Senain Kheshgi is a

Pakistani-American Pakistani Americans ( ur, ) are Americans who originate from Pakistan. The term may also refer to people who also hold a dual Pakistani and U.S. citizenship. Educational attainment level and household income are much higher in the Pakistani-Am ...

film director, writer and producer. She is best known for her documentary films, ''Project Kashmir'' and ''The Diplomat.''

Early life

Kheshgi was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Both her parents were born in India but moved to Pakistan after the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

. Her father, Aman Khan Kheshgi was the first TV game show host on Pakistan Television. He hosted the popular quiz show ZEENA BA ZEENA. Her family emigrated to New York in the late 1960s. In 1971, Senain was cast on the Children’s Television Workshop's groundbreaking show

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) an ...

. She was the first South Asian American to be cast as a ‘Regular’ on American television. She was on the show from 1971 to 1977.

Documentary film

Early in her career Kheshgi worked as a co-producer of the Peabody-winning film, "The First Year", directed by

Davis Guggenheim Philip Davis Guggenheim (born November 3, 1963) is an American writer, director and producer. His credits include ''NYPD Blue'', '' ER'', '' 24'', '' Alias'', ''The Shield'', '' Deadwood'', and the documentaries '' An Inconvenient Truth'', ''I ...

. She then went on to produce and directing her own films. Kheshgi co-directed the feature documentary '' Project Kashmir'' along with Geeta V. Patel. The film takes place in the beautiful, but embattled Kashmir. Kheshgi and Patel navigate the dangers and complexity of a country divided. Kheshgi then co-directed ''The Diplomat'' about the East German Olympic ice skater Katarina Witt with Jennifer Arnold for

ESPN Films ESPN Films, formerly known as ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE), is an American production company which produces and distributes sports films and documentaries. It is owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which o ...

. It is a window into Witt's life, who as one of the world's greatest ice skaters, still could not break free from Communist East Germany.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kheshgi, Senain Pakistani emigrants to the United States Pakistani documentary filmmakers Peabody Award winners Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Muhajir people