Sujata Day reached the breaking point.
"There was a year during pilot season when all of the Indian American female roles were tied to some kind of arranged marriage plotline," she tells the American-Statesman over the phone last week. “I was just like, ‘Oh my god, I can't do this anymore,’ because me and my Indian American friends growing up, that's not something that we ever experienced with our parents or our families. Although there are some great movies and TV shows that have a plot line like that, it just doesn't have to be every single plot line.”
So, Day started writing her own roles. The Pittsburgh native makes a star turn as Monica Chowdry, a former spelling bee champ turned slacker, in the comedy-drama “Definition Please.” She also directed and produced the film, which will be the closing night feature for the Austin Asian American Film Festival’s virtual/in-person hybrid event this year.