The television movie stars Avantika Vandanapu as lead character Rhea Kumar who discovers a talent for mixing music
Looks like Disney Channel finally has its first original TV movie centred on Indian culture, with an Indian-American lead, according to a report by Entertainment Tonight.
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Spin follows Rhea (Avantika), an Indian-American teen who learns she has a passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the textures of her Indian heritage and the world around her. Her life revolves around her group of friends, Molly (Anna Cathcart, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), Watson (Jahbril Cook) and Ginger (Kerri Medders), her afterschool coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family, which has only grown closer since her mother’s passing.
Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max (Michael Bishop) and a long lost fervor for music is reignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.
Who’s in it?
Spin does not have an official premiere date just yet but it is slated for some time this year. Directed by Manjari Makijany (Desert Dolphin, I See You), the film breaks barriers with an international Indian-led ensemble that includes actor Abhay Deol (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) as Rhea’s father Arvind, U.K. comedian/actor Meera Syal (The Kumars at No. 42) as Rhea’s grandmother Asha, and Aryan Simhadri (who will star in the Disney+ remake of Cheaper By The Dozen) as Rhea’s younger brother Rohan.
“I’m so eager to have this movie out in the world — as a reminder for young Indian girls, and anyone really, to follow their aspirations,” Avantika, who grew up being a dancer, exclusively tells ET over email.
Makijany, who grew up in Mumbai and now resides in the U.S, adds, “I was beyond thrilled to introduce my culture through Rhea and her family to a broad audience. It’s so important to see someone like myself represented in a mainstream way.”
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