Hollywood Calling

When New York City grinded to a halt in March 2020, in the wake of the pandemic, actor Aasif Mandvi and his wife, Shaifali Puri, a visiting scholar at New York University, were celebrating the birth of their son.

“Ishan was born on March 14, three days before New York City went into lockdown,” Mandvi says. “On a positive note, my wife and I were able to spend a lot of time with him, but it was hard not having his grandparents and extended family here.”

For Mandvi, who married Puri four years ago after meeting through a mutual friend, becoming a father for the first time at 54 has been a life-changing experience. “I think I’m a better parent now than I would have been at 30,” he says. “I don’t feel the need to go out to clubs anymore, and being an older father makes me appreciate all the moments I have with my son even more.”

Mandvi acknowledges that his journey to fatherhood is very different than the path his own father took. “My dad was 25 years old when I was born and had just moved from Mumbai, India to Bradford in West Yorkshire, England,” he says. “As an immigrant, my father, Hakim, worked long hours running a corner shop and we didn’t get to enjoy family dinners very often. Shaifali and I try to have dinner together whenever possible.”

Fortunately for Mandvi, who lives in Manhattan, the supernatural thriller, “Evil,” is filmed in Brooklyn. For the past two years, he’s played the role of Ben Shakir, a technical expert on a team of demon hunters. The show looks at the origins of evil along the dividing line of science and religion.

Mandvi praises the show’s excellent writing and says the second season features “ridiculously amazing special effects.” He also admits that portraying Shakir, a scientist and purist, is a fun role to play, in part because it’s so different from his own personality. “Ben likes to fix things and I’m not handy around the house,” Mandvi admits with a laugh. “When my wife asks me to fix something, I’ll often think, ‘What would Ben do right now?’ to give me inspiration.”

Although many people think of Mandvi in terms of his comedic work, his resume also includes many notable dramatic roles in television, movies and theater. “I get asked a lot if doing dramatic roles, such as my current role in “Evil,” is a departure for me,” he says. “The reality is I’ve done a lot of dramatic work and have even done comedy and drama simultaneously.”

His comedic repertoire includes serving as a contributing correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and appearing in television comedies including “Us & Them” and “The Brink” and movies such as “Ghost Town,” “The Proposal,” and “The Internship.”

In addition to acting, Mandvi is a skilled storyteller who authored “No Land’s Man,” a collection of essays about his countless identities: Indian, Muslim, British and American. He also has the unique ability to use humor to shine a light on important causes. In an interview with The New York Times, Mandvi said he strives to provide positive representation for American Muslims while also challenging stereotypes.

“First of all, I want audiences to be entertained and to laugh,” Mandvi told The New York Times. “And then maybe people will think about the absurdity of fear and prejudice and think, ‘Oh that’s interesting, I never thought of it that way.’” 

In 2015, Mandvi premiered the web series, “Halal in the Family,” a parody of traditional family sitcoms featuring an American Muslim family that uses humor to bring attention to issues of anti-Muslim bias. The award-winning show has now been turned into an animated television series for PBS.

“The best comedy is driven by frustration and anger,” says Mandvi. He admits he uses his humor to combat political issues such as the Muslim travel ban, and to address the misinformation and preconceived notions people have about Muslims.

In 2017, Mandvi and his wife came up with the idea to organize a cast of actors and comedians for an event called the “All-Star Deportation Jamboree,” as a fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Serving as host for the New York event, Mandvi noted on his Instagram account that “as an immigrant and a child of immigrants, I want to raise as much money and as many voices as possible for the ACLU and IRC as they fight for the rights of immigrants and refugees.”

Growing up in Florida

When Mandvi was 16, his family moved to Tampa where he attended Chamberlain High School and later, the University of South Florida as a theatre major. He still has family and friends in the area and tries to visit whenever his schedule allows.

In his book, Mandvi recalls the excitement of learning his family was moving to Florida. “Just as in the Hollywood movies I had grown up with, my life would be underscored by the gentle harmonies of surf rock, my girlfriend would look like Miss Teen USA and my best friend would be a dolphin. I couldn’t wait to leave,” he writes. “We ultimately settled in Tampa since my father, while on his reconnaissance mission, had reconnected with an old college roommate who swayed him away from West Palm Beach and convinced him that Tampa was the next great American city. Consequently, my American adventure began not on the beach, but in the suburbs.”

Mandvi’s first acting break came in Florida when he was still in school and drove from Tampa to Miami to audition for a small part on the TV show, “Miami Vice.” Although he only recited one line on the show, he was hooked.

In 1991, after graduation, Mandvi moved to New York and began auditioning for theater roles. In 1998, he made a name for himself in the theater world, winning an Obie for his one-man show, “Sakina’s Restaurant” and later appearing in the 2012 Pulitzer-prize winning play, “Disgraced,” where he portrayed a New York attorney of Pakistani-American ancestry who changes his last name to appear Hindu and avoid racial prejudice. 

A gifted actor, comedian and performer, Mandvi hopes to write more books and direct movies. “I’m always working on writing and producing,” he says. “My wife and I recently optioned the book, “The Night Diary,” by Veera Hiranandani, which is about a boy who is half Muslim, half Indian — just like our son — and we’re pitching it as an animated feature film.”

Before the pandemic hit, Mandvi was recording a podcast, “Lost at the Smithsonian,” (available on Apple Podcasts), where he did a deep dive on some of the most iconic artifacts at the National Museum of American History. “It was fascinating to go behind the scenes at the Smithsonian and learning about the story behind historical items such as the robe that boxer Muhammad Ali wore during training or the ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” Mandvi says. “I’d definitely love to do another podcast.”

Looking ahead, Mandvi has a full plate of projects to keep him busy. He recently voiced roles in two animated films: the adventure-comedy “Blazing Samurai,” which is based on the movie, “Blazing Saddles,” but features cats and dogs, and “The Magician’s Elephant,” a Netflix animated film, based on the fantasy adventure novel.

Working on location close to home also allows him to spend time with his family, such as a recent visit he took to the Bronx Zoo with his son. “It was Ishan’s first time at the zoo,” Mandvi says. “The gorillas were fascinated with him and banging on the window to get his attention. It was so fun to share that moment with Ishan and to watch him interact.”

Mandvi recently posted photos on Twitter of another father-son outing at a local park, noting he had shared some words of wisdom with Ishan.

“I gave him a little pep talk before we headed to the sandbox,” he says. “I told him, ‘Don’t ever be anyone’s puppet.’” O