Mumbai : American actress Melanie Chandra opens up on working with co-actor Surina Jindal in the movie ‘Hot Mess Holiday’. She also talks about her character as it will have an Indian premiere on International Women’s day.
Melanie shares why she said ‘Yes’ to the movie: “Surina and I have been collaborating on creative projects for over 7 years now. We originally started performing on Youtube, and now we are exploring the idea of our own television series. When we were asked to create a holiday movie for Comedy Central, it was a great opportunity to continue that collaboration as executive producers, creators, and leading ladies of our own film.”
“We knew it was so important to make this movie, because it would be a huge step forward for desi representation on screen in the US! This was the type of movie we wish we could see growing up. We hope that brown girls can finally feel represented and that this movie can open doors for other brown creatives who want to get into TV and film,” she adds.
‘Hot Mess Holiday’ is all about two best friends. The actress shares the crazy adventures she has with her best friend.
“Surina is not just my best friend in the movie, but also in real life! We have this great ying-yang element to our friendship. I’m generally Type A, and she’s always the one to pull me out of my comfort zone and let loose a bit,” she says.
The actress continues: “For example, during my wedding years back, Surina was one of my bridesmaids. The wedding reception was a formal event, taking place outdoors on a tropical island. I had everything planned perfectly and we were right on schedule! But after the cake was cut and the music started, I noticed someone had jumped into the water! It was Surina! And before I knew it, All our guests were jumping into the water partying away. In saris and suits, mind you.”
“It was pure chaos. She encouraged me to jump in and after much hesitation, I finally did! And it turned out to be one of the most incredible nights of our lives, dancing and letting loose all night long under the beautiful moonlight! I’ll never forget it.”
When asked how it was working with Lily Singh, Kal Penn and Surina Jindal?
She says: “Working with Kal Penn was surreal. When I was just starting my acting career he was someone I looked up to as being the first Indian actor to really make strides in the US. And I still look up to him today. He’s such a class act. In the movie, he’s always there to guide Surina and Mel in a moment of crisis. In real life, Kal is the same way! He’s been so generous with his time in helping Surina and me navigate making this film alongside a studio and network.”
“Surina is my best friend and we’d been dreaming of making a big project like this for years. I remember us arriving to set the very first day of ‘Hot Mess Holiday’, visiting the production office, meeting the hair and makeup team, walking to our trailers and seeing our names on the stars. We pinched each other (literally!), squealed in delight, and were moved to tears. Our hard work after all these years was finally paying off and we could see our dreams manifesting before us.”
On working with Lily, she shares: “Lily is such a talented and humble individual. Her portion of Hot Mess Holiday was filmed remotely, so unfortunately we didn’t get to work with her in person! But we were overjoyed to have her be a part of this project and are forever grateful to her.”:
‘Hot Mess Holiday’ will be coming on Comedy Central India on March 8 at 1 pm and 7 pm.
–IANS