Logline
"Meet the Singhilas #brampton" is a family sitcom about an Indian family descended from the King of Kapurthala who was divested of his kingdom in Panjab upon India's independence in 1947 and thereafter died of embarrassment. Dismayed the King’s only daughter, Indira Singhila, moved her family and her father’s remaining assets to Canada. The pilot takes place on the day of the 2016 election in the US when Indira, the now 80-year-old matriarch of the Singhila showboat, reminded so much of her beloved papa by Trump, has a replica of the Kapurthala throne delivered to the Singhila home in Brampton and anoints herself Queen of the Manor – though what this means is anyone's guess.
November 2nd, 2016, Brampton, Ontario. Singhila matriarch, Indira, 80, eats popcorn on the couch with the family dog, Laude, and watches news coverage of the American election. Indira announces to Rohini, her daughter-in-law, 58, that she and Laude are celebrating Trump’s impending win as the coming of an American king who will dissolve NAFTA and institutional democracy and in its place establish a pan-American kingdom ruled by him. It is Indira’s belief, that people, like dogs, can only be happy only when they have masters. Rohini vociferously disagrees to the point of fainting. Their conversation is interrupted with the arrival of Rohini’s son, Prashant, 26, who concurs with Indira and asserts that he’s only ever happy when acting like a dog which he has done quite a few times. Indira commends him on being a “lady-killer.” Appalled, Rohini departs for her altar to Ganesh and prays for a Clinton win which the good lord has mixed feelings about. In the kitchen Prashant tells Preeti, 26, his twin sister, that he’s joined a men’s group and it was recently decided at a meeting that Preeti is, indeed, a man. Preeti dismisses Prashant as ”not a serious person.” Rohit, 60, Preeti and Prashant’s father, walks in and suggests eating tv dinners and watching the election returns. Preeti declines because she already has plans to attend a SOBDL event: the Society for Beer Drinking Ladies to which Prashant obviously is disinvited. Later that evening Preeti walks through a packed bar and runs into Sig, 30, who sits in a booth beta-testing seat-saving mannequins. Sig deflates one of them to make place for Preeti to sit down. While Sig and Preeti catch up over a pitcher of beer, the “man alert” alarm is sounded. Preeti makes her way to the bar and discovers Prashant dressed in her favorite sari and wearing fake eyelashes. He is strung up by his ankles like salted pork. Prashant outs Preeti as a man to the crowd, though, no one believes him since Preeti under duress finally admits that she listens to Justin Bieber on the DL. Prashant is unceremoniously thrown out of the bar. Back at the house Preeti, Rohini, Indira and Rohit drink beer while watching CBC election coverage. Prashant wears a pith helmet and sips a dirty martini. A delivery arrives for Indira Singhila: a replica of her father’s throne which Indira had fabricated. Though Rohini strenuously objects, Indira has the royal chair installed in the living room where she anoints herself Queen of the Manor though what this means no one is quite sure. Queen Indira’s first edict is that the family recognize her absolute authority over them. They all refuse except Prashant who wants a new car. Indira commends him on his pragmatic cozying up to power. A moment later a CBC anchor announces Trump’s win to Canada and the world.