A QISSAA with Ishika

Ishika Muchhal

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Join performer and storyteller Ishika Muchhal as she interviews and tells the Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists, the trailblazers who have paved their own path in the visual and performing arts in America. A new guest, a new episode every week, Sundays at 12 p.m. PST.

Aug 23

A QISSAA with Ishika: Avneet Kaur

Welcome to the 41st episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is Avneet Kaur, Head of Characters & Technical Animation and Head of Workflow-Pipeline at Walt Disney Animation Studios! She has worked in animation for over 20 years. Since joining Disney in 2004, she has worked as Simulation Supervisor, Department Craft Leader, and Head of Characters and Technical Animation. Avneet has worked on multi-million dollar animated feature films including Bolt, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Frozen 2, Wish, and the Academy Award®-winning films Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Encanto. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Birla Institute of Technology (India) and a Master’s in Visualization Sciences from Texas A&M University. Avneet also serves as a mentor and actively develops talent at Walt Disney Animation Studios through speaking engagements, publications, and presentations at international conferences. She is also involved with organizations like Women in Animation, Women in Technology, Girls Who Code, ASIFA, Rise Up Animation, ABAI (India), and her alma mater. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.
Aug 23

A QISSAA with Ishika: Reshma Gajjar

Welcome to the 40th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is Reshma Gajjar, a first-generation American actress, interdisciplinary performing artist, and creative collaborator! She has acted on camera for visionary directors Spike Jonze, Sam Mendes, Kathryn Bigelow, and Damien Chazelle, recognized for opening the Oscar-winning film La La Land. As a member of the original cast of Life And Trust in New York City - from the producers of Sleep No More - Reshma devised, co-choreographed, and originated a role in this genre-defying theatrical work. She continues to choreograph work for theater and film, including the upcoming Broadway musical The Lunchbox. She has toured the world with Madonna and Ricky Martin; dancing on stage and screen with the likes of Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Charlie XCX, and Adele. Reshma bridges the commercial and art worlds, known for her theatrical storytelling that centers humanity.
Aug 23

A QISSAA with Ishika: Minila Shah

Welcome to the 39th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is choreographer, performer, and arts educator Minila Shah! For over 25 years, Minila Shah has shaped the landscape of Indian dance. Her expertise spans Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Bollywood, Semi-Classical, Garba/Raas, and Bhangra, showcasing her versatility and deep-rooted knowledge of South Asian dance. Since founding Ajna Dance Company in 2013, Minila Shah has been driven by a passion to share authentic Indian dance and culture in a way that resonates with diverse audiences. Today, her vision for Ajna centers on creating innovative and relevant works for her dancers while expanding the company's reach to schools, communities, and cultural spaces, harnessing the power of dance and music to educate and connect through assemblies, residencies, and more. Minila’s choreography has been featured in film, TV, music videos, and theater in London and New York. She has appeared on Good Morning America, NBC, BBC, Sky1, and ITV’s Dancing on Ice. When she’s not dancing, she’s passionate about yoga, vegetarian food, and exploring life in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, with her husband and two daughters.
Aug 23

A QISSAA with Ishika: Ishita Mili

Welcome to the 38th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is dancer, choreographer, artistic director, educator, and iconoclast Ishita Mili! Ishita is the founder of IMGE, a dance company that unravels cultural roots to thread together global stories with diverse artists. Featured in Vogue and Vanity Fair, IMGE’s transcultural vocabulary encompasses dynamic imagery, mudra storytelling, and percussive footwork to confront social and cultural constructs. Ishita’s work has reached inter/national stages such as New Victory Theater, Lincoln Center, Seattle IDF, World Arts West, and Tempe Center for the Arts, commercial campaigns for NBCuniversal, Ben & Jerry’s, and IndoWarehouse, and theater with Broadway Bares and Asolo Rep. She was awarded Artist of Exceptional Merit ‘23 by the Asian American Arts Alliance and has taught the IMGE methodology at Princeton and Gonzaga University. Ishita was selected into the LabWorks '24-'25 cohort at New Victory Theater and received a '25 Individual Artist Fellowship award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Most recently, she was nominated for a Bessie for Outstanding Breakout Choreographer.
Aug 23

A QISSAA with Ishika: Mayuri Bhandari

Welcome to the 37th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today, actress, dancer/figure skater, and storyteller Mayuri Bhandari! Working within the Indian and American film industries, she has starred in film/television including Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix), Dave (FX/Hulu), Rebel (ABC), and Dare2Dance/Just Dance (Star Plus). Her voice-over includes Spider-Man (Sony), Ms. Marvel (Disney), and narrating audiobooks (Penguin Random House). Mayuri is the first South Asian to showcase figure skating on Indian National Television, and a figure skating champion. Mayuri’s critically acclaimed ANTI “YOGI” will be going to the Edinburgh Festival (2025) after an award-winning run at Hollywood Fringe in 2024. Her poetry film BINDI received international recognition and featured at the United Nations Women's Event in Los Angeles. Her artivism voices social justice, women's empowerment, and stories of Brown identity.Mayuri holds a B.A. in Dance & South Asian Studies(UC Berkeley) & M.A. in Yoga Studies(Loyola Marymount University) and is currently their professor. She also has YouTube ‘Bollywood on Ice’ videos and does Yoga Comedy.
03/05/2025

A QISSAA with Ishika: Rehana Lew Mirza

Welcome to the 36th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is playwright and filmmaker Rehana Lew Mirza! With a BFA from NYU TISCH and an MFA from Columbia University, Rehana’s prolific career has seen her plays produced at venues across the US. Some play highlights include: Hatefuck (First Floor, Chicago; WP/Colt Coeur, NY); A People’s Guide to History in the Time of Here and Now (Primary Stages Toulmin commission); Soldier X (Ma-Yi); Tomorrow, Inshallah (Living Room Theater; Storyworks/HuffPost commission); Neighborhood Watch (NNPN/InterAct commission, upcoming production: Jackalope 2025) and Barriers (Desipina, Asian American Theater Company.) She founded the award-winning South Asian theater and film company, Desipina & Co, alongside her sister Rohi Mirza Pandya in 2001, where together they produced the popular Seven.11 series. She shares a Kleban Award and a 2016-2022 Mellon Foundation National Playwright residency administered in partnership with Howlround at Ma-Yi with Mike Lew. Together they’ve co-written The Colonialism Project (LJP commission) and the musical Bhangra Nation (originally Bhangin’ It) with composer/lyricist Sam Willmott. Rehana’s short film MODERN DAY ARRANGED MARRIAGE won the NBC ShortCuts audience award, and screened at “Just for Laughs” in Montreal before being acquired by LOGO/MTV. Her feature film, HIDING DIVYA, had a limited North American release and toured to colleges through a grant from the Asian Women's Giving Circle.Her additional accolades include being a WP Resident Playwright, NYFA Fellow, HBO Access Fellow, Lilly Award recipient, CCTP Residenct, Colt Coeur member, and a TCG Fellowship.
02/24/2025

A QISSAA with Ishika: Ravjot Mehek Singh

Welcome to the 35th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika! My guest today is Ravjot Mehek Singh, an award-winning Sikh Indian American Film and TV Director and art activist. Many Indian and American media outlets refer to her as one of the youngest female directors in Bollywood and one of the first openly LGBTQ+ Sikh women directors in South Asia. By age 21, she had directed 3 television talk shows for Dish Network through the largest Asian American TV channel Jus Punjabi. She began directing Bollywood music videos and was listed as the youngest female music video director to be launched by T-Series (India's largest record label) in 2021.Ravjot's work in curation and installation art has been featured in major galleries globally including the Guggenheim Museum. Her curatorial debut "Pardafash" gained critical acclaim as one of the only shows in the world to address the often censored struggles Sikhs went through in 1984 in India. As an LGBTQ+ art activist, Ravjot has been featured in Harper's Bazaar and Cosmopolitan magazine, amongst other publications. Her film and art activism work is driven by a passion to create lasting change in the entertainment field and society. www.ravjotmeheksingh.media www.ishikamuchhal.com-a-qissaa-with-ishika
02/06/2025

A QISSAA with Ishika: Sheela Ramesh

Welcome to the 34th episode of A QISSAA with Ishika, Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists, funded by the California Art Council’s Individual Artist Fellow Grant. My guest is music director, composer, and arranger Sheela Ramesh! She was recently named a “Woman to Watch on Broadway” by the Broadway Women’s Fund. Professional highlights include Broadway (SIX, Almost Famous, Once Upon a One More Time, Merrily We Roll Along, Hells Kitchen); Off-Broadway (Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, The York, Theatre Row); TV (NBC's Annie Live!); concert (Carnegie Hall, Kings Theater, Town Hall); and regional theater (Berkeley Rep, A.C.T.). She is an Artist Ambassador for the New York Civil Liberties Union, a teaching artist with Lincoln Center Theater, and an Associate at Liz Caplan Vocal Studio. Undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from Carnegie Mellon University and the Royal College of Music; psychology/cognitive science (BS, Carnegie Mellon; MSc, University College London) and law (JD, Yale Law School). She has spent her nonmusical professional life working to ensure that all youth have opportunities to thrive. www.sheelarameshmusic.com www.ishikamuchhal.com/a-qissaa-with-ishika

Trailer

A QISSAA with Ishika Trailer

Hello and welcome to A QISSAA with Ishika, Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists! I'm your host, Ishika Muchhal! From a young age, I knew that I wanted to be a performer and artist, and I have always been inspired by the trailblazing South Asian artists who have challenged the norms and carved the path for themselves and others in the arts. They followed their hearts and strived for representation so that young artists like myself could follow in their footsteps. But how did they do it? Why don't I ask them! Join me each week for some qissaas, or episodes, from the lives of these artists, a new guest every week! Stay tuned for the truly Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of some incredible South Asian Artists on A QISSAA with Ishika.

Join performer and storyteller Ishika Muchhal as she interviews and tells the Quintessential and Inspiring Stories of South Asian Artists, the trailblazers who have paved their own path in the visual and performing arts in America. A new guest, a new episode every week, Sundays at 12 p.m. PST.

Creator

Ishika Muchhal
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

42
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Ishika Muchhal
Show Website

A QISSAA with Ishika