A new film and television production company that was officially launched at the Toronto International Film Festival boasts a strong Mississauga connection.
Uppekha Jain is the founder, along with fellow producer Nadia Bonner, of the film and TV company Goddess on the Grind — a self-described South Asian female-led production.
Jain’s entertainment journey has taken her from Bollywood to being featured in the upcoming season of Trailer Park Boys, but along the way she always came back to her Mississauga roots.
“All throughout my 10 years in Mumbai, I would always come back home and enjoy summers in Mississauga,” Jain told MPulse.
“Loads of memories tied to hanging out in Streetsville, Square One, Erin Mills Town Centre and all the hot spots of the time. I was a Mississauga teen through and through.”
Jain, who grew up in Streetsville, attended both Gordon Graydon Memorial and The Woodlands School.
At a recent evening in downtown Toronto, Uppekha Jain and Nadia Bonner announced their new company along with their first flagship series, which they describe as “a bold, half-hour dramedy merging South Asian luxury, political satire, and WNBA culture in a never-before-seen television world.” Their show will feature WNBA athletes Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance.
“From the hardwood to high society, this is a power play on and off the court,” says writer and co-creator Bonner. “We’re centring on women, diaspora voices, and comedy that’s unafraid to take on politics, patriarchy, and power.”
Jain adds “this isn’t just a comedy – it’s a cultural reset. South Asian luxury, satire, politics and sports – this blend has never been seen on television before. And it’s long overdue.”
While TIFF 2025 provided the backdrop to launch the production company, Goddess on the Grind will commence preproduction on the project soon and looks forward to a rollout at next year’s festival.
