I don't know if you'll have a chance to watch Deli Boys on Hulu, but creator Abdullah Saeed's new crime comedy series debuted on the streamer on March 6, worth visiting ABC Deli. The show focuses on two varied Pakistani-American brothers who unconsciously inherited the family's Real Business after my father's death. The DAR brothers grew up in luxury because of their father's business, but were unaware that he was secretly running the cocaine empire.
Asif Ali plays younger brother Mir and Saagar Shaikh is Raj, a carefree, unassuming big brother who loves marijuana and non-mainstream spiritual practices very much. Poorna Jagannathan (never known before) starred with Ali and Shaikh, who affectionately called Auntie as a longtime family friend. Lucky is mastered on the company's board, smuggling, handling guns and searching for her nephew, but she assumes the role of a gang mentor for the main role. These deli boys are constantly stunned, confused, and learn how to take care of everything – and themselves.
Before the show’s premiere (after a rave), I chatted with Shaikh, Ali and Jagannathan about their characters, South Asian culture and how it feels to make the series. Below is a transcript of our conversation, for the sake of clarity.
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Q: Mir is a nerd, seeking approval, risk-averse role until his survival instincts start and helps open up his clever powers. What was it like to play this role, and what annoying or cute thing about Mir did you find?
Alibaba: I found a lot of him annoying in the right way. I remember we had accessories for the closet and I went, “All of these outfits needed to make me angry.” They did, indeed, did. I mean, I wore this incredible suit besides some dream sequences and stuff. Then, at the end, the character incorporates his own character and starts wearing a little less C-kit type, technical type stuff.
However, a lot of things are annoying, but good. It's the fun of playing a character. I want to play someone who is very anxious and worried because I think there are a lot of comedy in it. What I'm going to say is the idea of growing up as an immigrant kid and worrying about money – even though I'm not as worried about money as my character – this kind of thing – I kind of understand, like, “What should we do? What won't we do? We don't have money – we have money!” I don't think it's a unique feeling for people, but I'm connected with it. But the cute part is the character, I think your character [gestures to Shaikh]the same is true; they still care about the family, they still value the core of the show and its relationship. So, it really makes me like the characters.
Asif Ali as the right Mir Dar, Saagar Shaikh is most carefree Raj.
When asked about Raj as this brother, he was a little free and unrestrained. He is a good addition to Mill. Can you talk about this weed-loving, chakra-centric trader and your hopes for Raj Season 2, if you renew it, you can get the character?
Sheikh: Raj is so relaxed and so carefree that I gave up on the issue. It just forces me as a human being to realize that it is not that important. Just calm down. Time will heal everything. Time continues to move. Tomorrow is another day, so that's what I give Raj's mindset – just to forget the problem for lightness. When you can smoke marijuana, there is no problem.
For season 2, I wish he was darker, tougher and more annoying. Just become a nasty girl! Mir is the one who handles the drug part of the business and I hope Raj will be the one who handles the execution side of the business, like his position [Raj] Become a killer of the company.
ask: For that lucky aunt character, you have a lot of stunts, action and hands-on violence, which is so different from some of your other characters, including Devi's mom. What you find most attractive about this character is the entire character of Lucky and Deli Boys?
Jagannathan: When I first read this script, it was just so dark, ridiculous, body comedy, and it was a tone that I generally really, really attracted to. But this character – I have never seen a South Asian woman portrayed on screen. And she was really shocking, like she needed to keep the family together, but she also needed to keep the cocaine business together. So this nervous juxtaposition is so fun for me that she will do anything for the boy, but she also needs to keep abreast of it. [drug] Ring, everything is out of control. The fact that these two boys can’t be fools doesn’t help at all.
Asif Ali plays Mir and Poorna Jagannathan as the gangster aunty of Deli Boys Lucky.
Q: Speaking of ferocity, I must admit the fashion sense of Lucky Aunt. This is very elite. I think each character's style says something to them – Reggie is sure, too. But do you think the lucky style is designed to convey a message about who she is?
Yes! Cailey Breneman is a costume designer – her reference on the wall is these 70s Bollywood actresses with big hair and big eyes: Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman. She has all these 90s supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista – that's her mood board. She just saw the lucky woman, who was wearing too much shoulder padding! She likes to be feminine, but she knows she is in a masculine world and she just wears her armor. It's an aesthetic for a mob wife, just that she's a mob and not a part of her wife. Her eyeshadow always matches her nails and always matches her schoolbag. Luckily the top. Her actions and comedy are super physical. Because her costume is a bit big, I was able to make her big in both comedy and body comedy, which is fun.
Play every episode of Deli Boys Season 1 on Hulu and see other suggestions for CNET to watch on Hulu, Netflix and Max.
