New Delhi: One of the most keenly awaited Hollywood flicks this season, Superman Returns has an interesting Indian angle to it. An Indian-origin Hollywood actor Kal Penn plays a bad guy in the latest superhero venture.
Also known as Kalpen Modi, Penn is of Indian descent who was born and brought up in the United States. In Superman Returns, he plays the character of Stanford who is a henchman.
"There are three-four bad guys in the film. I am one of them. He is a wacky guy but is also one of the brainy characters in the film," Penn said.
Penn has acted in several crossover films including, The Namesake authored by Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, to be directed by Mira Nair.
Cast alongside renowned actors like Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey, Penn admits he has not done anything close to a big Hollywood venture such as this and is ‘super-excited’ ahead of the release of his film.
"It was a wonderful experience. Though it is a small role but it is a prominent part of the film. I have done many small films where I had more significant roles but this one is a big commercial film. It was a delight to work with Bryan (Bryan Singer, the director of the film)," he said.
"When I was younger, I was very much interested in theatre. But I was not very confident if it could be pursued as a career and how seriously it would be taken by others. I saw Mississippi Masala and was amazed at the way she had made the film. Then I thought something could be done with acting," the 29-year-old actor added.
Penn who shares screen space with Indian actors Irrfan and Tabu in The Namesake is all praise for the two. The film is due to be released in November.
"I play Gogol Ganguly in the film. It was great to work with artists from different parts of the world. Tabu and Irrfan are not just very talented but they are commercially very successful too. If Superman Returns is historically the most significant film that I have done, The Namesake is the most challenging of all," he said.
Penn, who tested waters with TV shows and commercials before entering Hollywood, says he personally prefers cinema over the idiot box as it helps "explore more boundaries".
"I am not averse to TV really. It all depends on the project. For me, the story and my character are the most significant. I don't mind doing a Bollywood film if a good script comes my way. I like challenges," says the actor who attended the Fine and Performing Arts Centre at High School and majored in theatre from California.
Though Penn now has interesting offers on his plate, he concedes that as he was an Asian he had to "work harder" to break into Hollywood.
"I had to struggle a lot. It is incredibly difficult for coloured performers. It is not so much of direct racism but it is mainly because there are no Indian writers here. The Hollywood writers here do not script roles for us. It is quite a task to convince a director to think out of the box while casting his film," he said.
Nevertheless, Penn is glad he has worked with 'progressive' directors who offered him 'interesting' films and hopes the process continues.
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