Nabeela Syed
State-level leadership / Illinois
The film follows Syed’s reelection campaign and her work on healthcare access, prescription drug affordability, and education.
Virtual film screening
Seat atthe Table
South Asians’ Rise in American Politics
Sunday, November 1, 2026 · 2 p.m. ET
Virtual screening · Free to attend
Ahead of the midterm elections, join SALUTE and South Asian Trailblazers for a complimentary virtual screening of Seat at the Table: South Asians’ Rise in American Politics—a documentary exploring representation, belonging, and the people shaping a new chapter of South Asian leadership.
International Film Festival2026Official SelectionThe Asian American
Showcase2026
About the film
Seat at the Table: South Asians’ Rise in American Politics follows South Asian political candidates and grassroots organizers through the 2024 election cycle—a historic moment for the community’s participation in American public life.
Filmed in an immersive documentary style, it takes viewers inside congressional and state-level campaigns and community organizing efforts. Alongside those individual journeys is a wider story of an immigrant community finding its political voice, confronting barriers, and reshaping what leadership in America can look like.
Ravi Bhalla
Congressional campaign / New Jersey
Then mayor of Hoboken, Bhalla campaigns to become the first turban-wearing Sikh in the U.S. Congress.
Amish Shah
Congressional campaign / Arizona
An emergency-room doctor and state representative, Shah brings his focus on healthcare to a competitive congressional race.
Harini Krishnan
Grassroots organizing
Leading South Asians for Harris, Krishnan works to mobilize voters and volunteers in battleground states.
Neil Makhija
Local government / Pennsylvania
A Montgomery County commissioner and election official, Makhija’s story brings local governance and democratic participation into focus.
Descriptions reflect the people and campaigns depicted in the film’s 2024 election-cycle story, rather than a current officeholder directory.
Sarita Khurana
Director / Producer
Filmmaker behind A Suitable Girl, which earned the 2017 Best New Documentary Director prize at Tribeca. Her work also includes The Last Resort and Crossroads.
Yoav Attias
Director / Executive Producer
Co-director of Fault Lines, a producer of the Peabody Award-winning series Brick City, and showrunner of CNN’s Chicagoland.
Prerana Thakurdesai
Producer
Her producing credits include The Last Ecstatic Days, The Last Resort, and Satyamev Jayate. She is a co-founder of Bitchitra Collective.
RJ Narang
Executive Producer
Founder of production company Great White Buffalo. He developed Seat at the Table to bring together his interests in politics, film, and his cultural roots.
Nick Rathod
Executive Producer
A political strategist and former White House Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs, Rathod also executive produced the short film Now & Never.
Sunita Prasad
Editor
A documentary editor whose credits include Aftershock, Storming Caesars Palace, and The Ringleader.
Additional creative and production credits include Simon Taufique (composer), Suzanne Giordano (line producer), Arsh Harjani (archival producer), and Zakia Smith (post-production supervisor).
Meet the full filmmaking team ↗01 / The film
Watch the trailer.
A front-row seat to a community finding its political voice—and claiming its place in American democracy.
Seat at the Table: South Asians’ Rise in American Politics · Official trailerOfficial film website ↗
A few details.
When and where is the screening?
Join us online on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (11 a.m. Pacific). Register for the free virtual screening, and your confirmation email will include the viewing link.
Is there a cost to attend?
No. This virtual screening is free to attend, courtesy of the Seat at the Table team.
Who can I contact with questions?
Please email hello@salute.community.
Representation is
only the beginning.
Seeing South Asians in public office expands our sense of who belongs in leadership. But representation is not only about who holds a seat. It is also about whether our experiences and priorities help shape the decisions made there—from education and healthcare to economic opportunity.
That connection depends on civic participation. Voting gives us a voice in choosing our leaders. Learning about the issues and staying engaged between elections helps us hold them accountable. Together, these actions make representation more than a milestone. They make it an ongoing relationship between leaders and the communities they serve.
SALUTE’s work to expand access, visibility, and connection is rooted in that same belief: leadership matters most when it opens doors for others. Ahead of the midterm elections, Seat at the Table gives us a starting point for a conversation about how we each take part.
A SALUTE and South Asian Trailblazers virtual screeningMake room
Make room
for a new view.
Sunday, November 1, 2026
2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT · Online · Free
You’re invited
Join the screening.
Watch Seat at the Table with SALUTE and South Asian Trailblazers.
About the hosts.
SALUTE
South Asian Leaders Unite to Empower (SALUTE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and private professional network dedicated to creating impactful connections between South Asian women. Our mission is to expand access, visibility, and connection for South Asian women and allies. Our members are executives, trailblazers, and pioneers who are shaping the present and influencing the future.
Visit SALUTE ↗Follow @salute.community ↗South Asian Trailblazers
South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and talent and advisory agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Founded by Simi Shah, its mission is to amplify South Asian success so that generations of South Asians can have a meaningful line of sight to leaders who look like them.
Visit South Asian Trailblazers ↗Follow @southasiantrailblazers ↗From the South Asian Trailblazers podcastKeep the
Keep the
conversation going.
On the South Asian Trailblazers podcast, host Simi Shah sits down with South Asian leaders in public service about their paths to office and what representation means in practice.
Past SALUTE speakers
Women who serve.
In June 2024, SALUTE and Indian American Impact hosted “Women Who Serve: South Asian Women Leading the Way,” a nonpartisan virtual conversation with four South Asian women in public service. They shared their paths into local and state government and how South Asian women can get involved in their communities.
