Picture This, a British romantic comedy predominantly featuring South Asian actors led by Bridgerton’s Simone Ashley, is fast climbing the popularity charts on Prime Video. One of the scene-stealers of this film — which talks about destiny and love — is actor-comedian-writer-creator Asim Chaudhry. Seen in prestige projects like Barbie and Black Mirror, Asim’s standout scene as a privileged, eccentric rich brat with Simone’s Pia in the film, is being watched and rewatched. A t2 chat.
I had a blast watching you in Picture This. What was the experience like for you?
It was fun. I really enjoyed the script when I got it, but I wanted to have a day with the writer and the director just to rework it and make the character (Sid) my own. They were really collaborative. I feel my scene really stands out in the film. And though it looks like fun, it was a hard one to pull off because we were laughing so much! It was a really good vibe and super collaborative.
Where there any specific standouts from his personality that you felt could turn into comedic gold?
The whole toilet thing is definitely a bit weird, especially that part where he says he doesn’t let anyone poo in his toilet. He is a germaphobe, he is super eccentric and he definitely has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
I am sure your stand-up acts make you experiment with a lot of accents. What was it like doing that accent in Picture This? That, in itself, is quite funny...
It is an accent that I have observed in London, especially among Indians in international schools. It is a mix of British, American and Indian. It sounds rich! It sounds like it is in a tax bracket that we haven’t even heard of! (Laughs) But I love that accent. I think it is so beautiful and it is not like the typical kind of Indian upper-class accent... it is a bit more.
I had a lot of friends who went to international school in Saudi (Arabia). In fact, my cousin, who is a Pakistani, went to a school in Saudi and she has a British accent. But when we were teenagers, she had an American accent! (Laughs) I don’t know what was going on, but I was always fascinated by her accent. So I wanted to give my character that kind of an accent that effortlessly says that he is rich, spoiled and privileged.
If you had the money to buy the kind of a house your character lives in, what is that one thing you would definitely put in there?
Oh my God! My dream is to have the best cinema room. I watch a lot of YouTube videos where these guys make some amazing cinema rooms. I have a pretty decent setup at home — a nice big TV with surround sound — but nothing beats an acoustically-treated cinema room, with sound, bass, woofers, lights and comfortable seats. I hope I can achieve that one day and when that happens, I will not leave that room! I would take a month off just to go to my Letterboxd (social media platform for sharing one’s taste in films) watchlist and watch all the classic films that I have never seen before. That would be something I would truly invest in.
Picture This is a mainstream, commercial film that may be a British comedy but its core is deeply Indian. How far do you think this film will take forward the inclusive aspect that cinema as a whole aspires for?
‘Mainstream’ is the main word there. I think we should be mainstream. It is a Western way of thinking that: ‘Okay, these are Asians... let’s give them their own TV channel and their own radio station.’ But we are constantly saying: ‘Why are we over there? We should be here in the mainstream.’ In England, especially, we have Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who are extremely intertwined within British culture, whether it is food, music, movies or relationships. We all know that the number one dish in England is Chicken Tikka Masala... it is not an Indian dish any more, it has now become a British dish! We should be in the mainstream, we shouldn’t be put into our own section. That is not progressive.
I think the most progressive thing is a movie like Picture This... a mainstream film about South Asian people. It is about love. Love is universal, comedy is universal. Movies like this are going to help us be in the mainstream.
Do you see the diversity of work being offered to you, including the stand-up comedy acts you do, increasing now?
I love acting but I wouldn’t class myself as just an actor, because that would mean that I am waiting for people to create roles for me and give me work. I like creating my own work and pushing boundaries.
Having said that, one is bound to get stereotyped in certain roles. But that is kind of on that person as well. You, as an actor or a stand-up comic, have to bring something new to it. I had never played a guy like Sid before. It was something new and fun for me. I could easily take a cheque and do the same character over and over again. But it is up to you as an artiste to do something different.
Stereotypes exist in every character, but it is about bringing levels of detail to a character. If we had been lazy with it, Sid could have ended up as a stereotype. But the character has layers of details based on real people, real experiences... like the accent that we were just speaking about.
Being a multi-hyphenate talent must be creatively exciting but does doing so many things also exhaust you?
I definitely have burnouts sometimes, like all of us do. I love to work but sometimes, you need to take a break. But when I have ‘creative mania’ — as my wife calls it — I think it is best to go with. When you enter a kind of a flow state, you should continue with it.
At the moment, I am writing and directing a horror film for BBCFilms and I did the first draft in three days. That was creative mania! The idea was many years old, but when it all clicked, it all came together like the parts of a puzzle in my head. I would say do not burn yourself out, but when that initial creative spark comes, you should not stop it. But the following day, if you aren’t feeling that same kind of energy, don’t force it. It is about understanding your body as well. Creative magic, capturing magic is a huge high, but self-care is important as well. So don’t burn out, but go with it.
As a comedian, are you expected to have a jovial and funny side to your personality all the time?
A lot of comedians go through that. In reality, I am an introvert. I love staying at home, I don’t really need anyone around me. Even though I love my wife, I don’t rely on her for my happiness. Most of the time I am at home entertaining her... she has a personal clown in me! (Laughs)
As a performer, even on the days when you don’t feel funny, there is something within you that wants to make other people feel happy, you want to make them laugh. I have had days where I am not feeling happy. But when I see that I can make people laugh, that feeling acts as a pick-me-up for me as well. But when you go home, you sometimes just want to be left alone because you are performing for the external world. So at home, I am more of an introvert because I need to recharge.
Also, what is important is to not give everyone the same energy. In a social situation, some people will only get 10 per cent of me and they may say: ‘Oh God, he seems a bit boring.’ But those people only deserve 10 per cent of me, some get 50 per cent and if I really like you, I will give you 100 per cent. One has to be selective of how much you give to people. That is something I learned as I got older.
What work of yours do fans consistently bring up in conversations with you?
I don’t do divisive comedy. If anything, my comedy brings people together. About 99.9 per cent of the people I meet are lovely and they tell me the sweetest things, which I think is the true beauty of comedy.
Most people, when low and depressed, tune in to their favourite comedy show because it is pure escapism. It is not complicated, it is not problematic, it is not divisive. Over the years, I have had so many people say to me: ‘I was really depressed but I would watch your show and you would really lift me.’
That is why I do comedy, though I feel it does get undermined sometimes. It doesn’t get the Oscars and all the high ratings on TV. But that is okay. Comedy is one of the most important genres because it uplifts people and truly brings them together.