Taking his professional skill set and personal experiences, Farhan Arshad has created the webseries "Brownies." Watch the first installment here.
by Zaynah Rashid
The YouTube platform has catapulted a new wave of entertainment. From mockery music videos and comedy sketches to more involved mini-films, we have all come across some YouTube gems. Joining the online film community is Farhan Arshad, a writer and director from Sony Pictures and now writer, director and star of Brownies.
The new online series is a comedy that follows Sal (portrayed by Farhan) on his journey to finding the perfect wife through the means of an online matrimonial site. Characters included a traditional father and wise young sister and the chemistry of it all packs in plenty of laughs!
We wanted to know what compelled Farhan to create the series in the first place. "Growing up, I often felt like 'my' story wasn't the one that was being told in television and film. There is something so rich and fun about the Desi culture and writing Brownies really allowed me to explore that world and to finally tell that story," he explains.
On the same personal note, Farhan adds, "As a writer, you're always told by your mentors to write what you know. I'm really fond of my Desi heritage, but I was born and raised in America, so I wanted to tell a story that was from that perspective. We have great South Asian literature, Bollywood films, and even TV shows from the British Desi standpoint, but for whatever reason there just hasn't been a ton of story-telling from the American Desi perspective. Finding true diversity in television isn't something that comes easily, so I really wanted to create non-traditional characters that would appeal to Desi viewers while also being engaging to people from all different cultural backgrounds."
There is no denying that this personal outlet has been made for laughs, but Farhan reveals, "Ultimately, it'd just be a dream come true if some form of Brownies made it to TV or film. In just a little over a month, our first episode has nearly 150,000 views. The YouTube videos that typically find audiences usually aren't scripted and the ones that are often have celebrity talent attached. Brownies is already proving that there is a viable audience for Desi-centered content. That being said, if I'm able to create a webseries that people really enjoy, then that in itself is enough of a reward."
Two episodes in and plenty more to come from Farhan, catch-up on Brownies and let us know if you think this show has potential.
