Written By: Michelle Ahn
Like her protagonist in her feature film debut, Sujata Day of “Insecure” fame won the Spelling Bee in fourth grade. “[It] sounds really exciting and like a big accomplishment but there were only ten people in my grade.” Although she lost at regionals, Day consistently watched the Scripps National Spelling Bee on ESPN and realized most champions shared a similarity. “I noticed how every year it used to be a South Asian American kid winning the Spelling Bee. Even when shooting “Definition Please,” there were eight winners and seven of the eight were South Asian American.”
Initially a UCB sketch about Spelling Bee champions and where they are now, “Definition Please” tells the story of Monica Chowdry (played by Sujata Day herself) who tries to rekindle her broken relationship with her brother (Ritesh Rajan) when he visits home for their father’s death anniversary. Rekindling is also what their ill mother (Anna Khaja) wants. Living at home as her mother’s caretaker and tutoring future Spelling Bee champions, Monica is the opposite of what you’d expect from a former champion. “If you google any of these former Spelling Bee winners they’re doing awesome things like they have triple PhDs or are professional poker players or at NASA and I’m sure there are many hard at work right now working on a coronavirus vaccine.”
As her first feature, there are many wins for Sujata Day. One of the biggest strengths of “Definition Please” is its cast and their performances. Day tapped into her professional network and inner-circles within the South Asian creative community to assemble her cast. There are many familiar faces, including Ritesh Rajan (“Russian Doll,” Disney’s “The Jungle Book), Anna Khaja (“The Good Place,” “Silicon Valley), Jake Choi (“Single Parents”) and Lalaine (“Lizzie Maguire”). And early on in the film, there is even a cameo featuring LeVar Burton, who plays himself in a parody version of “Reading Rainbow.” Day first met Burton through a chance encounter at one of her weekly Sunday brunches with fellow Brown and Black creatives. “After [‘Definition Please’] we started working on ‘This is My Story,’ a series on racism where Levar … narrates a story of an everyday person who experiences personal racism. So that has been fulfilling to work with him on that,” Day said.
However, unlike her cast, producing the film became a bigger challenge. After completing her draft, Day began soft-pitching her film to potential production companies. While she did gain optimistic feedback on her story, no one was sold. “It was risky. Every producer wants to make the next ‘Avengers’ or ‘Black Widow.’ They want to make movies starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt.” Gaining advice from AAIFF alum and Day’s personal friend, Justin Chon, who independently produced two films that premiered at Sundance, Day realized she was the only one who was going to tell this South Asian story. (Chon would later serve as a consulting producer for the film). Incidentally she had also received a big check from a studio that was returning the rights to a show she had sold. “So I just decided then and there I would shoot the film in 2019 no matter how much money was raised … I’m going to do it hell or high water.” By June 2019, production began in Pennsylvania.
Despite the fast turnaround, “Definition Please” tells an extremely well-developed story that is a refreshingly authentic and raw portrayal of a South Asian American family in suburban America. The film is unashamedly Indian with Bollywood-inspired elements that are pure fun, such as when Monica sees complex words to define strangers or when the children put on a show for their mother. However, this story is just as American. There are scenes every American surbanite will relate to: meeting former classmates at the local store or bar and getting caught having sex in the car.
Day is also unafraid to tackle the subject of mental health. “I have mental illness in my extended family and it was just really important for me to show that in an authentic personal way,” she explained. Both Day and her cast researched extensively, consulting with psychiatrists, physicians and other counselors. While many may classify “Definition Please” as a coming of age story, fellow South Asian Americans and more broadly Asian Americans may see it more as catharsis. The burden to achieve above and beyond tends to fall on many immigrant’s shoulders, which inevitably passes on to their children. One’s success tends to define them, which can take a heavy toll on their mental health. She recalls conversations that would occur within her Indian American community: “We would notice all these mental illnesses amongst ourselves and it was never talked about. It was never talked about in the open. All the parents talked about was their kid getting into Harvard or getting pregnant or getting married. Nobody talked about mental illness or anything negative.”
Having a protagonist who is an excellent artist, but smokes weed (something still stigmatized today) — who is a Spelling Bee champion, but still living at home in a small town — are all things that reassure our community it’s ok to be “average.” Even in her advice to new filmmakers, Day resounds this message: “Never try to do it all like I did.” Just like how Monica had her best friend, family and community to lean upon, Day advises new filmmakers to work with the best people they can. “Hire people that make you look good … Make sure you have an amazing team around you because filmmaking is not an individual pursuit.” It’s ok to ask for help and with “Definition Please,” Day reminds us you’re never in it alone.
“Definition Please” makes its New York premiere at the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival on October 9th. Ticket and screening information can be found here.