Kavi Sharma: An American Girl

Promotional release poster

***Kavi Sharma: An American Girl*** is a 2026 American family-musical comedy film directed by Mira Nair, and written by Nair, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Derek Connolly. Produced by Cartoon Network Studios, Mattel Films, and 21 Laps Entertainment, the film is based on the *Kavi Sharma* stories by Varsha Bajaj. The film stars Avantika Vandanapu as Kavi Sharma and also features the supporting ensemble cast of Padma Lakshmi, Kal Penn, Yagya Bhasin, Sakina Jaffrey, Erin Gerasimovich, Prapti Shukla, and Aidan Kumar Singh. The film focuses on the American Girl character Kavi Sharma who lives in Metuchen, New Jersey where she’s got a show tune in her heart and Broadway in her sights.

The sixteenth film in the *American Girl* franchise, *Kavi Sharma: An American Girl* was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as an original film for a limited theatrical release. The film was announced in August 2024 after the successful performances of *Barbie* and *American Girl: Corinne Tan*.

*Kavi Sharma: An American Girl* was released on May 15, 2026, to praise for the cast's performances, Nair's direction, sense of nostalgia, screenplay, music, and message.

## Premise

The film follows 11-going-on-12-year-old Indian girl Kavi, who is living in Metuchen, New Jersey--which is close to New York City and thus Broadway with her younger brother Rishi, mom Neena, dad Dev and paternal grandmother Dadima. She enjoys songwriting, showtunes, dance (both hip-hop and traditional Indian dance), and performing. After her twelfth birthday, where she attends a Broadway performance of *Wicked*, she is inspired to take up performing.

## Cast

* Avantika Vandanapu as Kavi Sharma, a young Indian girl from a multigenerational family, who discovers her true talent upon seeing a Broadway musical.
* Padma Lakshmi as Neena Sharma, Kavi's mother.
* Kal Penn as Dev Sharma, Kavi's father.
* Yagya Bhasin as Rishi Sharma, Kavi's younger brother.
* Sakina Jaffrey as Dadima, Kavi's paternal grandmother.
* Erin Gerasimovich as Sophie Chandler, one of Kavi's best friends.
* Prapti Shukla as Pari Nath, one of Kavi's best friends.
* Aidan Kumar Singh as Jake, a boy in Kavi's math class who shares his learning struggles with her, and Kavi's love interest.
* Rachelle Lefevre as Miss Clarke, the school choir director who assists in the spring production of Annie.
* Chandu Kanuri as Ali, a boy who performs a juggling act in the school revue.
* Daniela Akerblom as Ms. González, Kavi and Jake's school counselor.

## Production

### Development

Development on a film based on American Girl’s 2023 Girl of the Year, Kavi Sharma, began in August 2024, when it was announced that Mattel had signed a partnership to develop the project with Warner Bros. Pictures and Cartoon Network Studios, and with Mira Nair hired to direct and Shawn Levy producing through the 21 Laps Entertainment banner. They expected it to be a feature film, rather than a Cartoon Network Original Movie.

### Casting

By September 2024, Avantika Vandanapu was cast to star in the film. Padma Lakshmi, Kal Penn, Yagya Bhasin, Sakina Jaffrey, Erin Gerasimovich, Prapti Shukla, and Aidan Kumar Singh joined the cast in October. Rachelle Lefevre, Chandu Kanuri, and Daniela Akerblom were confirmed to be joining the cast.

### Filming

Production for *Kavi Sharma: An American Girl* took place in Montreal and Lachute, Quebec. Filming began on October 7, 2024. Additional filming took place in Metuchen, New Jersey, in February 2025. Scenes were also filmed in New York City. Reshoots took place in Lachute, from August 6 to 13, 2025.

### Visual effects

The visual effects were handled by Framestore and DNEG.

### Music

For the recording of the score, composers Jongnic Bontemps and Raashi Kulkarni returned to Power Station at BerkleeNYC in the autumn of 2025, where *World's Best'*s soundtrack had previously been recorded.

The soundtrack album, containing a total of 23 pieces of music, was released as a download by WaterTower Music on May 15, 2026.

## Marketing

The first trailer was released on October 7, 2025. It was met with positive responses by fans, and received more than 79,000 likes on YouTube in the first three days of release.

## Release

*Kavi Sharma: An American Girl* premiered on May 15, 2026 in select theaters.

## Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics and fans. *Billboard* called it a "highly anticipated feature," while *Ready Steady Cut* praised the film as a "a nostalgic and amusing watch, enjoyable for fans of the American Girl toyline and franchise." *Decider* recommended streaming the film and wrote in a positive review: "*Kavi Sharma: An American Girl* is a predictable adaptation and the plot kinda goes exactly where you think it will. That being said, it’s an enjoyable ride that reflects who this character might be in live-action, and the jokes and writing feel funny and current."

*People* called Vandanapu's role as Kavi Sharma as "iconic." On review aggregator *Rotten Tomatoes*, it reported an approval rating of 75% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 6.2/10.

## Gallery

*Main article: Kavi Sharma: An American Girl/Gallery*
## Trivia

* The film was shot in 61 days, with two added later for reshoots.
* As of June 2026, the critics score for the film is 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, making this the 9th highest rated Cartoon Network live-action film.

## Transcripts

### Main Transcript

*Main article: Kavi Sharma: An American Girl/Transcript*
### Trailer transcripts

*Main article: Kavi Sharma: An American Girl/Trailer transcripts*
## Credits

*Main article: Kavi Sharma: An American Girl/Credits*