Instagram story viewer> @uppekha> Posts

Uppekha C Jain

@uppekha

38.1K

followers

1541

following

Soft power. Cultural pride. Global voice.
Actor • Producer • Host
Co-Founder @goddessonthegrind Productions
Womanhood, identity, power, representation

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I’ve been thinking about this a lot…
Why does joy feel so hard for so many of us?

Because growing up Desi - Joy was never the priority.
Being “good” was. We were also taught that happiness always comes after responsibility. After achievement. After everyone else was taken care of.

So for many Desi women, joy feels… unfamiliar.
Not because we don’t deserve it — but because we were never taught how to hold it without guilt.

So now, even when life gives us something beautiful…
there’s this quiet voice asking,
“Have you earned this?”

So when life finally softens… we don’t know how to.

Joy shouldn’t feel like something we have to justify.

Yet here we are.

The reframe: Joy is natural, it's meant to be the vibe and the basis of all the greatest decisions!

Added bonus - joy is the state where manifestation is the easiest.

Be honest - does joy feel natural to you?

Creative Producer & Stylist @rashistyles
Lensman: @elementsite
MUAH: @kanikabshukla taken in Toronto, Ontario by @uppekha

2k

102

5 months ago

Part I of: I used to be told I was “overdressed.”

Too colourful
Too put-together.
Too much.

And here’s what I’ve come to understand:

When you take care in how you present yourself,
people don’t just see how you look…
they read it as how you operate.

Detail. Discipline. Standards.

Because subconsciously, we all make the same connection:
If she takes care of herself like that…
she can take care of other things too.

Opportunities. Rooms. Responsibility.

Presentation isn’t superficial.
It’s a signal.

Presentation = capacity.

Stay tuned to this space for PART II of "Overdressed"

Stylist & Creative Producer: @rashistyles
MUAH: @kanikabshukla
Video/Photography: @true_colorstudio
BTS Content: @everafteredit_
Studio: @thesonderroom

#inspiration #representationmatters #uppekha taken in Toronto, Ontario by @uppekha

246

54

6 months ago

What a fabulous photobooth @thelitgala Celebrating Diwali and feeling all the festive feels in this gorgeous outfit by @sneha_milan_couture
Hair and 💄 makeup by the uber-talented @seherstudio

Shot by the iconic @georgepimentel1 by @uppekha

348

59

2 years ago

Some rooms feel like a homecoming even when they aren't your first home.

Standing beside my husband @rahim.allani at the Lapis Ball, in a museum built by his community's vision, I watched art do what it does best: make strangers into neighbours.

Pluralism isn't a theory in that room. It's the seating chart. 💙

@agakhanmuseum m #lapisball

Behind me is the beautiful miniature interactive art display by artist @javid_jah

The spice counter was a special treat - complete with a recipe card with how to utilize all the spices in yummy dishes !

@javid_jah Signing the blocks each invitee was encouraged to take away with them - only to reveal a miniature version of the beautiful art installation in the second last slide! taken in Aga Khan Museum by @uppekha

208

36

a day ago

Kahaani Cafe: Table no.7 is SOLD OUT!
A BIG Thank you to everyone who reserved their seat at Living Arts Centre. ArtsyCulture Society & Kahaani Cafe team has put many months of rehearsals to bring this production to life. We have put so much heart into this and we promise it will be a night to remember, so sit back, relax and let the stories unfold.
We are so excited to see you all on October 10, 2026 @ Living Arts Centre!
#kahaanicafetable7 #artsyculturesociety #livingartscentre #musicaltheatre #mississauga taken in Living Arts Centre by @uppekha

57

3

2 days ago

The glow-up nobody talks about: no longer needing anyone to clap. 👏

Is this ironic coming from someone who's done pageants, 150 commercials and prime-time TV? Deeply. I'm aware.

But that's exactly why I say what I say.

For years, I measured every room by how it received me.
Did the director like it?
Did the audience laugh on cue?
Did they think I was enough?

Then, somewhere between reinventions I had a moment of realization that felt like a boulder was being lifted off of my shoulders..

Praise and criticism are like the weather. I still notice it.
I just don't cancel my plans for it anymore.

Now I walk with a smile because I feel good - not so others notice.

It's so much lighter over here. ✨

Jewellery: @raazibyrabia
Styled By: @rasshi.bindrra
Hair: @cheveux_de_raul
Edit: @everafteredit_ by @uppekha

70

23

4 days ago

A Parisien afternoon was had at Cafe Mademoiselle inspired by the new @chanel.beauty fragrance COCO MADEMOISELLE CRUSH ABSOLU

📍Cafe : @dineencoffeeco
🥐Pastries: @marvelousbyfredtoronto (absolutely 😋) by @uppekha

93

15

4 days ago

A rock n roll theme for a Bash!?! Sign me up and let the good times roll! 🎸🥁

The people make the party - had such a fun night with all of these beautiful faces!!

$1.6 million raised for @agotoronto + experienced some breathtaking exhibits!

Congrats @jackthepublicist on executing a rockin' night!

Gown: @adamxatelier
Styled By: @rasshi.bindrra taken in AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario by @uppekha

142

26

5 days ago

He was supposed to follow his parents' path. Instead he found scissors, craft, and his own calling.

@cheveux_de_raul understood the assignment — on my hair, and in his own life.

Turns out the people who choose themselves always end up in the same room. ✨

Same with the lovely @ggrafix360 -- foregoing her own path after moving to Canada 2 years ago!

Love these stories of reinvention and zest!! by @uppekha

66

32

8 days ago

I had the honour of hosting the Lincoln Y Media Awards - a room full of the people quietly building empires across our South Asian business community.

The moment that stayed with me: actor-producer @sungkangsta --yes, Han from Fast & Furious - accepting his award for excellence in acting and directing, and reminding the room that the Asian diaspora is putting itself on the map globally.

Not by climbing over one another, but by reaching back and lifting each other as we rise.

Grateful to @jaswalyudhvir and the entire @ymedia.group for the vision behind a night like this.

More of us, in more rooms, lifting as we go. 🤍

Dressed by @rasshi.bindrra
Designer: @theilaverse
Content: @everafteredit_ by @uppekha

34

10

9 days ago

Can’t believe summer officially ends tomorrow, but I couldn’t let the season go without showing off this super cute summer fit my friend @uppekha wore to the @cfccreates BBQ for @tiff_net last week ☀️

Bright, playful and a little flirty. Everything a summer fit should be 😉

Styled by the talented @rasshi.bindrra 💖✨ taken in Toronto, Ontario by @uppekha

123

24

10 days ago

When you find out @itsnatemitchell and @nadeemtheactor are fellow Mississauga kids and we ALMOST went to the same highschool 😉🫢 thank you for the laughs and insightful convos. We'll have to do better next time on the pictures ;-)

Thank you to @discoverhongkong for the invite and the good times!

Earrings: @raazibyrabia
Dress: @allsaints
Styled by: @rasshi.bindrra taken in Downtown Toronto by @uppekha

138

23

10 days ago