Sayani Gupta Lands U.S. Debut in 'Arya'
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- Sayani Gupta will make her U.S. feature film debut in "Arya," directed by Neil Tuli, with principal photography underway in Duluth, Minnesota
- Gupta plays Arya Sinha, a disciplined piano teacher from a prestigious Indian conservatory who reluctantly takes an assignment in northern Minnesota to rescue a struggling band program and fuel her career ambitions back home
- Neil Tuli makes his feature directorial debut with the film; he previously held strategy roles at Netflix and Illumination
- "Arya" is produced under Tuli's banner American Haathi alongside Pallavi and Keertana Sastry (Land of Gold) from Adda G Productions
- Gupta's prior credits include Delhi Crime, Axone, Margarita with a Straw (TIFF 2014 premiere), Parched, The Hungry, and an IIFA-nominated turn in Article 15, which is currently streaming on Netflix
- Gupta is repped by Matt Kniaz at Crimson Media and Suchir Batra with Zero Gravity Management; she also wrote, directed and produced the short film Aasmani
Why it matters: Gupta, a recognized Indian screen talent, crosses into U.S. feature filmmaking with a fish-out-of-water indie, while first-time director Tuli pivots from corporate strategy at Netflix and Illumination to running a set — a notable talent pipeline from streaming-platform backrooms to indie production.
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