DesiQuest is an actual play web series created by American actual play actress, writer, and streamer Jasmine Bhullar. Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the series features South Asian players and the story, written by Bhullar, is based on South Asian mythology and culture. The series debuted in November 2023 on the EffinFunny YouTube channel.
| DesiQuest | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Jasmine Bhullar |
| Inspired by | Dungeons & Dragons |
| Directed by | Michael Schaubach |
| Starring |
|
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Running time | c. 110–140 minutes |
| Production company | EffinFunny |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube |
| Release | November 14, 2023 – March 26, 2024 |
Premise
editThe game is set in the fictional world of Vehaar. The campaign's cast, mythology, and cultural touchstones are South Asian.[1]
Cast and characters
edit- Anjali Bhimani as Sitara the Druid, a Vollywood film star[1][2]
- Omar Najam as Murkha the Artificer, a talented inventor[1][2]
- Sandeep Parikh as Ashwathama “Ash” Aswinikuma the Cleric[1][2]
- Rekha Shankar as Laddoo Auntie the Barbarian, a sweet and strict auntie[1][2]
- Jasmine Bhullar as the Game Master[1]
Production
editJasmine Bhullar conceptualized the idea for DesiQuest after a conversation with Janina Gavankar about how she had never done an actual play with another Desi person.[3] Bhullar is an Indian American Punjabi Sikh.[3] She is an established gamemaster (GM) and player of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG), best known for GM'ing the actual play web series Dimension 20: Coffin Run (2022) and D&D Beyond's Battle 4 Beyond (2021) as well as appearing as a player in Geek & Sundry's Relics and Rarities (2019) and in Critical Role one-shots.[3] With DesiQuest Bhullar stated, "I hope that it brings...better historical context of South Asia that's kind of missing from the scene right now -- different South Asian armor styles, combat styles, weapons, and even mythological touchstones."[3] Bhullar created the world of Vehaar, and the gameplay is inspired by Dungeons & Dragons with some homebrew elements.[1][4]
The show was co-developed by Sandeep Parikh, who plays Ash in the show.[5] Parikh produced DesiQuest through his company EffinFunny.[4] The two pitched the idea to external platforms but ultimately decided to fundraise on Kickstarter in order to maintain control over the project's content, ownership, and distribution.[4] In 2022, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to develop the show with a cast, mythology, and cultural touchstones from South Asia.[1] The campaign ultimately met the fundraising goal of $150,000.[1]
In June 2026, Bhullar announced her departure from the series.[6]
Release
editCritical reception
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wieland, Rob (2023-11-21). "DesiQuest Brings South Asian Fantasy And Mythology To Actual Play". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Brahmbhatt, Parth (2023-11-15). "Choose Your Player: Meet the Characters of DesiQuest". B-Raja. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- 1 2 3 4 Meszaros, E. L. (2022-09-14). "DesiQuest: Jasmine Bhullar Details the South Asian Actual Play's Origins & Inspirations". CBR. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- 1 2 3 Meszaros, E. L. (2022-09-13). "The Guild's Sandeep Parikh Teases South Asian Elves & Improv in DesiQuest". CBR. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Zambrano, J. R. (2022-09-01). "D&D: Sandeep Parikh And Jasmine Bhullar Talk DesiQuest". Bell of Lost Souls. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Bhullar, Jasmine (June 9, 2026). "Goodbye, DesiQuest. It's been real". ThatBronzeGirl. Archived from the original on June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026 – via Patreon.
- ↑ Wong, Wailin (2024-03-01). "What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, listening and reading". NPR. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
- ↑ Friedman, Em (2024-01-23). "The best actual play of 2023 includes Dimension 20, DesiQuest, and more". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-04-14.