There is no doubt that comedian Kumail Nanjiani has been on somewhat of a hot streak as of late. Racking up a string of great performances in a bunch of prestige projects, the Pakistani-born actor recently released one of his greatest projects to date. “Welcome to Chippendales” tells the lurid yet relatable story of Steve Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who came to America with a plan to make it big. After saving up tens of thousands of dollars working at a gas station, Banerjee worked on a number of business ideas before coming up with Chippendales, which was an exotic male dancing revue. The world had never seen anything like it before. Prior to this, burlesque dancing had been performed by only women. It was a revolutionary idea, and audiences couldn’t get enough.
As Banerjee, Nanjiani delves into his dark side. Although he made his way through the entertainment industry mainly through stand-up comedy and more comedic roles, Nanjiani demonstrates his true acting chops in this sordid story. Because he is such a charming actor, it allows audiences to empathize with the character — and it would appear that streamer Hulu is backing him up all the way. Recently, the service threw a lavish party in West Hollywood in support of the show. Inviting potential awards season voters, they splashed out. Nanjiani and some of the other actors participated in a question and answer session prior to the screening, which was of the first two episodes of the series. After the screening, attendees enjoyed treats from food trucks and then walked over to the bar Rocco’s for “The Chippendale Experience,” which included performances from dancers, more food, and free drinks. Hulu’s investment into this show proves that they believe it possesses the potential to become a big player when it’s time for the SAG Awards and Emmmys to put out their nominations. With all of the buzz around Nanjiani, it would not be a surprise to hear his name pop up.
