The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh is out now on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee. Leading up to the series’ premiere, Dorkaholics had an opportunity to speak with Sindhu Vee and Sahana Srinivasan who play mother and daughter on the show as Sudha Pradeep and Bhanu Pradeep.
Neil Bui: Hi everyone, my name is Neil. I’m with Dorkaholics, where we believe that there’s a dork in everyone. It’s our job to bring that dork out into the world.
Sahana Srinivasan: Hi, I love that.
Sindhu Vee: I love that too.
Neil Bui: I loved the scenes that you guys were in just because it really shows the complexities of the mother daughter relationship in the angsty teen years. How did you guys come to create that type of rapport with each other?
Sindhu Vee: It wasn’t very difficult. Sahana is, they’re great company. Like if I had met Sahana at a comedy gig, I would have attempted to stay in touch with them and be like, you want to hang out? They’re much younger than me, but you know, they are great company. In fact, the hard thing was being mad at Sudha being mad at Sahana. But then again, I have a teen daughter, and I am an Indian mother, so I just channeled that. And that’s how it went. You know, they’re a great scene partner, and the writing was good, and I don’t know, we made it work. I didn’t feel like it was very hard, Sahana.
Sahana Srinivasan: I feel like it was really hard. I think that you are really hard to work with, Sindhu, and I’ll say it. -laughs- No, Sindhu is such a joy to work with. So funny, so talented, so smart, and it’s like, I feel like I’m looking at my slightly older self, where I’m like this is who I want to be when I’ll be crushing it in comedy and just being very inclusive on set and kind of setting the tone for everyone. And you’re right, it was hard to be mad at my mom in the scenes themselves, but that’s where I got to bring some of my personal experiences to the show.
Neil Bui: And how similar, or if different is the better term here, are you compared to your characters?
Sindhu Vee: Oh, you know what? I’ll answer for you and then you answer for me. How about that?
Sahana Srinivasan: Oh, okay, sure!
Sindhu Vee: So, I think Sahana having grown up in the U. S., is sort of less looking to rebel by being American. However, Sahana also has a very independent streak, that they always bring to every table read, every interpretation of the script, clothing, and I think those two things were very similar. And also Bhanu has real heart, you can see [it] when Bhanu does feel, she’s kind of self reflexive and Sahana is very self reflexive. So I think those things were very similar between those two.
Sahana Srinivasan: Aww, thanks Sindhu. I love switching that up. I would say, yeah to that, and that totally I agree with you. Sindhu and Sudha are both very funny. And also I think this is like a modern representation of a desi parent. And I will say pretty historically accurate too, just misrepresented on screen, where we’re only seeing like desi parents who are like, you have to go into science and this and that, and I don’t think that’s Sindhu as a parent, from what I hear and Sudha isn’t like that either.
Sindhu was saying in answering previous questions that Sudha’s not mad at Bhanu for falling for this guy because he’s a guy and because it’s taboo to have a relationship at that age. It’s more so because he’s like, your words, he’s a loser. He is not nearly as smart or capable as Bhanu is. But it’s probably why Bhanu likes him too, because she can kind of just yap and talk, and he can be like, uh huh, uh huh, and personally, I like that as well. Would you say that’s accurate for, for you too, Sindhu?
Sindhu Vee: Super, super. You know, Sudha is a modern Indian mom, and we don’t see a lot of them on screen, and I like to think that I’m a modern, liberal, tolerant, wonderful parent. My kids probably don’t agree. I definitely don’t agree, but you know, I like playing Sudha.
Catch this modern Indian family on The Pradeeps in Pittsburgh, now available on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee.
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Neil Bui
I'm a self-proclaimed "professional dork." I've always been drawn to the creative and imaginative worlds found in comic books, video games, and other forms of entertainment, and I believe that these stories and characters have the power to inspire and bring people together. Through Dorkaholics, I've had the opportunity to attend conventions, interview some of my favorite artists and creators, and connect with a community of like-minded individuals who share my passion for all things dorky. When I'm not writing about the latest pop culture trends, you can usually find me playing video games, reading comic books, or exploring new fandoms. I'm thrilled to be able to share my love of pop culture with the world through Dorkaholics, and I hope to continue to inspire and entertain fellow dorks for years to come.
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