Quick, name something cooler than a brown girl who's a DJ?

The answer is obvious, it's when Disney makes a movie about it!

A new Disney original, Spin, is set to release later this year and stars Avantika Vandanapu as Rhea Kumar, a 15-year-old Indian American teenager who discovers her passion for music, and falls in love with DJing.

The movie follows Kumar's journey as she navigates her mothers passing, taking care of the family restaurant, managing school and friends, and of course,  her love life, which includes a relationship between her and another aspiring DJ named Max.

Kumar cultivates a unique sound as an Indian American, blending her ethnic heritage with the world around her. 

Her artistic inclination is similar to that of Vandanapu in real life, whose knack for music and dance has found her way into the hearts of millions of Indians across the globe. 

Vandanapu’s talent has already gotten her quite far in the entertainment business, as she recently won second place in the competition “Dance India Dance Li’l Masters.” She has also been featured in multiple Indian commercials till date.

More recently, she played Monyca in Diary of a Future President on Disney+ and also voiced the character of Kamala in Disney Junior’s Mira, Royal Detective.

Spin will start production in Toronto later this fall, and the series will be directed by Manjari Makijany.

Makijany is a writer and director based out of Los Angeles, and has previously worked on Bollywood films Wake Up Sid and Saat Khoon Maaf as Assistant Director.

Her debut film Desert Dolphin is set to premiere on Netflix this year as well, and is about a village girl from Rajasthan who discovers skateboarding.

Famous actors Abhay Deol and Agam Darshi are also among those on the cast list for Spin, which is expected to be added to Disney+ at a later date.

Aside from the big industry names involved in the making of this movie, Spin is making history for an entirely different reason.

It is not only the first Disney Channel Original Movie to be filmed during the COVID pandemic, but also the very first to feature an Indian American lead role.

Now before you all go on and download Disney+, be sure to let us know what DJ name you think will suit Rhea in Spin!

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About the author: Manisha is a freelance writer with experience on both radio and television, who is also the former titleholder of Miss Fiji Canada 2017. She is an artist, poet, and an SFU alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications. Manisha is the creator of the platform Bula Mental Health which is dedicated to bridging the gap between history, current events, and overall well-being. Check her out on Instagram: @exclusivelymanisha