shefali most recently played Patty Simcox in the USC School of Dramatic Arts' production of Grease. She has had the privilege of musical theatre training with phenomenal mentors, such as John Rubinstein, Parmer Fuller, Dan Fishbach, Vicki Lewis, and Jeff Maynard. Her screen work includes The Fob and I and Happy Birthday, a dramatic short directed by Nimisha Patil. Shefali works with TS2 Publishing as a songwriter and music artist. She has had vocal training with Benita Hopkins and Janice McVeigh, as well as Indian classical music training with Nachiket Sharma. You can follow her weekly video blogs every Monday on Facebook, here.
Uttera Singh, Actress / "Jisha"
Drama has always been a part of Uttera Singh’s life. On the day she was born, her mother, nine months pregnant, was hit by a firecracker, and her father rushed her to the hospital. That’s how this real life firecracker was born. Receiving her primary education in her parents' school, she later pranced around Indore, India until she moved to NYC to pursue her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Theatre Arts from Adelphi University. Uttera studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute of theater and film in NYC before moving to Los Angeles in 2013 to pursue her career as an actress. While she began her career, she soon realized she wasn’t finding roles that had as much “firecracker” energy as she wanted. Faced with this challenge, she started creating those roles. She recently graduated with an MFA in Production from USC's School of Cinematic Arts. Her thesis film, Fanny Pack, has recently been accepted to NYTVF and LA Shorts Fest. Uttera spends her time between Los Angeles and India, experiencing cultures, going on new adventures and then writing about them.