Meet Nisha Ganatra: the Woman Behind Freakier Friday

August 25, 2025 • Read in 5 minutes

Dear Hyphenly Readers,

Canadian-Indian powerhouse, Nisha Ganatra, just brought her creative direction to Freakier Friday. An early aughts classic, Freaky Friday had us listening to Pink Slip, swooning over Chad Michael Murray, and longing to be as cool as Lindsay Lohan in her low-waisted cargo pants and highlights. 

Yet, we’ll be the first to admit – Freakier Friday made us feel suspicious. We’ve seen our fair share of millennial classics be rebooted and fail (think Mean Girls: The Musical; That 90s Show, How I Met Your Father, etc.). We want something fresh, not obvious cash grabs and cheap nostalgia.

But when Nisha Ganatra is associated with a project, we just know something good can be expected. She wants to bring us cinema with smart women that makes you feel good.

And Freakier Friday is just that: a movie with good vibes, family drama, and Manny Jacinto dancing. Did we mention he dances in the film? That alone makes the movie so worth it…but we digress.

We have been excited about Ganatra’s filmmaking and writing for a while. Her oeuvre is full of instant classics.

In Chutney Popcorn (1999) a lesbian Indian-American henna artist called Reena decides to help her perfect sister by agreeing to carry her child. Not only is her family confused by this surrogacy plan, so is her white girlfriend. The movie explores unorthodox families from the South Asian lens.

In Cosmopolitan (2003), a conservative middle-aged Indian immigrant in New Jersey is alone and depressed on Diwali. His wife left him and his daughter moves to Mongolia with her German boyfriend to teach English. With the help of his daughter’s old issues of Cosmopolitan, he learns to be a better man and gets involved with his eccentric blonde neighbor. 

Ganatra has also directed episodes of Dear White People, Fresh Off the Boat, and Transparent, as well as the Mindy Kaling film Late Night. In an interview Asia Source, she said:

“it's so important to support films about South Asians and by support I mean to actually go to the theater and buy a ticket to the movie…Already I have Hollywood meetings and the first thing they ask me is, "Can you write a movie without South Asian characters in it?" I would love it if I could turn to them and say, "Yes, but look how successful South Asian films have been…” 

Her work feels fresh and authentic. And we notice her social media presence is like that too – no frills, no filters.

Which filmmaker or film is exciting you these days? Did you watch Freakier Friday in the theaters? Tell us your thoughts!

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Hyphenly curates the latest news, art, and businesses from immigrants around the world. Have a tip or story we should feature? We’d love to hear from you.