Sayani Gupta, known internationally for Delhi Crime and Article 15, will make her US feature film debut in Neil Tuli’s independent drama Arya. Gupta takes on the lead role of Arya Sinha, a dedicated piano teacher from a respected Indian conservatory who travels to northern Minnesota to help revive a struggling school band program.
The film marks Tuli's feature directorial debut. His previous credits include the 2012 film Ted and the 2024 cricket-focused project Birdie Cricket. Arya is being produced through Tuli's American Haathi banner, alongside Pallavi Sastry and Keertana Sastry of Adda G Productions. Gupta also serves as an executive producer on the project.
Gupta made her screen debut in Shonali Bose's Margarita With a Straw, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. That same year, she appeared in Parched, while The Hungry premiered at TIFF in 2017.
Her performance in Article 15, the hard-hitting Hindi crime drama, earned her a nomination at the International Indian Film Academy Awards.
The actress was also seen in the Netflix crime series Delhi Crime, which gained an international audience and became one of India's best-known streaming dramas. Her latest project, Arya, moves her into a distinctly American setting while retaining a story centered on identity, ambition and cultural adjustment. The film's Minnesota backdrop is central to that journey. R
ather than presenting success as a straightforward professional achievement, Arya explores what happens when a highly driven person is placed in circumstances beyond her control. Principal photography for Arya is currently underway in Minnesota.
Mallika Sherawat and Sacha Gervasi attend The BAFTA Tea presented by Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic & sponsored by Bentley Beverly Hills, The Four Seasons, Don Julio, Heineken, Maison Perrier, and Threads at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Bollywood star Aamir Khan (L) and Preity Zinta (R) speak to reporters in front of a portrait of Aamir Khan at a press conference in Calcutta 12 August 2001. The stars was speaking about their newly released big budget Hindi movie "Dil Chahta Hai" (My Heart's Wish). Getty Images