Anish Bhalla isn't worried about being an outsider at this year's Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, taking place from July 27-30. Even though he and his partners from Kavalry Productions will be fighting to sell Anish's first TV series BHALLA to networks and streamers like HBO and Hulu, Anish isn't worried about being the underdog. He's been battling the odds his entire life.
Growing up in Toronto during the 1990s, Anish wanted to be one thing: the first Indian superstar playing in the NBA. Unfortunately, Anish's parents had different goals for their rebellious son. So even as Anish became a standout basketball player he always had to hide his passion from his family.
BHALLA is an animated sitcom inspired by Anish's teenage years featuring a wide range of relatable characters based on Anish's memories. It's an outrageously funny throwback that introduces viewers to a world they've never seen before.
"For me, basketball exploded when Vince Carter started playing for the Raptors, and it was when hip hop became mainstream," recalls Anish. "It was that blend of basketball and hip hop that influenced so many first and second-generation immigrant kids across North America. That's the world we want to share."
The series was co-created by award-winning comedians Kyle Radke and Matt Kelly from Kavalry Productions. Kyle is determined to see Anish succeed and is using his comedy experience to help shape Anish's life stories into a fun family sitcom like Bob's Burgers.
"I'm always looking for what's funny about a story," said Kyle. "The first thing Anish explained to me was that India has never had an NBA star and they have 1.3 billion people. That's like 35 Canada's and we have a dozen starters. That really made me laugh. After that, I was hooked!"
The series, currently in development, was just accepted into the finals of the Just For Laughs ComedyPRO Stand Up and Pitch contest where Anish will pitch it to television executives in front of a live audience.
"Anish has these outrageous stories that we've never seen on TV before," said Matt. "At Kavalry, we thought that his stories could be turned into a cool cartoon but we never imagined getting into JFL with it. We're excited to see where this goes."
Win or lose, Anish, Matt and Kyle are determined to see this unique show on TV and they know there's a big audience waiting to watch it.
"This is an underdog story," said Anish. "You can be a cheerleader or a tennis player. If you've attempted to be great, in a world where the majority looks nothing like you, then this is a show for you."
For interviews please contact: Kyle Radke at Kavalry Productions Inc., 647-274-9820, business@kavalryproductions.com
Additional photos here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/185WG3bXg-vjVxDLrnee3BC2DLTpFInR0?usp=sharing
Press Release Service by Newswire.com
Original Source: Rookie Comedy Writer Anish Bhalla Makes the Finals of the TV Competition at the Biggest Comedy Festival in the World With His Basketball Cartoon
