So, Sendhil Ramamurthy made an appearance on Jay Leno's show tonight :).
Jay starts off by sort of chanting Sendhil's name multiple times-kinda' showing off that he got it right :)). And then the "Hero" shows up (WOW!!), looking his confident best.....you just notice a hint of desi shyness, so boyish :)). And Jay gloats again that he got Sendhil's name right, "So, i got your name right, its a tricky one-i practised all night". Sendhil sweetly says, "Oh, you did a great job.....even better than me". (sure honey, considering how you say Mohinder Surresh) :)). Just kidding, Sendhil proves himself to be an absolute sweetheart.
Jay obviously has some desi-related questions for Hero.
He starts off by asking Sendhil about where he comes from. He tells us that he was born in Chicago and three years later the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Jay asks him about his parents and Sendhil proudly tells that they are from Bangalore, India (cheers from some audience, making Jay and Sendhil chuckle)!!.
And then Sendhil shares in response to Jay's question about representing desis in mainstream roles on TV (i guess its his favorite question for desis-recall his interview with Parminder Nagra) how it was to be shooting in a small desi-owned motel in Monrovia (CA), where desis cheered him big time. Go India-so said Sendhil :)).
Though i have issues with this role being that mainstream, he still portrays a cabbie! May be mainstream means sufficient screen time .....
And Jay also brings up the sticky topic of choosing a seemingly non-conventional profession (from desi view-point). Sendhil confesses that coming from a family of doctors, it was a bit tricky to initially share his career-choice with his parents, but they are his big time supporters now. He himself has trained as a pre-med at Tufts where he had to enroll for an arts course to graduate, which made him turn to acting big time.
He also mentions that while he trained in dramatic arts in London, he adapted a British accent all through to get around smoothely :). Now we know where Mohinder's style comes from :)).
Yes, the guy doesn't do a convincing job of doing desi accent in Heros, yes he says Mohinder Surresh they way he does. But having seen him on this show tonight, he sounds very honest about what he's doing and is clearly proud of representing desis on small screen. (or is he just a good actor-hope he wasn't acting here).....Some girls call him Mr. Hot n' Sweet-dunno' about the hot factor-but he's definitely sweeeeeeet-really adorable.
Wish you much luck brother :).
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15 comments:
"Oh, you did a great job.....even better than me". (sure honey, considering how you say Mohinder Surresh).
LOL you're too funny! :)
Oh Naina, now thats a compliment :)).
Thanks a ton :).
"Though i have issues with this role being that mainstream, he still portrays a cabbie!"
Cabbie? I thought he was a scientist or something...playing into that desi geek stereotype...
and yes!
happy republic day to you too...
Sbkt, he's shown to be a professor back in India, who works as a cabbie in NYC, now how mainstream is that! I have updated this with a link i the same place you pointed out. Though they don't highlight this anymore.....
Your picture is so reflective of your blog :)
I'm a HUGE fan of Sendhil Ramamurthy...I wish we got Leno DownUnder and I could have seen the interview. From what I've seen he does seem sweet, and he is MOST DEFINATELY HOT HOT HOT!!!!
My question is, how should Mohinder Suresh be pronounced (I have noticed Sendhil pronounced it differnt ways a couple of times during the course of season 1). I think his fake accent is adorable, but then neither him nor I were raised in India (or Britain for that matter) so I have nothing to compare it to, but I take it from the Indian blogs I've read its not a good imitation. :-(
As for the stereotypical cabbie thing, if you were suddenly travelling from your home country to America, it's doubtful you'd even get a greencard that quickly, let alone any work in your chosen field. I imagine cabbie work is easy to come by, especially if it is done with illegal documentation ... not that there is any evidence of that in the show ... I'm surprised they showed he had employement at all in the US.
Now if he'd been in the states for years and was still a cabbie, I'd have to agree with the stereotype casting...but in all honesty, what would happen to an immigrant who suddenly found themselves in America? (the show does not explain what type of visa Mohinder is travelling on).
Thanks
Lisa, thanks for the analytical take. I agree that Sendhil wasn't raised in India. But then this is acting business-i dont much care if someone can't get the diction right. but if you are an actor, better bring some authenticity, especially if you have some remote connection to a certain place. Kavi Ladnier, who had a very small part in one of the episodes, is also most likely not brought up in India-but her diction was much closer to reality. My point is, i wouldn't mind his pronunciation of the character's name, if Mohinder were to be an Indian-American. But the guy is supposed to be from India, so his diction would be quite different.
Having said that, Sendhil is sweet and if you didn't see that interview, you really missed something!
About employment-to me it looked like Mohinder's move to the US is a well planned move. its not that difficult to find a scientific/Research job in a US university if a Prof. from India wants to go to the US for a sabbatical. Anyway, its just a TV program. Mohinder and Sendhil are two different beings, if i may say so.....
Hi,
I can see your point....Kavi played Suresh's ex-girlfriend correct? She was raised in US also. I have read a couple of interviews with Sendhil where he states that his accent is still evolving, as the producers have him changing/developing it as the story progresses. I guess he's only doing it the way he's asked. I need to see him in some other programs to see his different accents, but the authenticity of this one doesn't bother me, I think he sounds darlin' regardless.
I just had a thought re: cabbie...if one was on sabbatical to a USA university, wouldn't you have to spend your time working, not tracking down mutants/heroes? Perhaps the cabbie job gives him enough money and freedom to accomplish what he is really there for?
I wish the producers would give Mohinder some reasons to smile, so we could see more 'Sendhil'. The guy has a terrific smile.
I hope he and the show go a long long way.
"The guy has a terrific smile"
Yup, Lisa, and he's a darling in every single way. If you ever have to look for a Jay Leno Show clip-this would be it :).
"Track down mutants"
That had me in splits: umm, well, i must explain myself here. As he's a geneticist, he might have as well taken up a lab job. and you know how, we biologists sometimes do look for mutants in our research IN THE LAB :)).
I did track down the interview online and downloaded it. He was so sweet in the interview and it makes me like him all the more! I imagine it would be difficult NOT to like him if you met him in person :D
I wish him all the success in the world, and hope we see more of him in the future in other shows as well (although I am really enjoying heroes, and not enjoying the hiatus at present!)
Lisa
Hey Lisa, wasn't that fun :).
Heroes returns on the 23rd i guess, if i remember correct.....
Enjoy,
Musical.
If you look up the "Heroes" webcomics, the first one is about Mohinder... in it he all but says he HATES being a cabbie and regards it as a major step down from his professorship in India. So not to downplay the very real stereotype of "Indian cabbie" but I thought that was a pretty neat, humanizing spin on the whole thing (and frankly, is very true to a lot of immigrant families I've known).
Mary:
Thanks for sharing this! Yes, there are a lot of Indian cabbies, and many professors would not want to drive a cab when they move to a different country.....unless necessity drives them to do so. Both are equally human. Yes, many immigrants do have to struggle a lot to earn their bread and butter. The point here is, if his character is a cabbie, fine-but why does one have to show a professor driving a cab? How many immigrant professors/academics drive cabs? To me it seems like a strange product of two common desi stereotypes: a cabbie and a nerd!
Hi musical!
I totally understand where you're coming from - and I honestly wasn't trying to downplay the stereotypical aspects of it because they're definitely there. I'm sorry if it came across that way. I guess I was trying to find the silver lining...
Hey Mary,
That's really sweet of you :). Sorry if i came across as a bit harsh, that wasn't the intent.
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