Audible’s "Desi Down Under" Unites Cultures with a Dual-Language Release
“Desi Down Under is a unique cross-cultural audio collaboration, and the first time we have produced a show in this way,” reports Karen Appathurai Wiggins, Head of Content, APAC. The content teams for India and Australia worked together to create the Audible Original, which launched in June, for listeners in both countries. Starring Prajakta Koli, Adarsh Gourav, and Taaruk Raina, the coming-of-age romance/adventure series follows three hopeful twentysomethings as they chase their dreams from a small town in Mangalore, India, to beautiful Coogee Beach in Australia.
The genesis of this groundbreaking production happened in Audible’s Singapore offices, when the team there commissioned the nine-episode series from acclaimed Indian-born Australian screenwriter, Mithila Gupta. Gupta is well known for, among other things, having introduced the first Indian family on the long-running Australian television series Neighbours, in 2010.
With Desi Down Under, Gupta similarly wanted to challenge media representations of Indian-born Australians (who, according to the 2021 Australian Census, comprise about 800,000 people) by depicting characters with nuanced, distinct identities. The story begins with Devan (Gourav), his best friend Meenu (Koli), and Meenu’s twin brother Rahul (Raina) arriving in Sydney to learn life-saving surf skills, and along the way, they overcome a slew of obstacles to find new levels of freedom, inspiration, and support for who they truly are.
“I wanted to use comedy to tell a story that affirms that Aussie and Indian cultures actually have more in common than what sets them apart,” Gupta explains, such as “a robust sense of humor.” In addition to being inclusive of both cultures and challenging stereotypes, Desi Down Under champions LGBTQIA+ identities, as Rahul experiences newfound freedom in Australia’s queer community with the full support of his companions.
I wanted to use comedy to tell a story that affirms that Aussie and Indian cultures actually have more in common than what sets them apart.
Everything about Desi Down Under—from the writing to casting to production and release—needed to resonate with both audiences. Amanda Mooney, an associate director of original content for Audible’s audience in India, explains, “We didn’t look at this as an English script to be later simply translated into Hindi.” Instead, both the Indian and Australian content teams provided feedback on the script and production, helping to shape the story for listeners in both countries. Her team worked closely with noted Indian director Mantra and his production company, MNM Talkies, to cast the series and produce both Hindi and English versions, including coordinating with talent across Australia and India, and even creating an original Bollywood-style theme song.
MNM Talkies used binaural recording equipment to capture ambient sounds from Bondi and Coogee beaches, as well as Sydney hotspot Oxford Street and a local cricket game. They then mixed the audio in Dolby Atmos spatial audio for an immersive, cinematic listening experience. Mooney says the result “makes the listener feel as if they are on this life-changing journey with our protagonists as they chase their dreams and live out loud.”
Content needs to be reflective of the world we live in. We really want to hear a range of voices in our shows; from scriptwriters to directors to the voice talent on the mic.
Desi Down Under has already made a splash, thanks in part to the series’ talent. Gourav is the breakout star of The White Tiger on Netflix (which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor) and stars in the hit Amazon Prime series Hostel Daze. Koli and Raina starred together in the Netflix series Mismatched, and fans can hear Koli in Audible’s Hindi edition of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Hawkeye. “Prajakta Koli is one of the most popular digital creators and performers in India, and she speaks proudly of her work with us,” Mooney reports.
The series is an example of Audible’s investment in expanding diverse and inclusive storytelling at the local level and creating content that resonates across different cultures, countries, and languages. “Content needs to be reflective of the world we live in,” Appathurai Wiggins says. “We really want to hear a range of voices in our shows; from scriptwriters to directors to the voice talent on the mic.”
“Desi Down Under is only the start of all the incredible stories we’ve got coming from Asian creators,” she continues, adding that Audible is looking forward to “creating more content that breaks cultural barriers and connects our global community of listeners.”
