Just forwarding this from another list. I did a quick scan of the entries in the
Film & TV forum and did not see this casting call listed--my apologies if this is a
duplicate.
Sneha
________________________
From D.A.M.N. - Dissecting American Media Now SAJA E-mailing Lists: http://www.saja.org/lists (freesignup)
South Asian Journalists Association:
http://www.saja.org
Here is a note to SAJA from Carrie Simons, a senior press officer at NBC entertainment:
a casting call for desi actor...
All details are below. If you know desis - actors and non-actors - who fit the descriptions below, let them know about this. If you are a journalist who wants to cover this, you can contact Carrie at the number below.
As I understand it, this is one of the very first time something of this scale has been undertaken by a major US network.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 13:35:54 -0500
From: Carrie Simmon
To: 'Sreenath Sreenivasan'
Subject: Open Casting Call for East Indian actors
NBC'S WORLDWIDE SEARCH FOR THE STARS OF "NEVERMIND NIRVANA" COMES TO
LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Open casting calls to be held in at NBC Studios in Los Angeles
BURBANK -- NBC Studios will be holding an open casting call in Los Angeles, CA on
Saturday, February 28 as part of a worldwide search to find the stars of their upcoming comedy pilot "Nevermind Nirvana," it was announced today by Marc Hirschfeld, Executive
Vice President, Casting, NBC Entertainment.
The search will take place in Burbank, California at NBC Studios (3000 West Alameda Blvd.) with doors opening at 9 a.m. and auditions taking place until 4 p.m. for professional and non-professional East Indian actors. All participants are asked to line up on Alameda Blvd. and
bring a recent photo or headshot and resume.
The following are the five roles for which actors will be considered:
[SUNIL "SONNY" MEHTA] 2O's, (EAST INDIAN WITH AN AMERICAN ACCENT) -- On
the eve of his graduation from UCLA Medical School, he's having last minute jitters about being a doctor. Although Sonny has been raised in America, he still straddles the traditional East Indian culture of his parents. SERIES REGULAR
[RAJU MEHTA] 20's, (EAST INDIAN WITH AN AMERICAN ACCENT) -- A couple years
behind him in medical school, he is Sonny's younger brother. Used to being the underdog
in the family because he is not married and not yet a doctor, he is gleeful to learn that Sonny's life has gone off the rails. SERIES REGULAR
[DR. ARJUN MEHTA] Late 40s to 60s (EAST INDIAN WITH AN EAST INDIAN ACCENT)
-- the father of Sonny and Raju, Arjun is an EAST INDIAN Walter Matthau. SERIES REGULAR
[DR. SARITA MEHTA] Late 40s to 60s (EAST INDIAN WITH AN EAST INDIAN ACCENT)
-- The mother of Sonny and Raju, she is small in stature but in charge of her family.
SERIES REGULAR
[GOVIND SINGH] 40 to 60 years old, (EAST INDIAN, NON-SPEAKING ROLE) -- The
Mehta family servant. Needs a good physical presence and comic ability...SERIES REGULAR
"Nevermind Nirvana" is a pilot for NBC Studios. Karey Burke and Jamie Tarses
are the executive producers. Ajay Sahgal is the writer and producer.
Additional information can be found at nbc.com/contestants.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Carrie Simons, NBC Entertainment Publicity,
818/840-2515