Indie Spotlight: ‘The Fob And I’ Delivers Nuanced Look At Indian-American Culture

We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now. Read previous installments here.

The open nature of web series production gives minorities who are otherwise underrepresented in media a chance to speak their minds. The latest example of this trend is The Fob and I, in which creator Meenakshi Ramamurthy uses a pair of dynamic characters to explore Indian culture in America.

The two protagonists of The Fob and I are Sita (Shefali Deshay) and Jisha (Uttera Singh). Sita is an Indian-American will a distinct L.A. vibe, while Jisha, who is Fresh Off the Boat and not well-acclimated to American culture, is the titular “Fob.” Most of the series’ comedy comes from the odd couple relationship between Jisha and Sita; in one episode, for example, the two women argue over the American interpretation of chai.

Beyond its comedic stylings, The Fob and I also provides a significant amount of heart, and as Sita and Jisha trade barbs, they also learn about each other and their own identities. “We’re not seeing Indian-Americans in the mainstream media,” Ramamurthy told NBC News. “But the population census proves the audience is there. With The Fob and I, our main goal was to show how complex and multifaceted identity is by showing two brown characters that are different.”

Three episodes of The Fob and I are available on the show’s YouTube channel.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Feminist Fairytales. Classic tales get some constructive criticism based on the way they treat women.
• Brad Advice. A man gives advice out of his Manhattan apartment. He doesn’t do a very good job.
• Shudder. This web series plays out as a series of first-person horror narratives.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.