In 2008, the world went a little Mumbai mad, becoming obsessed with all things Indian, thanks to the little film that could, Oscar–winner Slum Dog Millionaire. The film had its New York-premiere at last year’s Mahindra Indo–American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival, and though the excitement over all things Bollywood has begun to fade, that doesn’t mean Southern Asia’s cultural offerings are tapped. This year’s ninth annual fest screens another round of short– and feature–length documentaries and narratives featuring South Asians, or themes from the Diaspora, paired with lectures and panel discussions.

Festival highlights include an opening night gala, boasting the New York–premiere of comedy, Today’s Special. Directed by David Kaplan, the food centric film was co–written by and stars Aasif Mandvi—The Daily Show’s hilarious, senior Middle East correspondent—as Samir, an aimless sous–chef forced to tend his ailing father’s failing Jackson Heights restaurant, Tandoori Palace, despite the fact that he doesn’t know how to cook Indian food. Enter Akbar (played by Naseeruddin Shah), a wacky taxi driver and former Mumbai chef, claiming to have cooked for India’s elite, whose unconventional methods make the drama easier to swallow, serving as the flavor savior to both the restaurant and Samir.

The festival reveals the struggles of girls with world premiere short-film double-feature of heartening documentary Soma Girls, about the inspiring hopes of the six- to seventeen-year old daughters of Kolkata’s sex–workers, living together in a safe–house called Soma Home, directed by Nandini Sikand and Alexia Pritchard; screened with Sweta Vohra’s Sixteen Blades of Grass, referring to the documentary’s sixteen 10th-grade girls in a rural Indian town, awaiting board exams that will determine their future.

Award-winning Indian director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala) discusses her approach to short subject filmmaking at festival screenings of her first film, documentary So Far From India (1982), and 1988 Oscar-nominee Salaam Bombay!

On November 13, tennis celeb Vijay Amritraj presents the New York-premiere of writer/director Santosh Sivan’s 2008 internationally-acclaimed drama Tahaan as the festival centerpiece, at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in lower Manhattan. In Hindi with English subtitles, Tahaan, set in militant Kashmir, tells the tale of a determined young boy on a grenade-guided quest to regain his beloved donkey taken by the local moneylender. Indian daily The Hindu christened the film a “visual poem.”

Be ahead of the masses, and discover this year’s shining star amongst any one of the gems on display at the MIAAC film fest. And despite the range of spicy subcultures and diverse dialects on screen, you’re bound to laugh, cry or learn something without getting lost in translation.

Runs November 11–15 at various locations: Paris Theatre; Quad Cinemas; Cantor Film Canter NYU; Walter Reade Theater, The Film Society of Lincoln Center; Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. More information at www.miaacfilmfest.org.