Meet Geeta Malik

“There is a feminist bent to what I do. I want to make movies about minorities and about women, that’s why I became a filmmaker. I want to see myself and my community on screen.”

 ~Geeta Malik

Geeta Malik has accomplished much amongst the screenwriting and film fellowship communities as a refreshing South Asian director and writer inspired by the dynamics of Desi culture and how she’s experienced it herself. 

Reflective in her most recent film India Sweets and Spices (2021), featuring Bollywood stars like Adil Hussain & Sophia Ali, Malik masterfully captures the complexities of maintaining an Indian American identity, the classism within Desi socio-economic structures, contemporary women’s movements in India, and a more progressive grasp of South Asian femininity in a modern era. The film takes on these issues by bundling these intricacies into the life of a college student, Ali Kapur, her expansive family, and her complicated love interest.

She tastefully draws on inspirations from other films such as Amadeus (1984), The Big Sick (2017), and others, balancing light-hearted humor with reflective dramatic moments for her characters. We see this across Malik’s other projects as well. 

This push to modify ideas around South Asian feminity and identity becomes imperative when examining the roles that South Asian folks and Asian people, in general, are portrayed in filmic mediums! 

Similar to the underrepresented groups of other BIPOC peoples, it’s rare to find non-White, and non-European features on screen. Malik alongside other South Asian feminists, directors, writers, and artists are significantly contributing their slice of authentic diversity and inclusion in the industry. 

Malik is greatly impacting the way Desi culture views its values around femininity, classism, family boundaries, and love. She has recently shared that she will be directing an episode of the award winning show Abbott Elementary, so be on the lookout for updates! To never miss another artist spotlight, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter.

If you loved learning about Geeta Malik, head here to learn more about her mindset while working on India Sweets and Spices!