A potluck lunch between three Toronto ladies has turned into an award-winning TV series that gives justice to first generation immigrant stories.
Potluck Ladies focuses on three first generation South Asian women who live in the suburbs of Toronto with their children, while their husbands work abroad. They meet at potluck lunches for a sense of companionship, only to find their deepest traumas are exposed.
The show explores themes of body shaming, toxic relationships, divorce stigmas, and taboos around mental health.
“Canada has offered a neutral ground for so many people to come together. I see so many interfaith friendships, and friendships between people from India and Pakistan, which are otherwise “enemy” countries that I would be remiss to not portray that,” show creator Shazia Javed told Now Toronto.
Javed currently lives in Toronto as a filmmaker and founder of LifeSketch Media after working as a news anchor in India. She’s also the creator of Netflix documentary 3 Seconds Divorce, which won the Audience Choice Award at the Reelworld Film Festival.
And Potluck Ladies, which is an entirely BIPOC production, just won Best Drama Series at the International Pilot Competition at Seriesfest Denver.
Potluck Ladies characters Sumaira and Ruby share unique religious backgrounds, with Sumaira being a Muslim from India while Ruby is a Christian from Pakistan.
“I find that there is something beautiful about how our experiences bind us together. I also wanted to comment on what it means for people who are faith-based minorities in their countries of origin and are now here,” Javed said.
Javed says she was inspired by her own experiences as a South Asian immigrant finding a new “home” away from home and being a woman living in the western hemisphere.
“I also wanted to break free from this dichotomy of strong women versus weak women. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and that’s what makes us human. That’s how we compliment each other, learn from each other and grow with each other. I built this world with both drama and levity so that it is not just about the struggles but also about the joy,” Javed continued.
Javed hopes people will apply what they learn about the nuanced lives of South Asian women to professional and social spaces to decrease harmful prejudices and perceptions immigrants often face in their daily lives.
“Far often the portrayals of South Asian immigrant mothers are only about exaggerated accents. They are characters built merely as a ploy to someone else’s story with no arc of their own, and no character development. These characters are either oppressed and docile- or -controlling of their children’s lives with no ambition of their own,” Javed said.
Potluck Ladies is available to watch on Hollywood Suite and YES TV in Canada.
