‘Neha And Neel’ Is A Joyous Journey Between Cultures And Generations

Photos: M Palma Photography

By Fatema Baldiwala

LOS ANGELES, CA – In ‘Neha & Neel’, playwright Ankita Raturi takes audiences on a heartfelt road trip that travels across both geography and identity. Co-produced by the Latino Theater Company and Artists at Play, this bilingual comedy is rich with humor, tenderness, and the poignant ache of belonging. Under the thoughtful direction of Lily Tung Crystal, the play beautifully captures a mother and son suspended between cultures, languages, and generations—revealing the quiet grace of living in the in-between.

Neha, portrayed by the luminous Pia Shah, is an Indian immigrant and single mother. Her American-born teenage son Neel, played by Achintya Pandey, seems increasingly disconnected from his cultural roots. What begins as a simple college tour soon becomes a personal odyssey. Neha hopes to reignite her son’s sense of heritage by steering their journey toward an unexpected destination—the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Museum. For her, the diamond, mined in India and carried through centuries of theft and colonial plunder, becomes a gleaming symbol of resilience and displacement.

Neel, however, has little patience for his mother’s sentimental detours. He’s focused on campus tours, not colonial history. Yet Raturi’s writing ensures both voices are heard with compassion. The dialogue sparkles with warmth and wit, balancing frustration and affection. Even the play’s bilingual title—’नेहा & Neel’—embodies the duality of their lives and the emotional push-and-pull between two worlds.

‘I’m neither of them and I’m both of them,’ says Raturi, reflecting on which character she identifies with most. In that statement lies the heart of ‘Neha & Neel’—a meditation on the immigrant experience and the constant negotiation between belonging and becoming.

The play’s humor and rhythm are elevated by the magnetic Parvesh Cheena, who seamlessly transforms into 19 different characters—from a perky college guide to a gruff motel clerk to a booming GPS voice. His shape-shifting brilliance provides both levity and texture, embodying the chorus of strangers, helpers, and echoes that shape every immigrant journey. Cheena’s performance underscores one of the play’s most resonant themes: the art of adaptation and the ability to be many things at once.

Director Lily Tung Crystal, herself a first-generation Asian American, brings sensitivity and nuance to every scene. The pacing is brisk yet deeply emotional, threading moments of comedy with quiet reflection. Scenic designer Leah Ramillano, lighting designer Szu-Yun Wang, and sound designer E.E. Bradman craft a landscape that shifts seamlessly—from the dashboard of a car to the marble halls of Washington, D.C.—mirroring the fluidity of identity and memory.

What makes ‘Neha & Neel’ truly shine is its tone: joyful, relatable, and profoundly human. It tackles themes of immigration, colonialism, and cultural inheritance without heaviness. Instead, it glows with hope—the belief that love bridges generations and that identity, like the Hope Diamond, refracts light in many directions.

For South Asian audiences, the play feels like a mirror—funny, familiar, and tender—echoing those family road trips filled with snacks, stories, and the quiet wish to stay connected.

It’s a radiant reminder that sometimes, the road to understanding begins with a mother’s story, a diamond’s history, and a shared journey toward belonging.

‘Neha & Neel’ runs at The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, from October 18 through November 16. Tickets range from $10 to $48.